Takasu Rice Terrace! Finally the right conditions to start astrophotography!
The temperature outside was low but I came prepared. Along the way up to the top of the terrace, I spotted a couple of tanuki! I arrived to the top of the terrace by car at about 10:45 pm and began taking photos around 11:00 pm. The sun was up the last time I had been to the same exact spot.
It was pitch black. Completely silent. There were so many stars out! I even witnessed a few shooting stars too! Nothing in the distance except for a bunch of mountains. I wasn’t alone. The nearby herd of Akaushi kept me company and kept me laughing as they continuously mooed throughout the night.
When it came time for me to edit this photo, I was excited! I wanted to see how well I could emphasize the presence of the stars in the sky without ruining the natural look I captured. I eventually decided not to edit the photo. Not because it was too difficult to apply edits to but because I loved the natural look more than any of the edited versions I came up with.
全くの闇。完全な静寂。膨大な星！流れ星もあった！遠くの山並みとの間には何もなかった。
私は一人ではなかった。近くにはあか牛の群れがいて、夜通しモーモー鳴いて私を微笑ませてくれた。
撮影した写真を編集する時が来たとき、私はとても興奮した！自然な夜景のルックを維持したまま、夜空に輝く星の存在をどれだけ強調できるか知りたかったのだ。
結局、私は編集を入れないことにした。編集するのが難しすぎたわけではなく、編集したものよりも撮ったままのものの方が遥かに気に入ったからだ。
