PSA: I was at the Cherry Springs Star Party in Pennsylvania and a guy's red headlamp ruined my whole night vision setup

I drove 6 hours to get to Cherry Springs, which is supposed to be one of the best dark sky spots on the East Coast. I had my camera on a tracker and was about an hour into a 30-minute exposure of the Milky Way core. This guy walks right past my tripod with a bright red headlamp, not just a dim one, but this super intense beam. It completely flooded my frame with light and I had to start the shot over from scratch. The worst part was he had no idea he was doing anything wrong and just kept walking. It made me realize I need to be WAY more vocal about my setup boundaries with strangers in shared dark sky areas. Now I literally put little signs on my gear asking people to watch their light. Has anyone else had to get kind of assertive to protect a long exposure shot?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim81915d ago

Ugh yeah I had the exact same thing happen at a star party last summer, totally ruined my shot.

maryt6227d ago

Super intense beam" is the worst. I read an article that said even red light can wreck night vision if it's too bright. Some people just don't get it. Being assertive is totally needed.

nancybailey27d ago

Yeah I used to crank my red light up all the way, thought it was fine. That article was a real eye opener lol, gotta keep it dim.