Next August 21 we will be lucky enough to enjoy a solar eclipse. Well, you will have, because where I live you can’t see it 🙁 . Those of you who do have that luck, for example, those of you who live in the United States, in Central America or in the northern part of South America, cannot miss out on this opportunity.
In Spain, it will be seen at sunset, and where it will be best seen will be in the cities further west, those of us who are further east do not have that luck. The ones in the middle, the closer to the East the harder to see, they will last less time and with the sun already hiding (but you will see it 😉 ). Here you can see a map of where you can see it and about what hours. The best places to see it are Vigo and the Canary Islands.
An eclipse is a unique opportunity to contemplate a great astronomical phenomenon, and who says to contemplate, says to photograph. As a good lover of photography that you are, surely you have already considered it.
Tips for photographing the eclipse
Today’s topic is the precautions to take and other recommendations, since we have already written on other occasions about how to photograph an eclipse, so I will only make a brief summary and at the end of this section I will leave you the link to some articles that may interest you. if you want to go deeper.
Equipment
To capture a solar eclipse as it deserves you need:
- camera with manual settings
- Telephoto: If possible, more than 300mm so that the sun is seen in an acceptable size and not as a small dot on the horizon. Keep in mind that if your camera is not Full Frame, the effective focal length will be greater. In this case you are in luck 😉
- Tripod: you will need to take rather long exposures, so you need to stabilize the camera if you want a sharp, motion-free picture
- Remote Switch: for the same reason, avoid the slight movement caused by pressing the fire button with a remote trigger
- Solar filter special for eclipses that avoids infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) rays
- Intervalometer (if you want to make a timelapse)
How to photograph the eclipse
- Lower the ISO to the minimum.
- Turn off the image stabilizer.
- Block the mirror if you have the option.
- In the absence of a remote shutter or interval timer, use the camera’s timer.
- Change the format to RAW.
- If you have an ultraviolet filter to protect the lens, remove it.
- Put on the sunscreen.
- Put your camera in Manual Mode.
- Focus manually at infinity (you will have practiced this previously as I will advise you later). Make sure you have focused well before continuing to shoot.
- Exposure: It will depend on the focal length at which you shoot and the moment of the eclipse. It is something that you can also practice before, although here you have a very complete exhibition guide.
- During the total phase of the eclipse, perform a bracketing.
To delve deeper into the subject you have the following articles:
Precautions and recommendations
Since you have these articles at your disposal, I am going to focus more on safety and the precautions you should take, as well as some other recommendations, since it is what you have consulted us the most through mail and comments. And because, no matter how good a photograph turns out for you, if you don’t take the necessary precautions, it will still be the last image you take, either because the sensor of your camera ends up charred or because your blindness is inevitable. Perhaps these statements seem exaggerated to you, but they are not so much if they are reckless. And that’s what I want to avoid with the following tips, besides that you get a great photo!
Precautions for your eyesight and your camera sensor
- I insist, do not look directly at the sunif your eyes and your sight are important to you, even when the eclipse is in its full phase.
- Use for your camera a suitable sunscreenas I have indicated in the team.
- Do not observe the sun through binoculars, telescopes or similar no proper filter.
- Nor, according to NASA, are polarizing or neutral density filters recommended.
- It is completely inadvisable using means such as an X-ray, old photographic film, a CD, or similar objects, as much as popular legends recommend it, you can lose your sight.
- Even with special filters or eclipse glasses, it is not recommended to watch the sun for more than 30 seconds at a time. It is recommended to do pauses.
- Conventional sunglasses, no matter how good the lenses are, are also not suitable for looking directly at the sun, quite the opposite.
- If you observe the eclipse with special eclipse glassesmake sure they meet the standards, they should carry an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) label and that the filters have not suffered any damage, such as scratches or the like.
Practice from now
Believe it or not, you can start working right away. Better start now than improvise on Monday. Follow these tips and you will see how you appreciate it 😉 .
- Rehearse how to remove and put the filter solar so that at the time of the total eclipse you do not have any impediment.
- Get up to speed with the bracketing tool of your camera.
- Work before with the moon the focusas you have to focus manually, it is not a plan to start practicing looking at the sun directly or in full eclipse, take advantage of the moon these nights until the eclipse to improve your manual focus.
- Practice shooting in the sun a few days before the eclipse. This way you can check that your sunscreen works perfectly and that you are able to focus and expose well. Do not think of improvising at the time of the eclipse, as you fail you will have to wait a long time to repeat!
- Make a trial, in your favorite location, during the duration of the eclipse. With the Photopills tool you can know from what time to what time it will last. Also when will it be in its full phase. so you can study the frame. A good time to also rehearse with the filter.
- Make sure before your team is well stabilized on tripod when you point to the sky and that you can comfortably access the settings.
Planning
- Carries Replacement batterya phenomenon like this you can’t miss it because you run out of battery, don’t you think?
- It also doesn’t hurt to bring one spare memory cardif you shoot a lot of RAW photos you may run out of memory.
- In places where the eclipse takes place with the sun very high, you will need a wide angle if you want to include the horizon in the frame.
- Make sure there is space around you when you plant the tripod, that neither you nor anyone else run the risk of tripping over it. In very crowded places this can happen with frightening ease.
- There will be a moment when the eclipse is total in which you will not see anything, remember to bring a flashlight or a headlamp to be able to see something. And try not to disturb the rest of the photographers with it 😉 .
- Look for the best location, find out at what time the eclipse will occur and investigate where the sun will be. Study carefully where you would like to immortalize this astronomical event to make the most of the environment.
during the eclipse
- Uses a telephoto (better more than 300mm) or, as I have told you, you will only capture a small point on the horizon.
- Use the tripodin this way you can play with different exposures avoiding trepidations.
- shoot with a remote Switchthis way you will avoid the movement produced when you press the button on your camera.
- Or better if you have a intervalometeryou can program the exposure time and the time between one photograph and another.
- You can make a bracketing to achieve the best exposure if you consider it necessary.
- In the totality phasein order to capture the ring, remove sunscreen. This is when the part of the sun in view is no more than a very fine line. Even if you remove the filter, do not look directly through the viewfinder of your camera, use the Live View function and look through the screen. If you are only going to observe, and not photograph, with binoculars or the like, do not remove the solar filter unless the sun is completely hidden.
- Go back to put on the sunscreen when you see the edge of the moon getting brighter.
- check the histogram to ensure good exposure. It doesn’t have to be centered, but rather towards the brightness values.
- Shoot in RAW. It’s the only way to ensure good exposure correction.
- so you don’t forget remove the filter In the total eclipse phase, you can set an alarm on your mobile phone to notify you a little before the time.
With Smartphone
- Don’t try to get a great picture of the eclipse with a smartphone. If it is the only thing you have at hand, take advantage of it to integrate the eclipse into the environment.
- A trick is to photograph the sun near some mountain formation or buildings including part of the landscape in the foreground.
- You can also use it for keep record what is happening, how others experience it. You still find even more interesting snapshots than the ones you can capture of the star king with your smartphone camera.
Ideas to photograph a different eclipse
If you cannot photograph the eclipse following these precautions and tips, for whatever reason, we leave you an idea or tricktry to photograph the shade of the trees, in them you will be able to capture numerous images of the eclipsed sun projected by the rays that slip through the branches and leaves.
It is an ideal occasion to make a timelapse and achieve a spectacular photograph.
Don’t just photograph the sun. If you include part of the landscape or people, your photograph will gain in attractiveness and interest. When people appear in an image we feel more identified and it is easier for us to get excited about it. Take a look at this image of Colleen Pinski who won the Smithsonian competition to see it clearly.
Another idea is to take a series of photos in which you cover the environment with wide shots, others in which you focus on capturing the sun in the foreground, and others in which you integrate the sun into the wide shots.
Here is a gallery with other examples to inspire you and whet your appetite 😉 :
So far the recommendations that I have prepared for the next most anticipated event in terms of astronomy is concerned. Emotion? Impatience? Do you feel this? Then go preparing your team and practicing what I have told you ahead of time ;).
And if you found it useful, don’t forget to share it on your favorite social network. If we prevent someone from suffering damage to their eyesight or their camera, that small gesture will have been well worth it.
Happy eclipse!