That guy who told me my 15 minute Andromeda shot was lazy

I was at the Griffith Observatory parking lot last October setting up my telescope, and this younger guy walks over and sees my camera rig. He asked how long I was exposing for, I said maybe 15 minutes total, and he laughed and said that's barely even trying. He went on about how real astrophotographers stack for hours and hours. I told him I was just there to enjoy the night sky, not win some contest. He kept arguing until another guy nearby actually backed me up and said not everyone needs to treat this like a competition. Have you ever had someone try to gatekeep your hobby like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_sanchez25d ago

That's the thing isn't it, people get so wrapped up in what's "real" or "serious" that they forget why they started doing it in the first place. I see this everywhere now, from backyard gardening to playing guitar, someone always has to tell you you're doing it wrong because you didn't spend a thousand hours on it. The whole point is to enjoy the sky, not to prove anything to some random dude who probably just got his first star tracker last month.

mark36125d ago

Guessing you meant star tracker for astrophotography and not a star finder for telescopes? You're absolutely right though, I see the same gatekeeping in my neighbor's woodworking. He's got a basement full of Festool gear and acts like using a hand plane is a moral failing, but the guy just wants to make a birdhouse. The whole vibe of "you have to suffer to earn the hobby" just kills the joy for regular people who are happy with a simple setup.