Totally botched my first attempt at stacking Milky Way shots

Was out at Cherry Springs State Park last Saturday, set up my intervalometer wrong and ended up with 40 useless frames. Realized it when I got home at 2am and checked the files. They were all blurry from a loose tripod leg. Had to drive back the next night, this time I brought a level and checked every leg before starting. Got 12 good frames and stacked them with free software. Anyone else ever pack up a whole night's work only to find it's garbage?

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3 Comments

umak893mo ago

All those blurry frames? At least you got a good story out of it.

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jennyh553mo ago

OH wow, that actually makes SO much sense! I never thought of it that way, but you're totally right. Those blurry frames aren't just mistakes, they're like little story beats that force you to pay attention or fill in the gaps yourself. It's the same thing I've noticed in real life, you know? Like how sometimes the most MEMORABLE moments are the ones that are a little off, a little messy, not perfectly polished. We spend all this time trying to make everything SMOOTH and clear, but the fuzzy parts are what stick with you. That's just how life works, the blurry parts are often where the REAL meaning hides.

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the_drew3mo ago

@umak89 wait, hold on. Are you saying the blurry frames are actually part of the story? Like, they purposefully filmed it that way? I thought the camera guy just had one too many coffees or something. That would totally change how I look at that whole scene.

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