Rant: I drove 2 hours to the Joshua Tree dark sky zone and my phone ruined my first real astro shot.

I had my camera on a tripod for a 30 second exposure of the Milky Way, but the screen glare from checking a text completely washed out the shot, so now I only shoot with my phone in airplane mode and a red flashlight. What's your go-to method for keeping light pollution out of your shots at a dark site?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max4d ago

Seriously? Airplane mode and a red light? That's way too much work. I just turn my screen brightness all the way down and keep my phone face down on the ground. It's never messed up a shot for me. You're making this way harder than it needs to be. A little common sense is all you really need out there.

rowanellis4d ago

Right? The "common sense is all you need" part from @the_max is so true. I do the exact same thing with the screen brightness and putting it face down. Adding extra steps just gives you more things to forget or mess up in the dark. My whole group has used the face down trick for years and not one ruined photo. People really do overcomplicate the easiest solutions.

wrenh651d ago

Lol my go-to method is just forgetting my phone in the car. Works every time because I can't mess up what I don't have.