[jmkd]

It should be said that in no way is anyone at fault for walking on a mountain at night using a headlamp. The onus is on the photographer to plan ways to avoid this issue affecting their work, or hope for a bit of luck. A saunterer may be searching for rare wildlife or any of countless other important projects that must be shared with others on the mountain.

[globular-toast]

Yes and no. It's light pollution. It's this attitude that leads people to think it's OK to have way too loud cars/motorbikes and way too bright headlights etc. Photography doesn't affect others, but light and other types of pollution do. People should think more carefully about how their super-important projects and errands will affect others.

[seabass-labrax]

I don't really understand this argument. What rare wildlife would it be necessary to find at night, that wouldn't also be disturbed by bright lamps? If you were looking for nocturnal animals you'd surely want your lamps off, and for anything else you could just search after sunrise.

[aa-jv]

Can't imagine any other scenario? Perhaps they were looking for a missing colleague? One would never know, for as long as hostility and antagonism is the reaction to assumptions made, instead of .. you know .. having empathy for someone out there on the mountain in the middle of the night, looking for something/someone ..

[seabass-labrax]

Sorry, but none of this makes any sense to me. First rare wildlife, now lost colleagues? Tenerife has a mountain rescue service with helicopters and off-roaders.

Having empathy is great, but it still most likely that the availability of ultra-bright lamps is causing people to use them unnecessarily. There is an abundance of evidence that artificial light hurts natural ecosystems, not to mention inconveniencing astrophotographers, and I don't think it's unreasonable to take a dim view of those who use bright lights in uninhabited environments like this.

[aa-jv]

What does the word "perhaps" mean to you?

The example given was just an example - and in fact, an assumption cannot be made that the light-bearers were intentionally trying to interfere in a photo session.

It is entirely unreasonable to think that strangers on a mountain will account for a random photography project in their thinking. So the blame game doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

The onus of responsibility for having a clear shot, obviously lays with the photographer. Just because a photo is being taken, doesn't mean that others can't access the public space, too ..

[wat10000]

They're probably one of those people who tries to take a photo across a busy sidewalk and gets annoyed when people keep walking through the shot.

[gambiting]

Ok how about a simple reason like this - they just went for a night walk in the wilderness and are using lamps to see where they are going. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

>> I don't think it's unreasonable to take a dim view of those who use bright lights in uninhabited environments like this.

I think it is, but it's the internet, we don't have to agree.

[BurningFrog]

The simple, and rather obvious, answer is that you use lights at night to see where you're going!

There is nothing wrong with that in general. If people are doing light sensitive things near me I'll of course adapt, if practical.