Are you Photographing the Total Solar Eclipse?

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Abinoone

Abinoone

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A total solar eclipse will occur across a broad swath of North America in exactly one month, on April 8th, and I’m interested in trying to capture the event. Fortunately, I live along the path of totality, so will be ideally situated. Have you done this sort of thing before and, if so, what tips do you have about how best to obtain the best images? I’ve never done solar or astrophotography, so am not entirely sure where to start. At the very least, I know that I’ll need a good solar filter, but what else is recommended? Which focal lengths work best? Short or long exposures? Suggestions are encouraged and welcome.
 
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We photographed the last one a few years back and got some cool shots. We're going to try it again this year. Hopefully it will not be cloudy. In the midwestern part of the USA where we live, the chances for rain and overcast in April are pretty high.
 
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I plan to as long as the weather allows. That is really one of the biggest challenges as it’s entirely out of your control. You will want a solar filter as pointed a long telephoto directly at the sun can cause damage to the camera quickly, and your eyes if not using a mirrorless camera. A long telephoto is required if you want a direct shot of the sun, I plan to use the 180-600, possibly with the 1.4x. You should be able to use a shutter speed that is handholdable. Keep in mind the sun will be moving so if you have a long telephoto on a tripod you will need to readjust the camera’s position periodically. I was accidentally thinking the other day that an automated tracker would be a cool way to shoot it as a video. As you come out of totality, there is a cool effect called diamond ring that makes for an incredible photo and only last a couple seconds so make sure you’re prepared. Make sure to take some time to enjoy the experience as it is quite amazing.
 
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www.amazingsky.com

EclipseBook

Describing the ebook How to Photograph the Solar Eclipses, with links to buy the book.
www.amazingsky.com www.amazingsky.com

Alan Dyer has a very detailed e book on how to photograph solar eclipses. Very worthwhile. I used it for the 2017 eclipse and he has updated it for the 2024 as well. Recommendations on equipment, locations, etc.

I’m going to commute to Texas this eclipse to try to capture it. One item that he recommends and I agree with is DO NOT spend all of your totality time with trying to get images. A total solar eclipse is one of the most amazing occurrences that we’ll ever see, and you need to give yourself some time to “take it all in”, especially if it’s your first.
 
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We’ve reserved a hotel room on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie, a bit west of Port Colborne. Gear will include:

  • Z8 + 600 PF
  • D850 + 120-300
  • Slip on Thousand Oaks Solarlite filters
There’s a great app called SET for mobile to help manage the timing. Also using PhotoPills for planning.

Forecast is for a chance of clouds. :(
 
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I'm in the Buffalo area and will hopefully have the opportunity to witness a total eclipse (it'll probably be overcast that day).
But I don't have a filter and have no plans to photograph it .
if I did buy a filter it would probably ensure it would be overcast so at least now there is a chance of clear skies...lol)...
 
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Shoot the longest lens you have. Get yourself a pair of solar glasses to view it.
I photo'd the last '17, but it was not total, so I needed to place a solar filter on my lens. Likely you may need that too, unless you just want to photo the total only. It should be a dark circle with light around it.. giving way to blue sky. Exciting
 
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I suspect there will be enough photographers documenting this event that anything I'd do wouldn't add anything meaningful to our understanding of it, so no I won't be photographing the eclipse. I'll let others who are more skilled at such stuff do the work.
 
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Geoff_G said:
I'm in the Buffalo area and will hopefully have the opportunity to witness a total eclipse (it'll probably be overcast that day).
But I don't have a filter and have no plans to photograph it .
if I did buy a filter it would probably ensure it would be overcast so at least now there is a chance of clear skies...lol)...
Click to expand...
We’re practically neighbors (Buffalo)!
 
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I live in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse. Totality should be about 3 1/2 min here. Towns in the center of the path of totality in Texas are bracing for huge numbers of eclipse visitors. The county just north of me declared a state of emergency due to possible overload on local resources from the forecast number of eclipse visitors.

Assuming there is no cloud cover I'll be viewing and photographing the event from my front yard. Got a couple different filters to use on a spotting scope as well as my X-T4. One is a mylar sheet film type for white light and now putting together another with black polymer sheet for orange-yellow. The recent annular eclipse was good practice.

I used a 70-300mm + 1.4TC on the X-T4 for the annular at f/11 1/200 ISO 160. The black polymer sheet filter state it's transmission is 1/1000 of 1%
 
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Heading to TX for this one...better chance of clear skies. Still have filters and such from 2017 eclipse that I photographed (successfully) in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Plan is to once again situate myself in my camper in some remote area. 600pf with TC1.4x on Z9 or Z8 will do the trick. May shoot video this time too or a time lapse with one of the bodies on a tracker. Wish all of you clear skies!
 
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I'm going back and forth on whether to try to photograph the eclipse. I've never seen a total eclipse before. I watched the 2017 eclipse from Missouri and was 15 seconds from totality when the sun clouded over. Tantalizingly close.

My son and I are going to Dallas to watch the eclipse. Hope the weather will be good. I have a 16.5 stop Nisi solar filter for my Z 600 mm PF, so I could take photos before, during, and after totality. But I think I may not. I want to make sure to experience it and am afraid I might miss that if I am fiddling with camera gear.
 
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Here's one from 2017 showing results from a 600mm
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Abinoone said:
I’ve never done solar or astrophotography, so am not entirely sure where to start. At the very least, I know that I’ll need a good solar filter, but what else is recommended? Which focal lengths work best? Short or long exposures? Suggestions are encouraged and welcome.
Click to expand...

Keep an eye on the weather forecasts in your area. Northeastern states are typically overcast in early April. Experienced eclipse photographers are planning to be in central Texas because the risk of cloudy weather is lower.

Adorama recently held a webinar on photographing the upcoming eclipse.
www.youtube.com

How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse featuring Stan Honda | Adorama Event Space Livestream

If you'd like to attend the event in person at the Adorama Event Space in NYC, you can RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-store-demo-with-stan-honda-...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

B&H has one upcoming on March 21.
www.youtube.com

A Complete Guide to this Celestial Phenomenon | The 2024 Solar Eclipse

The 2024 solar eclipse is on the horizon, taking place on April 8th, 2024.In this presentation, photographer and eclipse enthusiast Todd Vorenkamp will use h...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

There are others on YouTube, as well.

As for me, I’ll be on a specially scheduled Delta flight from Dallas to Detroit meant to allow passengers to experience the eclipse from flight altitudes. ✈️
 
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Abinoone said:
Dunno since I’ve never done it myself, but I’ve read that solar filters are 16-stop, so my guess is that a 10-stop ND won’t cut it. You need to be very careful with your eyes and photo equipment when photographing the sun.
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You’ll want a 16 stop solar filter for shots before and after totality. During totality the filter can be removed.

Remember to wear proper protective eyewear if you’ll be looking directly at the sun.

“Warning: Viewing the Sun without proper protection can cause permanent eye damage, blindness, and equipment damage. Always use an approved ISO 12312-2 certified solar filter when observing the Sun through optics or cameras. Never use photographic neutral density filters for direct solar viewing, viewing the sun through an optic, or when using cameras with an optical viewfinder.“
 
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bleirer said:
Would a 10 stop ND be useful near totality?
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I think I used a 9 stop in 2017 but only shot it at very close to totality and it worked out well. Note: I was using mirrorless and would not recommend if using OVF of DSLR due to potential light magnification. If you want to shoot partial, definitely by a solar filter. I have that now and used it during the annular eclipse but I was not in the totality path for it.

Totality
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diamond ring once totality ends
IMG_0189.jpeg
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