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This post will be something more personal and about mentality, nothing technical. But this is something that for a few months has been invading my mind. I am increasingly losing one of the motivations that kept me alive in this world of astrophotography. And it is the fact of sharing my photos to the world, that the rest see it, that motivates other people, and helps some. After taking my photos, I usually post them on my instagram. It's my main source of files (besides astrobin, but I use it as a personal portfolio only, since it doesn't release much more photos to other users). But instagram is changing the algorithm every time so that the photos are forgotten, and now the reels are the trend. (I don't like to make videos). Therefore, now my photos barely reach a couple of people. And it clearly demotivates me. Not for fame or for the "like", but rather because I like the interaction with other people. That they ask me about the photo and I help them, etc. I am 18 years old, I have been in photography for 8 years and 3 years in astrophotography. Just this 2023 I entered the university to study astrophysics. It is my dream and I am fulfilling it. Astronomy will accompany me all my life, and precisely for this reason, I do not want my desire for photos to die. But spending so much money makes me wonder if it's really necessary, and what do I get with it. Because self-satisfaction I think is not always enough. I don't know if you get my point, but I see how I try too hard for my photos to get dusty on the internet without getting anywhere, and that demotivates me. Whoever wants to answer, don't worries if not, this helped me to vent haha. Anyone going through the same thing as me? what do they do in this case? or where you like to share your photos and see results that you like. Greetings to all, and clear skies!! |
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When you share your photos on a site such as astrobin, you're going up against people with high quality equipment, long integration times, and access to dark skies. All these factors come into play when it comes to image quality. Just glancing through your gallery, I can see you're still using a kit lens on your Nikon. Unfortunately kit lenses are very bottom of the barrel when it comes to image quality. Combine that with your bortle 7 sky, and you'll be tough pressed to produce an image that wows anyone on a website full of folks who dedicate lots of money (I'm guilty of this as well) on equipment, living in rural dark areas. Getting compared is just something that will always happen in social media. If you don't wow the viewer, they won't interact. That being said, you can definitely improve your images by just upgrading to a real telescope or quality lens. You can keep all that you have, just stick with a light weight scope. Redcat 51 is a highly sought after scope for wide field with DSLR's. It's easy to set up, and quite light weight. If you want to go even wider, the Rokinon 135 is a popular item as well. If you want longer focal lengths though, be prepared to spend a substantial amount of money over the gear you have. What keeps me going? I spend multiple nights on single targets, soaking up all the photons and 'going deep' as we say. The big galaxies are amazing to look at, but it's all the little galaxies that appear in my images after 20-30 hours of integration time that 'wow' me. One of my recent images I acquired a cool little galaxy that I found out was over 1.6 billion light years away. Honestly, I couldn't even believe it at first. Every image I acquire makes me feel even smaller in our universe. This is what keeps me going. Not necessarily the social online interactions. My close friends are my biggest support group. |
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I do it for myself mostly. I don't even share them on social media. I share them with my astro friends and astrobin which for me is more a repository than a social network tho I like the exchange of information and ideas here. I do like when people like my images, it meant something for them but if it didn't I don't mind either. What motivates me the most is the acquisition momment. When I'm alone in the dark in my dark sky site looking up I feel privledged for being able to contemplate how big the universe is. I feel happy that I'm able to turn small pieces of the night sky into images that I can look and contemplate with myself. I spend a lot of time also looking at images taken by people here at astrobin and thinking how big the universe is. Yeah it sounds cheesy but that is objectively what it is. Two examples: https://www.astrobin.com/etnqqu/ https://www.astrobin.com/ss7plo/B/ Aside from that - atrophotography is very challenging and time consuming (and money - a lot). Being able to achieve your objectives is just fun. It is painful but it is very fun. I don't want to be harsh but this is how I see it: - 99%+ of people are ignorant which is not something to blame on itself but most of them if not all chose to stay ignorant to astronomy, cosmology or astrophotography. They just want to watch the news and die. I found this the hard way when I've tried to talk about this with non-astro folks. I gave up early on so nowadays I don't talk much about what I do with "regular" people. - If you're expeting "regular" people to recognize your effors and feel motivated with your images you may end up very disapointed with.... people. I just hope you don't feel disapointed with your images. I still have crappy images from when I started and I remember how awesome I felt when I managed to capture them. Nowadays I have less crappy ones and I'm still very happy when I look at them specially during the imaging sessions. You're so young and and is already deep into this hobby and even studying astrophysics. This is amazing. You're rocking it! CS |
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Tomás Andonie: You could extend this sentiment to any photography, not just astro. I used to thoroughly post my snaps on Flickr, share them in groups, try to interact, etc ... and like you not for glory nor money. Sure one's ego is flattered when your photo is selected for the daily "Explore" group, but it wasn't the point. I cannot stand social media platforms when it comes to sharing photographs of any kind, since so many people want to turn their passion into a business through said platforms and there are systems in place for paid promotions, therefore my own "free work" is automatically "buried". I just learned to accept it and move on, focusing instead on platforms where passion is (more of) the driver and removing my expectations of feedback, likes, shares, etc ... I still upload to Flickr for general and astro photos, and once in a while out of the blue comes a delightfully unexpected interaction: a PhD student in Canada asking to use one of my sunset photos for a project poster, an airline asking for can't remember what, a local NZ YouTube video maker asking for an endangered bird photo, etc ... and that doesn't include people freely using my photos without a word (my license allows it), or the ones who may be want to get into photography and I somehow contribute a little to their growing passion? I want to emphasize that this shift in focus is truly freeing. I now do not care in the slightest whether even my staunchest supporters (mum or partner  ) struggle to find something positive to say about any of my photos, and you know why? Because the "present photographer" in me takes them for the "future photographer" that I'll become in weeks or months or years to come. Looking back on the photographer I once was via my photos, with different motivation, energy levels, encounters, struggles or successes happening in life, makes me appreciate "The Journey" in a way that daily routine might not.
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| Good question I'd say some elements of what motivated me in the beginning have changed and some have remained constant. Initially I was motivated first and foremost by being alone under the night sky and contemplating the vastness and wonder of the universe. That hasn't changed. I also like the technical aspects of the hobby - striving to be better at acquiring (as has been pointed out, that often means more $$$) and better at processing (more learning curve, less $$$). That motivation remains as this hobby can be a life-long learning curve if you can stay motivated. What has changed how I derive satisfaction from showing my work to others - I have struggled with this as a motivator. Before I retired I was a professor, and even though I taught biology, I would still often start a lecture with "this is what I took a picture of last..." and I printed and sold photos in our university bookstore. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have an enthusiastic captive audience until I retired. After retirement I started posting on Facebook and that was satisfying to some extent, and I've lately become more active in posting here on Astrobin. Although that has been somewhat satisfying, I've struggled to reconcile "likes" with my own appreciation for an image. An image is a composite of the time under the stars acquiring the data, the hours spend processing to create an ideal (to me) image, and the time spent researching and posting about the object I've photographed - as a former educator teaching about the object is an important aspect of sharing. However, in this age of social media (including here on Astrobin) one knows that most people only have seconds to view an image compared to the hours that I have put into creating it. Subtle doesn't cut it - most don't have to time to recognize or value subtle acquisition and processing details. Yet to me it's perfecting those details that provides me the most satisfaction. In my most recent image I used PI's Spectrophotometric Color Calibration for the first time and I've gone back to that image over and over just because I love the star colors. I've come to the conclusion that I have to first be true to myself and get satisfaction from the hours spent on acquisition and processing. For me to stay motivated I need that night sky alone time and that solitary processing experience - if I'm doing this for likes, then I've realized that I will never be satisfied. I fight not to let a like based upon a 3 second view over-ride the hours of satisfaction I've gotten from research, acquisition and processing. |
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For myself, like Rafael, my number one motivation is a raison d’etre for simply being outside under the stars by myself. It’s what best empties my head. Second, is the images, and while I’ll gladly take likes wherever I can find them, it’s more about whether *I* like looking at them. And honestly, I can find a single uncalibrated sub as inspiring as the blood sweat and tears invested final integration…. As for “regular” people, I’ve had better experience than others I guess… I put mine up on FB (I know, I’m old….), and not only are they well received, but many also appreciate the astro info I add, as well as bits of astrophotography arcana…. Cheers, Scott |
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My background is similar to yours. I am fascinated by stars since I was a child. I joined the astro club when I was in high school. There I learned about astrophotography (and photography in general), and also learned that it is physics that's behind astronomy. So I decided to study physics in college, and then astronomy for my master and phd degrees. Now I am an astronomer in a government research institute, which is the leader in astronomical research in my country. I also regularly teach graduate-level astronomy courses in a university. To me, astrophysics is my career, and astrophotography is a life-time hobby. When I was young, my astrophotography results were limited by budget and available time. I had to prioritize my studies. I squeezed as much as possible in terms of budget and time, so I can afford astrophotography, but it was never the priority. Indeed, I stopped astrophotography several times (each time for as short as two years or as long as six years) so I could focus on my studies and my career development. Now I can confidently say that my astrophotography is much better than 30 years ago, because of two things.
So you can see, a career in astrophysics can co-exist with a hobby in astrophotography. My experience may not be applicable to you, but at least it is a possible working model. What drives me to do astrophotography? I like astronomy (the same thing drives me to do astrophysics) and pretty pictures. Nothing more than that. I have done it for 30 years, and I will continue to do it in the foreseeable future, probably until my health can no longer support it. |
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Here's my short essay about that very topic: https://www.astrobin.com/forum/c/off-topic/anything-goes/pondering-a-new-pursuit/ |
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I like building stuff. Optical systems, electronics, mechanics, even ditch digging. It all comes together in astro imaging. The imaging is a challenging way of bringing what is often years of work to fruition. Keeping a complex remote controlled assemblage of imaging systems up and running is a lot of work, Its all a great way to enjoy retirement. A recent imager project that took more than a year: https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-files/14617/2022/a382cb5b-489c-406e-8113-872791feb391.pdf A recent control system project that took about 6 months: https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-files/14617/2023/39094d85-043e-4e60-ae0c-ed3781c4852e.pdf Dave |
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Rarely do extrinsic motivations keep one interested long term with... anything. Why did you get into astro-photography in the first place? Surely it wasnt to cultivate a future following on social media. Were you interested in a challenge? Interested in the night sky? Something intrinsic motivated you to take that first step. Maybe you can rekindle what motivated you at the very beginning. I don't do social media anymore. I used to do facebook and instagram, but I've cut it out of my life. Same with other low SNR forums where people become keyboard warriors. I do astro-imaging because I love the challenge. I can always learn and improve, whether thats data acquisition or processing, or anything else. It gives me something to focus on, other than the challenges of life or what other people think. I like to post here on Abin, but thats pretty much it. I have made some good friends through astro, and enjoy chatting and keeping up. Bottom line, I am doing this hobby because the participation in the hobby itself is enjoyable for me. If all you are seeking are algorithms that generate likes and thumbs ups, and comments, etc... I don't think that will keep you engaged. The good news, is that if you are unable to find the passion for astro-imaging, it will free up a lot of time for something that does bring you happiness. And the cosmos wont go anywhere.... so you got time. |
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There are 4 reasons a person does AP: 1. Make money (I wanna be here) 2. Get famous 3. The challenge 4. Contemplating the wonders of the universe and not expect fame or profit You made it clear you don't want fame and you think that it's a waste of time to post on Astrobin (which is not all that wrong since the photos get submerged under other peoples' photos and well...) So I think you should try to get better at it and try to make profit. There are many ways to do so. Make your own website with a gallery and portfolio. My opinion. CS |
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This is a hobby. As such, it should be something that provides enjoyment and relieves the stress and ennui of everyday life. If it doesn't, if it adds to the stress of life, it is no longer a hobby, but an obsession. And that's not healthy. There was a time when every clear night would have me driving to a dark sky site. A lot of other things got neglected as a result, and the consequences of that became apparent during COVID. So I make it a point to keep it in its place, doing just enough of it to give me personal satisfaction and never placing it above things in life that are far more important. One other point - this hobby is heavily biased towards those who have large amounts of disposable money and large amounts of time. And also access to dark skies, though that also can be bought. In other words, older and wealthy. Not to say there are not wonderful things being done with simple equipment, but that is few and far between. So keep that in mind if you are after making images that will get noticed by others especially on a site like this. Find something in this that you control and that makes you happy independent of the opinions or approbation of others. And if you cannot, then find something else that does. |
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| Because it's there and it's very hard to do well. I used to practice the art of landscape photography but that was killed with the arrival of kids (and a move away from the photographically bountiful west coast) so AP became the next adventure. 5x harder technically but something I can do from home and when the kids are in bed so actually easier on my time and lifestyle. It also helps that I am allergic to big cities and live in Canada so moderate to dark skies is my normal. |
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| I would say, but the statement would most probably encounter judgement from many here, so I'd rather not say. |
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Initially I think I was enthralled with the challenge of AP. As we all know, it's an incredible learning curve with many rewards at each step. All the mini engineers in each of us just loves to tackle a new problem (and if there isn't a problem, we'll tinker until there is) Lately, I find myself drawn to the community around astronomy and AP more than ever. There's a very real spirit of helping each other solve issues and sharing guidance with one another. It's an amazingly technical and challenging industry that seems to draw some of the brightest minds, but there's fairly little profit in it. Most everyone around this hobby and industry seems to do it because they love it. I have to respect that and it certainly keeps pushing me when there's a week of clouds to stay engaged. As for the "competitive" aspect of images, I don't really see it that way. I find it inspiring to see what others do. And there's some aspects now that amatuer AP may even aid in research on exoplanets or observing transient events. I think that beats my PS5 any day. |
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| @Skender Kajoshaj just say it |
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Astrophotography is my primary hobby. It's that simple.  If a hobby starts to feel like work, places demands on you, creates anxiety or pressure.. then its time for a new hobby. You owe nothing to your hobbies. I do want to share one other thing. When it comes to careers/work, it's often said to find out what you love, then do that as a career choice. And that works for a lot of people... but it's not for everyone. Back in the day, my hobby was computers. Building them, testing them, overclocking them, trying different configurations and playing games on them. Then I got a job in IT. Now, outside of work.. I don't do anything with them, lol. As you continue with your studies, and astronomy becomes a career.. don't feel guilty if you fall out of love with astrophotography. CS! |
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James: Well said, if you love something, don't make it your job. I'm right there with you! Almost 20 years in aviation now and I'm done! |
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As of recently I too have been having motivation issues in astro but for entirely different reasons. Alot of this hobby is unfortunately troubleshooting, I personally find myself often getting new gear only for something to go wrong, eventually the problem will be fixed however a new one will arise. For this reason I often find myself not wanting to setup because I keep thinking about the potential problems that may arise. However when I'm feeling burnt out I don't force myself to image either, this hobby isn't a chore & is meant to be fun. If your feeling burnt out, you don't need to quit (I know I wont ever quit), but certainly don't stop yourself from taking breaks either if need be. Personally what keeps me motivated & coming back into this hobby is being able to observe the universe. I find the idea of being able to observe & see the light of objects hundreds, thousands, million, or billion light years away so fascinating, being able to observe the sear size of objects & begin to have a glimpse amount of stars in our galaxy. Really gives me a reminder of our place in the universe & how truly small we really are in the grand scheme of the universe, both in time & size. So when I'm out imaging, I'm able to capture a small glimpses into our very very incomprehensively vast universe, & I feel so privileged to be able to observe that myself. I take images for myself, not to impress others, or to have the "best" image, that's just a bonus for me. |
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Tomas, My advice is "Don't give up the day job". Focus on your studies in astrophysics, and do astrophotography (if you can) as a hobby. You can always come back to it later. Of course, my advice is based on my experience as a professional astronomer. It brought me money, a little bit of fame (for the odd 15mins here or there) and a fair bit of success. But it was all-consuming - sometimes even to the detriment of my beautiful wife and my two wonderful sons - I am ashamed to say. Now retired, I have taken up AP, which is bringing me some money (but not enough to cover my expenses in this hobby) and a little bit of fame as the local crazy astrophysicists who does public shows. However, I would not have been in this position had I not been succeesful in my chosen career. We are really fortunate in that astronomy supports both "professional" and "amateur", but if you are lucky and capable enough to have a shot at a research career in astrophysics - take it! Publishing original research which you have been part of is a feeling like no other. This will help put likes on AB in perspective. Brian PS To answer your question, my motivation to do AP is to continue to promote astronomy to the public (I now chair a charitable trust here to do that) and champion dark skies as pat of a sustainable approach to ongoing development (I am leading our community's submission to the IDA for dark sky status). |
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You need to establish what your long-term goal is. If your goal is to get social media attention and do it as a profession, then you have no choice but to go with the flow of the algorithm, even if you don't like making videos. If your goal is to have fun, then you should have no worries about social media exposure. If you want the interaction which social media brings, then join a local astronomy club or start your own, and don't deal with the algorithm problem. and remember nobody is making you do astrophotography but yourself, you don't need to make yourself do it if you don't enjoy it. For me, I just like the challenge of trying to improve my photos, social media is a byproduct of this. |
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My biggest motivation in astrophotography is to wait for a night with clear skies and low humidity. Finally, after a long wait, the long-awaited night arrives but unfortunately there is a full moon and so I go to sleep. And this is the sad reality of the last 6 months so I'm seriously starting to think that keeping thousands of euros of setups collecting dust doesn't make much sense. |
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Michele Campini: boooo! you just need to spend more to have one of those setups hosted in glorious clear skies somewhere else :-) |
