【Starry Story】Baoqi Wang (王宝琦)

 

My name is Baoqi Wang. I’m 25 years old and I am a photo retoucher. Besides playing basketball and traveling, I also like photography.

 

Enlightenment

My interest in astronomy stems from my childhood living environment. I have been living with my grandparents since childhood. At that time, I could see the stars all over the sky every night. 

When I came to Beijing to study in university, I just got into photography, and the first way to get subjects was on the Internet. I saw a lot of photos of the Beijing skyline.

Then I met Fu Xiao who is the leader of “Beijing Peak”. When I saw many pictures of stars in his works, it reminded me of the starry sky in my childhood. However, I could not find a star like the one I saw in my childhood when I looked at the night sky of the city in this age.

That is the reason why I began to chase stars.

I was in Qinghai during the 2019 National Day. Canon 5DⅣ + Canon 24-70mmF2.8 lens

 

 

I was in Wulan Butong, Inner Mongolia in January 2020. Canon 6D mod + Optolong L-Pro filter + Canon 24-70mmF2.8 lens

 

 

Experience

The first time I photographed the stars was in the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia. Before setting out, I had a little scruples in my mind, fearing that awkward scenes would occur due to communication difficulties. Moreover, I was completely ignorant in the sky, so I was afraid that I would not do well in the shooting. Fortunately, Fu Xiao knows my special, gives me the appropriate arrangements and takes care of me. 

At the same time, with the help of Fu Xiao, Optolong provided Clear Sky filter for this imaging activity, which was the beginning of the story of Optolong filter and me. Then, I was assigned to shoot with “岸姐”（nickname of an amateur in domestic ）. What impressed me most was that she told me her own experience of shooting the stars, letting me know that the job of starchaser is a very precious experience. 

From that, I started to find pictures of the sky, learn about light pollution and the equipment necessary for taking pictures, as well as where I could and couldn't take starry pictures.

That's where my story started.

I was in Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia. Canon 6D2 + Canon 24-70mmF2.8 lens

 

 

I was in Crescent Spring, Qinghai. Canon 6D + 24-70mmF2.8 lens

 

 

Transformation

In the three years of chasing stars in my college, I followed up Fu Xiao’s organization for more than a dozen times. 

Among them, my equipment changed from APS-C to full frame. I bought a wide Angle 2.8 aperture, the equatorial telescope, and so on. Unconsciously, I spent a lot of money, but I still couldn't stop my love. During this three years, I have been to many places, such as Ulan Butong(乌兰布统), Hohhot(呼和浩特), Qinghai(青海), Four Girls Mountain（四姑娘山）...These are remote places where there is no light pollution and the stars are visible to the naked eyes.

I was in Haixi, Qinghai in May 2021. Canon 6D mod + Optolong L-Pro + Canon 25mmF1.4 lens

 

 

I was in Haixi, Qinghai in May 2020. Canon 6D mod + Optolong L-Pro filter + Canon 35mmF1.4 lens

 

 

Inspiration

Being able to take a picture of a starry sky means that many arduous tasks await you, requiring you to prepare a lot of things.

But once you have captured the stunning stars image, all these hardships are nothing but a sense of accomplishment. In the meanwhile, I also got to know more star photographers during this period. We had know more with each other, and had close mutual communication. It enabled me to see more things besides astrophotography. 

Apart from shooting itself, stargazing also makes me connect with life: when you are down, just try to look up at the sky, no matter what, you will always find the answer in the deep sky. 

One day, I will take my family on a journey to look up at the stars, which is what I have always wanted to do.

I believe that more incredible stories will happen between me and the stars in the future.

I was in Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia in April 2019. Nikon D810 + 70-200F2.8

 

 

 

I was in Wulan Butong, Inner Mongolia in January 2020. Canon 6Dmod + Optolong L-Pro + Canon 24-70mmF2.8 lens

 

 

Authorship: Baoqi Wang (王宝琦)