John Parker, Through the snow to Jigokudani (ANIMAL 2025)

Battling through thick falling snow I made my way to the Jigokudani snow monkeys nestled high in the snow covered mountains above the Nagano Prefecture. After a short trek I was greeted with snow monkeys bathing amongst the steaming hot springs, their fur dusted white, their faces calm amongst the winter storm. The contrast of their warm expressions against the harsh alpine conditions was a moment of raw beauty.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.