Next August 21 we will be lucky to enjoy a solar eclipse. Well, you will have, because where I live you can't see . Those who do have that luck, for example, those who live in the United States, in Central America or in the northern part of South America, cannot miss the opportunity.
In Spain, it will be seen at sunset, and where it will be best seen in the cities further to the West, those who are farther east do not have that luck. The middle ones, the closer to the East the harder to see, 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 and what time. The best places to contemplate it are Vigo and the Canary Islands.
An eclipse is a unique opportunity to contemplate a great astronomical phenomenon, and who says contemplate says photography. As a good lover of photography you are, surely you've already thought about it.
TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING THE ECLIPSE
Today's topic is the precautions to be taken and other recommendations, as we have already written on other occasions on how to photograph an eclipse, so I will only make a short summary and at the end of this section I leave you the link to some articles that may interest you If you want to keep going deeper.EQUIPMENT
To capture a solar eclipse as it deserves you need:- Camera with manual settings
- Telephoto lens: if possible more than 300mm so that the sun is of an acceptable size and not as a small dot on the horizon. Think 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 have to make rather long exposures, so you need to stabilize the camera if you want a clear and motionless photograph
- Remote trigger : for the same reason, avoid the slight movement caused by pressing the shutter button with a remote trigger
- Special solar filter for eclipses that avoid infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) rays
- Intervalometer (if you want to make a timelapse)
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH THE ECLIPSE
- Lower the ISO to a minimum.
- Disable the image stabilizer.
- Lock the mirror if you have the option.
- In the absence of a remote trigger or intervalometer, use the camera's timer.
- Change the format to RAW.
- If you have an ultraviolet filter to protect the lens, remove it.
- Place the sunscreen.
- Put your camera in Manual Mode.
- Focus on manual to infinity (this you have previously practiced as I will advise later). Make sure you've 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 eclipse phase, perform bracketing .
- Tips for Photographing a Solar (and Lunar) Eclipse
- 12 Inspiring Examples for Photographing Eclipses
- How to Photograph the Sun: First Steps, Tips and Tricks
- 25 SPECTACULAR EXAMPLES OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SUN
- What You Always Wanted To Know About Astronomical Photography
PRECAUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Since you have these articles at your disposal, I will focus more on safety and the precautions you should take, as well as on some other recommendations, as it is what you have consulted most through the mail and comments. And because, no matter how well you take a picture, if you do not take the necessary precautions, the same is the last image you take, either because the sensor of your camera ends up blackened or because your blindness is inevitable. These statements may seem exaggerated, but they are not so exaggerated if recklessness is committed. And that's what I want to avoid with the following tips, plus you get a great picture!PRECAUTIONS FOR YOUR EYESIGHT AND YOUR CAMERA SENSOR
- I insist, do not look directly at the sun , if your eyes and eyesight are important to you, even when the eclipse is in its full phase.
- Use a suitable sunscreen for your camera , as I have indicated on the device.
- Do not observe the sun through binoculars, telescopes or similar without proper filter .
- Nor, according to NASA, polarizing or neutral density filters are recommended.
- It is completely inadvisable to use media such as an x-ray, old photographic film, a CD, or similar objects, however much popular legends recommend, you can lose your sight.
- Even with special filters or eclipse glasses, it is not recommended to observe the sun for more than 30 seconds in a row. It is recommended to pause .
- Conventional sunglasses, no matter how good the glasses are, are also not suitable for looking directly at the sun, quite the opposite.
- If you observe the eclipse with special glasses for eclipses , make 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 similar.
PRACTICE FROM NOW
Even if you don't believe it, you can start working right away. Better to start now than improvise on Monday. Follow these tips and you will see how you appreciate it .- Try how to remove and put on the sunscreen so that at the time of the total eclipse you have no impediment.
- Catch up with your camera's bracketing tool .
- Work with the moon before the focus , as you have to focus on manual, it is not a plan to get to practice looking directly at the sun or in the middle of the eclipse, take advantage of the moon tonight to the eclipse to improve your manual focus.
- Practice shooting in the sun a few days before the eclipse. So you can verify that your sunscreen works perfectly and that you are able to focus and expose well. Don't you think of improvising at the time of the eclipse, as you fail you will have to wait a long time to repeat!
- Make an essay , in your favorite location, for 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 framing. A good time to also test with the filter.
- Make sure before your equipment is well stabilized on the tripod when you aim at the sky and that you can comfortably access the settings.
PLANNING
- Take a spare battery , a phenomenon like this you can not miss by running out of battery, do not you think?
- It also doesn't hurt that you carry a spare memory card , if you shoot many photos in RAW 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 runs the risk of tripping over it. In very crowded places this can happen with frightening ease.
- There will be a moment where the eclipse is total in which you will not see anything, remember to bring a flashlight or a headlight to see something. And try not to disturb the rest of photographers with her .
- Find the best location , find out when 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
- Use a telephoto lens (better than more than 300mm) or, as I told you, you will only capture a small point on the horizon.
- Use the tripod , so you can play with different exposures avoiding trepidations.
- Shoot with a remote shutter , so you avoid the movement produced by pressing the button on your camera.
- Or better if you have an intervalometer , you can program the exposure time and the time between one photo and another.
- You can do a bracketing to achieve the best exposure if you consider it necessary.
- In the entire phase , to capture the ring, remove the sunscreen . This is when the sun part in sight 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 similar, do not remove the sunscreen unless the sun is completely hidden.
- Again place the sunscreen when you see the edge of the window becomes brighter.
- Check the histogram to ensure good exposure. It does not have to be centered, but rather towards the brightness values.
- Shoot in RAW . It is the only way to ensure a good exposure correction.
- So that you do not forget to remove the filter in the total eclipse phase, you can put an alarm on your mobile that alerts you a little before the time.
WITH SMARTPHONE
- Do not try to achieve a great picture of the eclipse with a smartphone . If it's the only thing you have on 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 foreground landscape.
- You can also use it to document what is happening, how others live it. You will find even more interesting snapshots than you can capture from the king star with your smartphone's camera.
IDEAS TO PHOTOGRAPH A DIFFERENT ECLIPSE
If you cannot photograph the eclipse by following these precautions and tips, for whatever reason, we leave you an idea or trick , try to photograph the shadow of the trees, in them you can capture numerous images of the eclipsed sun projected by the rays that sneak between The branches and leaves. It is an ideal occasion to make a timelapse and achieve a spectacular photograph.