I finally tried to photograph the Orion Nebula with my old camera lens

I attached my old 50mm lens to my DSLR, thinking I could get a wide-field shot from my backyard in Phoenix. After a two-hour exposure, I ended up with a blurry, orange smudge because I forgot to turn off the backyard security light. The whole stack of images was just washed out. Has anyone else had a simple mistake ruin a whole night of imaging?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_butler1mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst kind of mistake. Did you at least notice the light was on while you were shooting, or was it a nasty surprise when you checked the files?

dylan_rodriguez1mo ago

The worst kind of mistake" seems a bit much. It's just a light in a photo, not a ruined roll of film or something. Can't you just fix it in editing?

miles_perez16d ago

Wait, didn't editing software come with a "fix my dumb mistake" button (I wish)? Honestly, you can fix a lot in post, but man, having a bright light that wasn't supposed to be there just messes with the whole mood of a shot. It's like trying to photoshop out a streetlamp that's sitting right next to your subject's head - sure, you can do it, but it's never quite the same. And if the light is casting a weird color or shadow on their face, good luck making it look natural. Plus, it's not just about the photo itself, it's the disappointment of realizing you screwed up the thing you were so careful about. Fixing it in editing is like putting a bandaid on a broken bone - it works, but you know you could have done better.