Old timer at Cherry Springs showed me a trick with a red flashlight and a towel

I was out at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania last summer, struggling to get my camera settings right while my eyes kept getting blasted by white light from other folks. This older guy, maybe 70 years old, walked over and handed me a red plastic cover for my flashlight and a black towel. He said "put the towel over your head and the camera screen, it'll save your night vision and keep the sensor happy." It worked way better than I expected, no more fumbling in the dark for 10 minutes. Has anyone else used a dark cloth like that for astrophotography setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_jones24d ago

Got a buddy who tried this at a star party in Arizona. He said some guy with a massive telescope came over and just draped a dark t shirt over both their heads while they worked the gear. Worked like a charm, no more tripping over tripods in the dark lol.

jesse843d ago

And isn't that the thing with any hobby, you always find the weird little hacks from the old timers that aren't in any manual but just work perfectly.