Partial Eclipse

Is anyone going to try to photograph the partial eclipse of the sun on Wednesday this week (12th August)? Or the total eclipse if you're lucky enough to live or be visiting somewhere that will be in the full shadow of the moon?

Steve

It is supposed to be a decent partial where i am
Thought about it, did some investigating, decided it would be too much faffing about for me, plus i am normally in my pj's by that time, so not bothering.

In the UK the time of maximum eclipse is about 19:00 BST.

I will be in Spain and will try to see it but not planning to any photos.

It's a Total Eclipse in parts of Spain!

It is in Bilbao where I will be

I live in Spain and will be a little north of Segovia where the eclipse will be total. I have been preparing for the eclipse since the beginning of the year, both researching what needs to be done and gathering the appropriate gear to do it - eclipse photography is a world of it's own.

I will be using a Canon 70D with Tamron 100-400mm lens for the telephoto stuff, both of which I bought (used) specifically for the eclipse. I looked into getting a long telephoto to use on the K-3, which would have given me more resolution, more dynamic range and a better, more familiar user experience, but long telephotos which are optically good and reasonably priced on the used market are virtually non-existent for the K-mount.

It looks like the skies will be clear, though the sun will be low which means more atmospheric degradation of the image. The most likely cause of failure to get decent results will be my inexperience and nervousness as I try to get the shots I want in the short time available and while trying not to fry the equipment by accidentally having the solar filter off outside of totality.

This is my eclipse rig (taken on my S-M-C Takumar 85/1.8 which makes a lovely gear p0rn lens). Not seen here are the eclipse filter and cable remote. And the baseball cap to pop on the end when not in use to prevent the sun from damaging things even with the solar filter on.



Eclipse rig by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr



Eclipse rig by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

One of the down sides of photographing the eclipse is that you might miss out on the actual experience of being eclipsed. I experienced the near-total eclipse that happened in the UK about 25 years ago. Just watched and waited at Portland Bill along with a couple of friends and a scattered crowd of other people. The eclipse was about 99% at the Bill (totality was about 20 mile out at sea), enough for see the shadow approaching across the sea, the day turn to darkness, the temperature drop, dogs start barking etc. A quick couple of snaps with a film camera at maximum eclipse was all I did, just enough to say 'I was there'. And I'm glad I wasn't fiddling with a camera all the time and missing the experience. And being Brits, what did we all do when daylight returned? Queue up at the cafe for a cup of tea, of course .

Steve

I think some great photos would be of the people who are watching the eclipse (am sure this has been done before!), bedecked with glasses etc. However, round here i don't think they have been issued to the cows

Yes, I have an image in mind of the other people (and especially my two daughters) with their eclipse glasses on, possibly with jaws dropped as they see the spectacle unfold.

Any chance you can show your results here, good or bad?
(I don't for 1 minute think yours will be bad!)

I was in Bilbao today and decided to drive 2 hours west to Burgos and watched the eclipse from the castle grounds there, at about 3,000 ft altitude. There were perhaps 2,000-3,000 people there. Totality lasted about 90 secs. The most astonishing thing was to see the eclipse happen through the high filter glasses until it went dark then take them off to see the eclipse itself with the naked eye. It looked like a movie special effect. All photos below with an old iPhone. There were many photographers there but it was impractical to set up properly.