Futatsuiwa rocks in the snow, Hokkaido Photograph - Limited Edition of 5

Sometimes you have to go back to your roots to move forward. I remember seeing an image that Michael Kenna made in this location many years ago, then I just forgot about it and time went by. My goal during this trip was to visit some of the locations he shot and try to rivisit them in a different way: pretty difficult if you ask me as he’s a true master. But I digress. The first time I visited here was on a sunny day, just before sunset: and I have to say these rocks looked very uninteresting. There’s a hotel right next to them, and you can see Shiretoko peninsula in the distance: a beautiful view but not very dramatic or interesting for me. Everything changed the next morning, when a snowstorm was hitting the area so hard you could barely see anything. I covered all my cameras with shower caps and managed to find an high point from were I was able to compress the scene with my telephoto lens. The long exposure helped smoothing all the snow and the water, turning everything into a white canvas. I was really happy with the image, until I went back and check Michael Kenna’s one, just to find out it was identical! I was frustrated at first, but then I realized that this was all part of my journey: we need to study the greats in order to move forward, to add something new. I’m sure I’ll be able to make a different image next time I’ll visit, and that is because I struggled here this time. Photography, as life, is a never ending journey! The original is printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Satin 310 gsm 100% Cotton white satin-finish paper and manually signed.