The right time, the right place, and the right people

I am someone who makes a lot of plans. The purpose of planning, for me, is to allow myself to adapt to whatever changes in the moment and respond to them flexibly.

Before leaving for Indonesia, I bought an ND1000 filter because the effect of combining it with a black card is something that ordinary Photoshop cannot really replicate, and I felt it was worth the investment. I kept it in my camera bag all this time, until today, when I finally had the chance to properly use it while photographing sunrise at Jatiluwih Rice Terrace. The difference in light between the sunrise and the shadows of the trees was simply too great. As with my other shoots, I had planned around the weather, the driver, and my equipment in advance.

In fact, this was my first time arriving at these rice fields. Although I left five minutes earlier than planned, I still arrived more than ten minutes later than expected. By the time I reached the rice terrace, the sky had already started to brighten. I only had a few minutes before sunrise, so I had no time to prepare on site. I had to immediately decide on the shooting angle, composition, and technique.

Once I had made my decisions, I put the camera on the tripod, attached the ND filter, and set a two-second delay. I held my phone in one hand to keep track of the timing, and used the other hand to move the black card up and down in front of the lens until both the highlights and shadows were properly exposed.

And this was the resulting sunrise photograph:

However, I was still not satisfied. I felt that something was missing. I could not bring myself to leave, so I switched the camera to black and white and continued to observe and appreciate the rice fields.

I really liked the sweeping curves of the terraces and the way they rose and fell in layers. The mist in the distance added even more depth to the whole landscape. As I looked closer, I noticed someone bending down, mechanically tending to the rice fields. I thought to myself: this is the composition I want.

I then looked for a suitable position, raised my camera, and quietly watched him. He moved slowly along the rice fields, until his position and posture finally came together with the composition I had in mind. I pressed the shutter:

Then I walked around the entire rice terrace. Seeing the rice fields from a distance and experiencing them from within were two completely different things:

After I had gone around the terrace, the sun had risen higher and the light was considerably stronger than when I first arrived. I was drawn to the reflections on the water, the shadows across the fields, and the mist in the distance:

The best parts of this shoot were the things I had never expected. I am grateful that I was able to be in the right place at the right time, and meet the right person.