By Alex
Netizen Sherpa (@Sherpa1024) recently traveled to and photographed Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture solo. Opting for camping allowed her to escape artificial lighting and be close to the pitch-black sky. Though it was only 9:30 PM, using a full-frame camera, she had no trouble capturing the sparkling night sky—filled with countless stars and the Milky Way—glowing in purple hues.
I underestimated Ishigaki Island.
— sherpa (@sherpa1024) July 11, 2020
It's absolutely stunning. pic.twitter.com/TAlVTOq3Z4
Sherpa shot the photo on the northern coast of Ishigaki Island. At first, her eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness, and having had average results photographing starry skies on Honshu in the past, she didn’t have high expectations. But as her eyes gradually adjusted, she could clearly see the Milky Way with the naked eye—and was so moved that she quickly took out her camera. According to her, the number of stars visible in the photo is three times what the naked eye can see, and she emphasized that the image was only minimally edited on a smartphone, with no “artificial compositing.”
▲ The night sky over Ishigaki Island at 9:30 PM, where the Milky Way is visible just by looking up. (Photo by sherpa1024 @Twitter)
Sherpa’s photo of the Ishigaki Island starry sky garnered nearly 50,000 likes and 10,000 retweets. Other netizens praised the photo as incredibly beautiful, with the purple-hued sky sparking imagination and feeling like another world. She also shared her shooting gear (Canon EOS RP with RF15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM) and settings (20-second exposure, F/2.8 aperture, ISO 3,200, 15mm focal length), enabling others to capture equally stunning starry sky photos just like she did.
▲ sherpa1024 shares the original photo along with the shooting details. (Photo by sherpa1024 @Twitter)
Located in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture, Ishigaki Island is the third-largest island in the prefecture and serves as the gateway to the other Yaeyama Islands (Taketomi Island, Kohamajima, Iriomote Island, Hateruma Island, Hatoma Island, Kuroshima, and Yonaguni Island). Flights from Taipei and Naha take about an hour to arrive. With its crystal-clear azure sea and pristine coral reefs, Ishigaki Island boasts abundant subtropical natural scenery. The nearby Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park on Iriomote Island has been designated as a “Starlight Reserve,” so on Ishigaki Island itself, you only need to look up to see the beautiful Milky Way!
▲ Photos taken by sherpa1024 on Ishigaki Island. (Photo by sherpa1024 @Twitter)
▲ (Photo by sherpa1024 @Twitter)
▲ (Photo by sherpa1024 @Twitter)
Source: LiveDoor News