Below are some highlights from my “How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse” talk on Friday July 28th, 2017. Please be safe and enjoy this incredible experience.
Paul
Here is a link to the PDF of the presentation from the talk;
How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse
Links to help with planning your Eclipse Experience:
Nasa Total Solar Eclipse Interactive Map
Nikon: How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse
Canon DLC: A total Guide to Solar Eclipse Photography
General Camera Settings
General camera settings include:
- Setting High-Speed continuous shooting
- Bracketing 3-7 frames at two-stop intervals during totality
- Daylight white balance
- Use a high ISO setting: Set your camera to ISO 400 (or higher) to keep exposures very short and prevent blurring from vibrations.
- Manual Focus by turning off Autofocus on the lens
- Tape down your zoom and focus rings on your lenses
- Make sure your Date and Time are accurate
- Turn off image stabilization on the lens, if you are using a solid tripod
- Set the Image Quality to RAW or RAW + JPEG if you’re doing social media
- You’ll be using Live View during the eclipse so you won’t have to use Mirror lockup
- During partial phases you might consider using the Interval timer
- If you have it, turn on your LCD grid display so you’ll have a center mark to help center the sun throughout the eclipse
Recheck Everything
Just before the eclipse begins double check all your camera settings, zoom rings and focus rings. Make sure everything is taped down. Do this periodically up to just before totality begins. Once totality begins, you’ll have more than enough to keep you busy.
Exposures during the eclipse
Remember, your exposure will remain the same for all the partial phases of the eclipse. Do not remove the filter or look at the sun without safety glasses as long as there is any portion of the sun visible.
About 15 seconds before totality you will see the diamond ring effect and about ten seconds later you will see the Baily’s Beads effect. Once the Bailys Bead’s occur there is approximately 5 seconds before totality.
During Totality remove the filter, bracket your exposures at 2 stop intervals. Start with 1/125 sec. at ISO 400. A 7-frame bracketed sequence should deliver shutter speeds of 1/2 sec., 1/8 sec., 1/30 sec., 1/125 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/2,000 sec. and 1/8,000 sec.
Safety
The importance of safety for your eyes and your camera gear cannot be stressed enough. When you are actively involved with looking at and photographing the eclipse, you need to pay close attention to the use of the solar filter.
Partial phases absolutely need a solar filter. Once Baily’s beads disappear you can remove the filter for about two minutes until Baily’s beads reappear again. Then replace the solar filter on the front of your lens. Do not remove it again until you’re finished photographing the sun. Always use your LCD screen to position the sun. Don’t use your camera’s viewfinder.
Never look at the sun without accredited and approved solar filtration over your eyes. There are special solar viewing frames that can be used over your eyeglasses or solar viewing glasses for those that don’t wear glasses. Permanent, irreversible eye damage and/or blindness can result in seconds.
Never improvise, modify or use general photography neutral density (ND) photography filters regardless of how many stops they are. They don’t block the infrared and ultraviolet radiation and are totally insufficient to provide the protection your eyes, and your equipment, need. There are reasons for this.
Click on the image below to see a gallery of images from the Annular Eclipse on May 20th, 2012.
