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DAE get annoyed when people call any star photo 'astrophotography'?
A shot of the Big Dipper from your phone is not astrophotography, it's a snapshot, and it matters because it devalues the actual work of stacking and processing. How many of you have a clear line between a simple photo and actual astrophotography?
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the_simon12d ago
Gatekeeping terms like astrophotography feels like a waste of energy. Most people just mean they took a picture of the night sky. They aren't trying to insult the hobby. The real work of stacking images is its own thing, but a casual photo doesn't hurt that. Getting upset over a word makes the whole community seem unwelcoming. Let people enjoy things their own way.
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You're right, it does cheapen the term. There's a huge difference in effort between a single phone snap and a tracked, stacked image with hours of processing. It's like calling a microwave dinner gourmet cooking.
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averymartin9d ago
Yeah, "let people enjoy things" is a good point. But when a phone snap gets called the same thing as a tracked deep sky image, it kinda makes the hard work feel less special. Where do you even draw the line?
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