Eclipse photography requires a bit of practice
Sebastian Kennerknecht/ Minden Pictures / Alamy
Some people spend years planning a trip to see a total solar eclipse, yet the moment itself only lasts a few minutes at most. A well-taken photograph can help bring you right back to that moment years later.
The good news is that with a bit of practice even a novice can capture a great image. Here’s how to photograph the eclipse, no previous experience or fancy camera equipment necessary.
Location, location, location
Of course, you can’t photograph an eclipse if you aren’t in its path. On 8 April, everyone in North America will see at least a partial solar eclipse, which must be viewed through solar eclipse glasses and photographed using solar filters (more on that below).
Only those inside the path of totality will see a total solar eclipse. Most of the experience is identical, with partial phases necessitating solar eclipse glasses and solar filters, but midway through comes totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun for a few minutes. It is only during this time that eclipse glasses and solar filters can come off, and the sun’s corona can be seen with the naked eye and photographed. This is the shot everyone wants.
How to photograph a total solar eclipse using your smartphone
If you are in the path of totality, forget about handheld video and zooming in on the eclipsed sun – the results using a smartphone will be disappointingly dark. Instead, concentrate on taking a wide-angle shot that will showcase the beauty of totality using silhouettes of people and objects.
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Just before it gets dark, put your phone into wide-angle mode. Focus on something in the middle distance and lock the focus by pressing and holding the screen with your finger. Use burst mode to capture images in quick succession as totality begins. That way you will be able to capture the “diamond ring”: the last and first beads of sunlight peeking around the moon just before and after totality.
How to photograph a total solar eclipse using a camera
If you have a manual DSLR or mirrorless camera and a variety of lenses, you can choose whether to capture a wide-angle shot or take a close-up of the eclipse. During the partial phases, you will need to use a solar filter.
Just before totality, check your focus on the partially eclipsed sun and then set your camera to bracket mode (when you take the same image at three different exposures). “Make sure your camera is shooting low ISO before and after totality, between 200-400, to reduce any noise,” says Mike Mezeul, a nature photographer. Remove the solar filter during the diamond ring, take bracketed shots during totality and don’t forget to put the solar filter back on as soon as you see the second diamond ring at the end of totality.
How to photograph a partial solar eclipse
To take an impressive shot of a partially eclipsed sun with your smartphone you need to use a solar filter and keep the phone still. The latter can be done by using a tripod and then engaging a shutter delay for a few seconds. For a filter, using a pair of eclipse glasses is fine. If you have a spare pair, try cutting out one lens and taping it across your phone’s camera lens. Another option is to buy a smartphone eclipse filter from a company like Solar Snap or VisiSolar.
Although smartphones don’t tend to get damaged by being pointed at the sun, never point a manual camera at the partially eclipsed sun unless its lens is protected by a solar filter. You can buy expensive glass solar filters or make your own using inexpensive Baader AstroSolar Safety Film.
Though the steps needed to photograph a partial eclipse are a little more complicated than taking a standard selfie, you can practice beforehand whenever you have a clear view of the sun. “Manually focus and set the exposure,” says Carl Heilman, a photographer based in New York, who teaches eclipse photography workshops. He recommends using an aperture of f/8-11, a shutter speed of 1/800 and ISO 100.
And make sure you don’t spend the whole time fiddling with your camera. “As much as you want to shoot the event, take some time to put the camera down and take it in because it’s one of the most incredible things you’ll ever see,” says Mezeul.
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