Shooting with the X-T5 and a smartphone. A night with the Milky Way visible from the garden

Last night, when I looked up at the sky in the garden...

Last night, I went out into the garden and looked up at the sky without much thought.

There were few clouds, and many stars were visible.

"Maybe... Oh, I see it."

I could see the Milky Way with my naked eye. When I pointed my camera at it, the summer Milky Way clearly revealed itself.

This is not a special shooting location.

It is my garden.

It is the usual place where I normally grow vegetables and photograph flowers.

Above that garden, this kind of scenery was spreading out.

Shooting locations don't have to be famous spots

When it comes to astrophotography,

"You can't take pictures unless you go far away"

I think many people have that image.

Of course, famous starry sky spots are wonderful.

But what I felt again last night was,

that beautiful scenery definitely exists in familiar places too.

A garden where I photograph flowers during the day.

A garden where I photograph stars when it becomes night.

Even in the same place, it becomes a completely different world just by the time changing.

I was able to capture this much even with a smartphone

This time, I tried shooting not only with the FUJIFILM X-T5,

but also with the Pro mode of my Android smartphone.

Of course, the camera has the advantage in fine detail and low noise.

Even so,

"You can't photograph stars because it's a smartphone"

I feel that it is no longer that kind of era.

The image quality was enjoyable enough to keep as a record.

For those who want to start astrophotography,

I also recommend trying it out with the smartphone you have on hand first.

What the time spent looking up at the sky gives you

Before I started photography,

I almost never looked up at the sky at night.

But since I started carrying a camera,

I have become interested in the changing of the seasons,

the shape of the moon,

and even the position of the stars.

I think photography is a hobby that not only preserves scenery,

but also changes how you see everyday life.


In closing

The Milky Way from last night was

not at a special travel destination,

nor was it a famous shooting spot.

It was scenery I encountered in my usual garden.

When I lived in Osaka, even if I looked up at the night sky, I could hardly see any stars.

I still remember being surprised when I first went to the city, thinking, "I didn't realize stars could become this invisible."

On the other hand, in Takachiho where I was born and raised, it was normal to be able to clearly see the Milky Way with the naked eye on clear nights.

When I was a child, I didn't think that was anything special.

But precisely because I lived in the city once, I keenly felt how luxurious that scenery was.

Now that I have returned to Kyushu and started living in the countryside.

Just by going out into the garden and looking up at the sky, I can encounter the Milky Way.

Such casual moments are the greatest luxury for me.

Photography might not just be for preserving that scenery, but for capturing the emotion felt in that moment and even the happiness of living in that land.

If you also have a clear night, please try looking up at the sky for just a little bit.

There, the beauty hidden in everyday life might be quietly spreading out.
Thank you for reading until the end.