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13 NATURAL PHOTO STUDIO | 天然摄影棚

Embarking on an astrophotographic journey

开启追“星”之旅

In the center of the photo, the Milky Way stretches verti-
cally, casting a stunning and romantic light band made up of
countless stars that illuminates the dark night. Covering less
than one-eighth of the image, the ground features a blend of a
barren slope and a lush green field. Two figures in graduation
gowns stand at the boundary between these two landscapes,
their backs to the viewer as they jointly hold an oil lamp, gaz-
ing up at the night sky.
This photo, titled “Graduation Photo Under the Starry
Sky,” was captured by Ying Haofei, a young man born after
2000. In 2022, as he graduated from university, Ying and his
high school classmate Zhang Zhaohai gathered their friends
in Xundian County, Kunming City, to take this stunning grad-
uation photo using astrophotography techniques. With the
dark starry sky as the backdrop and a recognizable ground
landscape, Ying used ultra-wide-angle and medium focus
techniques, along with long exposure, time-lapse, splicing,
and color mixing, to enhance the brightness of the stars. The
result is an image that beautifully highlights the starry sky as
its focal point.
Yunnan is situated on a plateau, where the high altitude
contributes to excellent air permeability and a significant num-
ber of clear days, coupled with the dark night skies found in
western regions away from urban areas. These conditions cre-
ate an ideal environment for astrophotography. In recent years,
the increasing availability and affordability of photographic
equipment, including smartphones, have made astrophotogra-
phy more accessible than ever. This trend has led to a surge
in astrophotographic images featuring Yunnan, attracting in-
creased attention on social media.
Like many astrophotographers, Ying and Zhang are rel-
atively new to the field. “In 2019, I came across a video on
Bilibili featuring a starry sky that a content creator had spent
three years capturing. That video amazed me and reignited the
passion for the night sky I had developed from reading extra-
curricular books in elementary school. So, at the beginning of
2020, I bought a full-frame camera and officially began my
astrophotographic journey,” Zhang shared.
In just a few years, Ying and Zhao have explored all cor-
ners of Yunnan Province. Through their lenses, they have
captured stunning scenes, including the star-lit rice terraces in
Yuanjiang, the mushroom-shaped buildings on Junzi Moun-
tain in Shizong, glowing fireflies at the Botanical Garden of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the “Eye of the Galaxy”—a
bridge hole near Erhai Lake, the path of a total lunar eclipse at
Gaozhuangxishuangjing, and fleeting meteors over the Hong-
he River valley.
Injuries, falls, and hurried moments—setbacks on the path
of astrophotography are all too common for them. However,
because it is a labor of love, every struggle feels worthwhile.
“The starry sky is like a steadfast, beloved old friend or a lofty
and unfathomable sage. Even if we visit the same place count-
less times, it feels like we’re unboxing a surprise each time.
We will continue our journey, committed to capturing the
most beautiful starry skies in Yunnan,” Ying and Zhang said
resolutely.