Total Eclipse - Diamond Ring
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21st August 2017 Canon 5d III Canon EF 100-400 mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM + Canon EF 2x Extender 800mm f/11 ISO 100 1/125 sec Canon TC-80N3 Timer/Remote Cable Orion 07733 4.10 inch Full Aperture Glass Solar Filter |
The opportunity to photograph a total solar eclipse is, for most of us, a 'once in a lifetime' experience. So when the possibility presented itself in 2017 how could I resist. It was back in 2016 when I realised that in less than one year I would be on the same land mass as a total solar eclipse and I began planning.
I started by reading almost everything I could find on the topic of photographing a solar eclipse, there is no shortage of information out there but I found the most impactful came from NASA via their website, and a couple of photography sites that went into detail about the actual shoot rather than camera settings. I bought myself a solar filter to fit the 100-400mm lens and solar filter glasses before practicing shooting the sun for several days (much more interesting than you might think as you can see sunspots with a solar filter)
Hotels in the area of totality were price gouging like you wouldn't believe, a shady motel in Idaho with usual rates of $50 per night was charging $750 for the night before the eclipse and had only one room left 4 months before the big day, I decided against paying such ridiculous amounts so planned accordingly.
As the day approached I began with a drive of 9 hours from my home in Canada to Butte Montana where I stayed in a standard priced hotel far away from the path of totality. The next morning I rose at 4am and made a 3 hour drive to a small quarry beside North Salmon Highway west of Dubois, Idaho. I had selected the location using the NASA interactive eclipse map, overlaid with google maps to get the closest road, then google satellite maps to find a location and google street view to confirm parking availability and ensure there were no pylons or other 'spoilers' to get in the way of the image.
Now at my location, 2 hours early I could set up and make a few practice images which I checked on the laptop for focus (focussing on the sun is quite tricky). Once I was sure I had the focus down I taped the focus ring to prevent movement during the shoot. As the eclipse approaches there is a tiny fraction of time (just seconds) where you see Baileys Beads and the Diamond Ring, in that time I had to undo the thumbscrews and remove the solar filter very gently so as not to shake the camera too much, allow for the camera to steady and make the image, which as you can see above, i did.
When it comes to luck I don't believe there was any involved in this shoot, I planned for a year, I bought specific tools, practiced repeatedly, drove over 24 hours round trip to make it and I grabbed those few seconds for prosperity (along with many other images too). You can see the whole shoot and descriptions of the day by clicking here.
I started by reading almost everything I could find on the topic of photographing a solar eclipse, there is no shortage of information out there but I found the most impactful came from NASA via their website, and a couple of photography sites that went into detail about the actual shoot rather than camera settings. I bought myself a solar filter to fit the 100-400mm lens and solar filter glasses before practicing shooting the sun for several days (much more interesting than you might think as you can see sunspots with a solar filter)
Hotels in the area of totality were price gouging like you wouldn't believe, a shady motel in Idaho with usual rates of $50 per night was charging $750 for the night before the eclipse and had only one room left 4 months before the big day, I decided against paying such ridiculous amounts so planned accordingly.
As the day approached I began with a drive of 9 hours from my home in Canada to Butte Montana where I stayed in a standard priced hotel far away from the path of totality. The next morning I rose at 4am and made a 3 hour drive to a small quarry beside North Salmon Highway west of Dubois, Idaho. I had selected the location using the NASA interactive eclipse map, overlaid with google maps to get the closest road, then google satellite maps to find a location and google street view to confirm parking availability and ensure there were no pylons or other 'spoilers' to get in the way of the image.
Now at my location, 2 hours early I could set up and make a few practice images which I checked on the laptop for focus (focussing on the sun is quite tricky). Once I was sure I had the focus down I taped the focus ring to prevent movement during the shoot. As the eclipse approaches there is a tiny fraction of time (just seconds) where you see Baileys Beads and the Diamond Ring, in that time I had to undo the thumbscrews and remove the solar filter very gently so as not to shake the camera too much, allow for the camera to steady and make the image, which as you can see above, i did.
When it comes to luck I don't believe there was any involved in this shoot, I planned for a year, I bought specific tools, practiced repeatedly, drove over 24 hours round trip to make it and I grabbed those few seconds for prosperity (along with many other images too). You can see the whole shoot and descriptions of the day by clicking here.