Finally got a decent shot of the Orion Nebula from my backyard in Boise after six months of trying.

4 comments

4 Comments

Agree with Derek about light pollution being the real problem. Gear helps but you can get decent shots with basic stuff if the sky is dark enough. Boise has some surprisingly good pockets away from downtown lights. I live on the edge of town and can see the Milky Way on clear nights with just my binoculars. You learn pretty quick where the dark spots are in your own neighborhood.

rodriguez.felix1mo ago

I always thought you needed crazy gear to see that stuff from a city. Seeing it from Boise with a backyard setup is pretty wild.

the_derek1mo ago

Yeah @rodriguez.felix, you really don't need crazy gear. Just a decent camera and a tripod. Light pollution is the real killer, not the gear.

scott.drew26d ago

I spent three years trying to shoot Andromeda from my backyard before I realized I left my lens cap on half the time. My first proper shot looked like a blurry potato with some glow around it. You really just need a tripod that doesn't wobble when a truck drives by and a willingness to sort through 200 bad photos.