Follow The Leader

• Photographer
  Chin Leong Teo

Lake Kussharo in Hokkaido, Japan, is located within a volcanic region that gushes out hot spring water even during the cold winter months. This attracts whooper swans, which gather near the hot spring outlet for warmth and food. Young swans continue to follow their parents even as they grow into adolescent age. Sometimes this creates an interesting “follow the leader” scene where several young swans follow their parents as they swim about the lake.

Chin Leong is a Singapore national who has lived and worked in countries as diverse as the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia and Japan. This globetrotting experience has created a desire in him to connect the different cultures of the world through photography and the visual arts. Chin Leong started his photography pursuit in 2013 and quickly gained international recognition and accolades for his photography work. Some of the top prizes he had won include the Sony International Photo Awards 2022 – Singapore National Award Winner, and the Siena Pangea Prize in 2019.