A trip to the Griffith Observatory made me rethink the whole 'dark sky' thing.

I was there last month, and the view of the city lights from the hill was honestly more striking than the stars. Everyone talks about getting away from light pollution, but the orange glow over LA made for a better photo than the washed-out sky above it. My shot of the downtown skyline with a long exposure turned out way more interesting than my attempts at the Milky Way. It felt like the human-made light was the real subject, not just something to avoid. Has anyone else found a cityscape to be a more compelling astro photo than the deep sky?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_barnes4d ago

Ever try to shoot the stars from a parking garage roof? I did that once, aiming for Orion, but the whole shot got taken over by the glow from a 24-hour supermarket sign. It was this weird mix of nature and neon, and honestly, I liked it better than a plain star field. You're right, sometimes the light pollution becomes the whole point. My camera roll is full of failed galaxy shots that just look way cooler with the city haze bleeding into them.

mila_anderson724d ago

Ever wonder if we're just chasing a fantasy of pure nature? Your shot with the supermarket glow, @william_barnes, feels more honest to how we actually live. The best photos might be the ones that show our world, not some perfect one we imagine.