/ 2025 / Nature / Sunrise / Sunset

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Wataru Aoki, Japan
• Website
  https://www.closed-garden.net
• Instagram
  http://www.instagram.com/pfwa_13

The day, I arrived the lake in the early morning.
I was there in foggy days many times, but it was the thickest day ever.
It was already hazy about 20 meters ahead, beyond that it was pure white world.

I looked out toward the lake, thick fog was drifting on the serface of the lake.
All I could see of the lake was one tree, and the world behind was shrouded in mist.

I waited for a while.

Usually the fog clears up gradually, but on this day the world remained covered in a thick mist.
Gradually the sun rose and came directly above a tree.

This was what I want to see in this place.

In 2007, I was fascinated by the magnificent scenery in Hokkaido, which I visited for the first time, and started taking landscape photographs.
Then I continued to shoot at world-famous scenic spots such as the Grand Circle in the United States, Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef.
I have ever visited 15 countries and continue my adventure in pursuit of fascinating landscapes.

Awards
* World's Top10 Landscape Photo Contest 2021
Aerial Category : Bronze Prize Winner

* Budapest International Foto Awards 2021
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Seasons Category : Silver Prize Winner

* International Photography Awards 2020
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Landscape Category : 2nd Place Winner

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* International Photography Awards 2021
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Seasons Category : Honorable Mention (2pics)

Non-Professional Section, Nature / Trees Category : Honorable Mention (1pic)

* World's Top10 Landscape Photo Contest 2021
Trees & Lakes Category : Finalist (1 photo each)

* International Photography Awards 2020
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Landscape Category : Honorable Mention (3pics)
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Seasons Category : Honorable Mention (2pics)

* Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Landscape Category : Honorable Mention (2pics)

* International Photography Awards 2019
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Landscape Category : Honorable Mention (2pics)
Non-Professional Section, Architecture / Historic Category : Honorable Mention (1pic)

* Tokyo International Foto Awards 2019
Non-Professional Section, Nature / Aerial Category : Honorable Mention (1pic)