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Hot take: Why do all astro pics have to look like candy now?
I've been seeing so many astronomy photos lately that are edited to have super bright colors. For instance, pictures of the Lagoon Nebula often look like a rainbow exploded. It just doesn't seem real to me. I get that it's cool, but it makes everything look the same. I tried taking my own shot of Andromeda and kept the colors toned down. It looked more like what I saw through my telescope. I think we should value natural looks more in this hobby.
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marksanchez3mo ago
Did you read that piece on how astro cameras work? I read that sensors catch light we can't see. So editors boost colors to show it. But it often goes too far into rainbow land. Your Andromeda shot sounds better, more honest. Natural looks keep the wonder real. Over-editing just turns everything into the same candy shop.
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paige5623mo ago
Totally agree, @marksanchez, natural shots keep the magic.
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lucas_kelly3mo ago
My friend's edited Orion shot looked like that candy shop you described, @marksanchez, so he went back to the raw file.
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