ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Steller’s sea eagles are categorized as vulnerable by the IUCN and they are legally protected being classified as a national treasure in Japan but many threats including severe cold winter to their survival pursuit. Traditionally, the fisherman feeds unsellable fishes to them through the harsh winter when they came along with drift ices floating in Rausu area. There have been discussions amongst government environmental office, fishery industry, tourist industry, and other stakeholders to find out the best means to protect this specie but no clear and balanced answer developed yet. I feel it is difficult to obtain a simple solution. Photography opportunity is one of byproducts and I wanted to maximize the benefit from them by using slow shutter speed (1/13s) expressing their majestic beauty and hoping their long years of survival on the earth.

AUTHOR
I am a nature and wildlife photographer based in Seattle. My goal in photography is to create images that resemble paintings. While creating an excellent painting can take hours or even years, a photograph can be captured with just one click of the shutter. This is what fascinates and motivates me, and I have been photographing for over 20 years. Recently, I was invited to delve into wildlife photography, which has become even more captivating and inspiring, as it reveals a world where the cycle of life and death unfolds every moment. During this new journey, I discovered that 3S (Slow Shutter Speed) shooting is an incredibly effective tool for making my photos look like paintings—not only because of its painterly appearance but also because each image tells its own story. I believe this effect occurs because The camera's image sensor accumulates photons for 100 to 300 times longer compared to typical high-shutter-speed shooting.

back to gallery