Ebino Skyline I wanted to photograph even the autumn leaves reflected in the lake

I got out of the car at Ebino Highlands and walked to a viewpoint overlooking Rokkannonmiike. When the lake came into view, I stopped in my tracks. There were autumn leaves on the far shore and their reflections on the water, too. The scene felt much bigger than I’d imagined.

Looking from the trees to the water, I saw what seemed like the same forest all over again. I wanted to include the mountain in the distance, too, but couldn’t decide what to frame. I’d walked all this way; I wanted to take the view home with me. I pulled my phone from my bag.

I held my phone in both hands and tried to fit more of the water into the shot. Then I wanted the trees to fill more of the frame, so I turned it upright. But that made the lake look so much smaller. I liked both and couldn’t choose.

I felt a little silly getting so serious about a photo. Usually I snap a picture as soon as I see something I like, but today even the edges of the frame mattered. I realised I could just take one more, so I decided to keep both the landscape and portrait shots.

After taking a few photos, I lowered my phone and looked at the lake. The view stretched much farther in front of me than it did on the screen. A small ripple changed the shapes of the reflected trees. Watching them shift, I wanted to stay right there even more than I wanted to take another photo.

I looked forward to going through the photos on the way back. But I knew I’d remember the time I spent in front of the lake, turning my phone this way and that, too. I love a trip where I come away cherishing not just the photos I took, but even the time I spent deciding what to photograph.