Winter Wonderland Photography Tour & Workshop

MBP Japan Wildlife Tour was truly an exceptional experience. From the country & culture to the camaraderie of the cohort, this trip was the best. Martin provided the most organized & varied photo opportunities – Not to be missed!

From the moment we all met at Haneda Airport, the trip was ‘flawless”. The organization and execution of the entire trip was meticulous and well thought out, the hotel accommodation plush, and the local cuisine exquisite.

Martin’s eloquent skill in the Japanese language, and having excellent mastery of the local environment meant he was able to deliver the very best of Hokkaido for both wildlife and landscape photo opportunities.

I had always struggled with the intricacy of exposure and I never shot in full manual mode, Martin’s insight on these topics is ingenious, suffice to say, after the trip, I now only ever shoot in full manual mode. Martin’s tutoring meant I came away from the Hokkaido tour with many 1st class photos of Japanese Red-Crowned Cranes, Eagles, Ezo Deer and a sound understanding of photography. This tour truly delivers a Hokkaido Winter Wonderland Workshop

We particularly wanted to improve our ability to capture birds in flight during this trip, and we have certainly achieved that. Using back button focusing helped us to improve, as did a clearer understanding of our cameras’ auto focus features. Thank you Martin. Photographing the eagles taking fish from the water was an experience we will never forget, and just one of many highlights.

Many thanks for organising and running such a good trip – I have now been on many wildlife photographic trips, and this rates as one of the very best. Martin’s passion for the subject and clear enthusiasm for running the trip was clear to everyone. And Martin’s technical knowledge of photography is second to none. Many, many thanks.

Your organisation and contact before the tour was unlike any other and very impressive, and continued throughout the tour. Everything ran so smoothly (even when things weren’t going to plan!) The variety in wildlife and landscape was also brilliant and having the chance to go back to the same places over a couple of days and in different conditions really gave me the chance to improve on my skills. Your workshops were also really helpful and I have definitely noticed an improvement in my images over the two weeks – some of the images I’ve taken are unlike anything I thought I was capable of before the trip!

Martin organizes and runs a great tour. I attended the 2016 Winter Wildlife Tour. I love going on tours that offer the chance to photograph a variety of subjects. This tour provided non-stop photo opportunities. The highlight for me was watching and photographing the White-Tailed and Steller Sea Eagles. Martin also exposes his guests to Japanese culture which was a great experience.

The Snow Monkeys & Hokkaido Tour and Workshop exceeded my expectations on all levels. The wildlife was amazing, the Japanese winter wonderland was beautiful and on top of that we got a glimpse into japanese culture. The whole tour was perfectly organized by Martin and his wonderful crew which relieved us from all the tedious bits and pieces that come along with such a journey. The icing on the cake is Martin’s way to share knowledge and to give lessons on how to photograph in snow and the existing weather conditions. The tour is quite demanding and certainly no vacation but it is worth every effort.

Truly, Martin, I have been participating in workshops for many years with some of the world’s best, but your commitment to helping your clients realize their full potential as artists — in preparation, image capture, and post-capture interpretation — is without equal.

Martin is an excellent teacher. Very patient, and with a wonderful sense of humour. He knows Japan, particularly Hokkaido, because he’s lived here for over 26 years, and has chosen excellent locations, none of which disappointed – no small feat considering how reliant on weather we were. He’s well-organized and if anything didn’t go according to plan I certainly didn’t notice a glitch in the matrix. But for a guy who’s so easy-going he can really march his troops, and we were up at some lunatic hours, one morning my alarm went as early as 4:00am. Thank God you can get coffee in the vending machines. If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday, this isn’t it, though the food, sake, and abundant hot springs took the sting out of the early mornings and long hours.

I was so impressed with the 2014 Hokkaido winter wildlife tour that I also joined the 2015 Hokkaido Winter Landscape tour. Both tours were truly outstanding. On the wildlife tour, the quantity of cranes, eagles, snow monkeys, etc., far exceeded expectations. The weather presented us with some challenges but plans were quickly adjusted to provide an extremely productive and rewarding photo tour. The tour/workshop was very professionally planned, organized and executed.

Similarly, during the Landscape tour, all efforts were made to provide us with interesting locations that would be appropriate for the existing lighting and snow conditions.  Such planning and execution would not be possible without Martin’s in depth experience in Japan and particularly in Hokkaido. As MB photography podcast listeners would agree, Martin is extremely knowledgeable on the technical and artistic aspects of photography and he is always eager to educate and provide assistance to all participants, regardless of skill levels.  It should also be mentioned that the Japan tour operator support, transportation, lodging, meals, onsen, etc., all contributed to a unique, enjoyable, Hokkaido photographic experience —Highly recommended!

I have taken photography workshops in Australia, France, USA, the Falkland Islands, the Subantarctic and Japan and Martin Bailey is the best tour leader I have encountered. The organisation of his tour was second to none and Martin makes sure that he maximises the photographic opportunities available to his tour participants.

Not only did we visit the best photographic locations, I also learned new camera and post-processing techniques resulting in images which have won in photography competitions and been included in the Photographic Society of America’s PID Interclub Best of the Best for 2016. I would highly recommend Martin as a tour leader.

Liz and I wanted to once again say thanks for a terrific tour with the snow monkeys and the wildlife of Hokkaido. We enjoyed all aspects of our time with our special group (the very early mornings somewhat less) and especially your instruction and mentoring all along the way. The tour conductor’s constant oversight ensured an effortless trip for us and made us feel more like family than clients. As a business owner, I know how much work and effort goes into setting up the logistics for a trip such as this, as well as the effort required to make the field work come together seamlessly. I commend you for your tireless efforts throughout our journey in Japan.

I highly recommend Martin Bailey’s Hokkaido tour, in particular, because Martin is not only a responsible, knowledgeable, forthcoming and nice guy, but also a superb photographer himself, who knows all the right places.

Martin’s organization was meticulous and his Japanese language skills were key, from getting us from Tokyo to Hokkaido (and back) as well as to the different photo shoots and hotels (via bus), everything went smoothly and without a hitch. The hotels were very nice and the food plentiful and good to excellent.

Martin answers questions regarding choice and use of equipment, photography in general, and provides advice on the challenges of photographing the different locations etc. At the moment I can’t think of anything else – besides the 2010 tour and the challenge of selecting my favorites from 2009. 🙂

My time at your snow monkey workshop in Jigokudani was so much fun! Thank you for all you taught me – exposure, composition, color management, Lightroom processing, workflow and more. The teacher we know from the podcasts is even better in person!

I want to thank you for a wonderful trip to Japan. You developed a terrific itinerary that included traditional lodging and food, fantastic opportunities to take pictures of snow monkeys, Japanese Red-crowned cranes, Sea Eagles and much more. I would also like to commend you on what I consider your natural ability to teach. I learned so much on this trip.

I have been on many photographic tours and workshops in recent years and would rank MBP Snow Monkeys and Hokkaido Tour and Workshop as one of the very best. The trip organization was excellent with very good pre-trip information and help throughout the trip. Martin knows exactly where to be and when to be there to get the best shots. He was always available to answer photographic as well as cultural questions.

I think photographers of all levels would benefit from this tour/workshop. I particularly enjoyed the introduction to Japanese culture and cuisine, a wonderful bonus to an exceptional photographic experience. In comparing trips to photograph Japanese wildlife in winter I also found the Martin Bailey trip to be an excellent value for what was provided.

Martin Bailey’s Winter Wonderland Photography Tour was an outstanding experience. We have participated in a significant number of photo tours and this one ranks among our very best. We returned with an amazing number and variety of quality images. Martin worked very hard to put us in the right place at the right time to get everything possible from the trip. An added dimension was the quality of the instruction and his concern with everyone getting the benefit of his experience with suggestions for camera settings and compositions. The food, accommodations and cultural experiences exceeded what we expected.

The helpful tour operator, Yukiko, is definitely the best guide one can have on this planet “fullstop”. I am very happy to meet Martin in person, who gave me back my motivation about photography, even with being on the field again. Taking great shots of White-tailed eagles , Steller’s Sea Eagels and Blakiston’s Fish owl is good enough for making this trip a very successful one, however all the workshops and Martin’s on the field instructions about photography in general, made this trip an unbeatable one , I’ll go anywhere with you Martin. After 8 years of photographing wildlife, I just started to shoot “manual” and started to get wonderful results thanks to Martin’s excellent lectures and tips. CU again Martin!

I participated in the MBP Tour and Workshop in Nagano and Hokkaido in Feb 2011. I had little Wildlife photography experience prior to the Tour. However, my understanding and appreciation of this facet has grown considerably because of my participation. The itinerary, the organisation, the photography mentoring, the wildlife, the scenery, the accommodation, the food, the cameraderie within the group, all added to the fun of involvement. Martin’s friendliness, approachability, knowledge of photography and Japan and the language, ensured a memorable and rewarding experience, that I would recommend to anyone interested.

Great Tour from the first until the last moment. A great group with a high understanding of photography, and great organization. Martin gave us great teaching in Manual Mode, Lightroom and Color Management etc. Even the experienced Photographer can learn something.

Excellent tour which I would recommend for anyone interested in improving their photographic skills and the opportunity to see some wonderful wildlife. A real privilege. The flexibility of the tour enabled us to see cranes performing beautiful dancing whilst it was snowing which I shall never forget. Being at the various locations for a few days was great as not only did it give the opportunity to improve on taking photos but gave a small appreciation and understanding of the animal’s behaviour and hence look out for more specific shots to take. The tour was well organised, ran smoothly to Martin and the Tour Operator’s credit. The hotels were very good and it was great experiencing a bit of Japanese culture and food again. Thanks for a memorable tour.

Martin’s Hokkaido Tour and Workshop was a delightfully rich, rewarding and enjoyable experience both photographically and culturally. Martin’s fluency in Japanese, in-depth knowledge of the locations, friendly nature and extensive photographic knowledge and skills (which he willingly shared) make him a great guide, teacher and companion. Thanks to Martin’s expert assistance and advice together with spectacular locations and vantage points, I came home with some of the best photos I’ve ever taken. And I’m now shooting confidently in manual – which, I discovered, is important with wildlife than can move rapidly!

Attending MBP Workshop 2011 was a unique experience and great introduction to Japanese culture and wildlife. The workshop was well organised and gives the photographer great freedom. Highly recommended!!!

The Snow Monkey and Hokkaido Photography Tour exceeded all expectations. Martin is very generous with his photographic knowledge and technical assistance – but never obtrusive. I was already shooting in manual mode, but returned home with far greater camera skills and the ability to manually control the shots that I wanted. For the first time I had images of a high enough quality to enter in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The tour was also excellent culturally with many memorable traditional Japanese meals….and baths!

Martin’s passion for photography is infectious. Whether you’re standing in the dark, at minus 15 degrees, wearing nearly every item of clothing you brought, waiting for a sunrise, or sitting on the floor in traditional Japanese attire over dinner (with beer), you are inspired by his enthusiasm, knowledge, and desire to help you master your craft. This trip was a magical blend of opportunity and expertise. If you’re looking for a unique insight into the photographic opportunities of Japan wildlife and landscape, this is the perfect trip! Martin’s trips will book quickly as word spreads – don’t miss out.

Unbelievable photographic opportunities, outstanding food and superb company made for a truly memorable experience. I shot some of my best images ever! Thank you Martin!

The Martin Bailey Hokkaido experience is a cornucopia of great photography locations, people, learning, and fellowship. It was as much a cultural experience as it was a photographic one. Martin’s command of the language and familiarity with the locations ensured a hassle-free trip. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by encouraging colleagues in a non-competitive environment with unrestricted access to such a competent and approachable teacher.

2011 Update: This was my third time on the tour and definitely not my last. That should speak bundles.