As a Tokyo-based freelance travel photographer, the past couple of months have been a rollercoaster. Covid-19 has caused major disruption in my business. Like others who find themselves in a similar position, I am trying to make the best of a bad situation. I am taking some of the time indoors to mark items off of my to-do list.
Many of the chores on my list have been on my mind for years, neglected or procrastinated upon because of lack of time or energy. With the state of the world in flux, I finally have the chance to attack my long ignored list. Over the past weeks I have wiped down all of my photography gear, cleaned out resources and books from my shelves, researched old Kodak Premoette cameras, organized my desk, and worked on my websites and blog. I have written thank you notes to editors and organized assignment receipts. I have even formatted every memory card I own.
One of the most time consuming tasks on the list was to overhaul my digital library, to organize the hundreds of thousands of editorial, commercial, and personal photography images that I have shot over the past few years. During my extensive digital organization I stumbled upon a misplaced folder full of images from Koyasan, Japan shot for the New York Times.
Opening the folder, I was immediately taken back to the quiet enclave nestled in the giant cedar forests of Mount Koya, one of Japan's most sacred mountains. The mainline of the images highlighted Koyasan's monastic accommodations and the sect of esoteric Buddhism that makes Koyasan one of Japan’s holiest places. There were also outtakes of the Okunoin Cemetery, the old growth forests, and details from around the quiant village.
Opening several of the files, I was transported to Koyasan and could smell the evergreen forest around me. I could hear the wind whipping through the groves of bamboo and the monks chanting at dawn. I could feel the chilled mountain air upon my skin and the afternoon sunlight that permeated the tatami room screens of my modest accommodation. I remembered how happy I was during those couple of days on Mt. Koya.
I was pleased to see some of the images land in the New York Times' travel section. I was just as happy to find the images, reminisce on my time in Koyasan, and to tuck the folder of photos into its proper place (likely to never be seen again).
