Reaching Sangara Waterfall on Iriomote at night is an adventure all its own—a one-hour hike through dense jungle, with the weight of darkness pressing in and the sounds of unseen animals in every direction. By the time I scrambled onto the slick rocks, I was already soaked with effort, but above me the Milky Way was rising, casting its quiet brilliance across the sky. I wanted to bring together the cosmic and the earthly—the timeless drift of stars and the ceaseless motion of water—into one single exposure. The scene felt both immense and intimate: the roar of the falls filling my ears, while the infinite stillness of the heavens stretched out before my eyes.

For this shot, I used the Canon EOS 5DSr paired with the Laowa 12mm f2.8, opening the lens wide and exposing for twenty seconds. It was just enough to capture the richness of the galactic core without dragging the stars into trails, while also allowing the waterfall to soften into flowing ribbons of white. During the exposure, I carefully painted light across the surrounding trees and rocks, balancing the artificial glow against the natural darkness. It was a delicate dance of timing and technique, all executed while standing on slippery stone, hoping the weather would hold. In the end, everything aligned—the galaxy, the falls, the forest—and the image became a testament to the wild beauty of Iriomote’s hidden heart.