The leaves aren’t the only things changing in this beautiful series of photos from Nagano

Family photos show the cycle of the seasons and a new beginning.

Japan has long been a country of passionate photography enthusiasts, and one reason might be the country’s extreme seasonal changes. Sure, Japan isn’t the only country with four distinct seasons, but you won’t find many places where the differences are so pronounced between one time of year and another, and a gorgeous example of this is provided by Japanese photographer and Twitter user Masaya (@88Masaya).

With 2021 winding down, Masaya recently shared a collage of three photos he took over the course of the year. The first shows a tree-lined path, with pink flowers partially covered in white snow.

In the second, we see trees with vibrantly verdant late-spring leaves…

…and in the third, the scene is framed in the crimson maple leaves of autumn.

But what makes the scenery even more impressive is that all three photos were taken in the exact same place, in Masaya’s home prefecture of Nagano! What’s more, look closely and you’ll see that it’s not just the color of the trees that’s changing, but the size of Masaya’s family too. In the winter photo, that’s Masaya’s wife and son sharing a hug, and the boy’s head is hiding the baby bump his mom had at the time. By the time we get to spring, they’re joined by his younger sibling, one month after the newborn was welcomed to the family, and in fall, the little one is now six months old.

これ全て同じ場所で撮った家族写真だなんて信じられますか!?
(娘お腹の中→生後1ヶ月→6ヶ月) pic.twitter.com/9vhzdHpYrS

— Masaya "家族グラフィーの人" (@88Masaya) December 4, 2021

Big Brother seems to be adapting nicely to his new role too, as he’s giving the baby a reassuring pat on the head in what Masaya says is his favorite family photo he’s ever taken.

自分史上最高に美しい家族写真が撮れました。 pic.twitter.com/utgDEAVvyu

— Masaya "家族グラフィーの人" (@88Masaya) November 27, 2021

That’s saying something, considering that his household portfolio isn’t in any way short on impressive pictures.

この秋撮った家族写真を並べてみたら全てが絵本の世界のようでした。 pic.twitter.com/4tRnFZxLGD

— Masaya "家族グラフィーの人" (@88Masaya) November 30, 2021

With Nagano’s mountainous terrain making it one of the colder parts of Japan, the leaves have largely fallen from the trees. On the other hand…

森の中の大きなクリスマスツリーと家族を撮ったら、まるで童話の世界のようでした。 pic.twitter.com/NaIoxamo4l

— Masaya "家族グラフィーの人" (@88Masaya) December 2, 2021

…that means the next months are full of opportunities for snapshots of the prefecture’s winter-wonderland mode, and even when the cycle repeats, the kids gradually growing up will make every season feel fresh for the family.

Source: Twitter/@88Masaya via IT Media
Images: Twitter/@88Masaya
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: