A neighbor's simple comment made me stop chasing gear

I was showing him my latest Andromeda shot from my backyard in Tucson, complaining about my old camera's noise. He just said, 'But look at all those stars you caught.' I'd been so focused on the gear I forgot to see the picture. Anyone else get too caught up in the technical side and miss the beauty?

3 comments

3 Comments

west.jade1mo ago

My first decent telescope was a beat up Celestron I found at a garage sale for forty bucks. I spent more time reading forums about eyepiece upgrades than I did actually looking at Saturn, which is just silly when you think about it. That neighbor nailed it, the best gear is the stuff that gets you looking up.

mark_smith591mo ago

Ever get so caught up in the hunt for the next piece of gear that you forget to use what you've got? That's the trap, man... I did the same thing with my old scope. You're right, @west.jade, that neighbor has the right idea. The trick is to just force yourself outside one clear night with whatever eyepiece is already screwed in. Once you actually find Jupiter or something, you stop caring about the specs for a while. All that forum research can wait for a cloudy night.

adams.harper1mo ago

Stick your old camera on the tripod and just go shoot something, anything. I spent a whole summer reading reviews instead of taking pictures of the Milky Way from my driveway. Felt like an idiot when I finally did it and the shot wasn't perfect, but it was mine. The noise in your shot is just proof you were out there trying.