2024 Solar Eclipse Composite

Image Critiques Nightscape & Astro Critiques
1

Eclipse Earth Shine - Double Spiral RevIV.jpg
Eclipse Earth Shine - Double Spiral RevIV.jpg2000×1334 99.7 KB

Critique Style Requested: In-depth

The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.

Self Critique

My goal was to create a composite of several of the photos taken during the eclipse. These photos were captured as part of a time lapse video I shoot during the eclipse. This composite measures 96" x 64". I used Photoshop’s Generative Expand to enlarge the canvas from the original 27" x 18" size. I wanted the background for the rest of the images to be dark but of somewhat the same color as the edges of the center image. The Generative Expand did a pretty fair job of extending the corona some but I find the gradient of the background colors are a bit too obvious.

Creative direction

My goal was to create a wall mural sized image to fit in my wall mural portfolio. I wanted an image that would give the viewer a feel for what the eclipse looked like during the various phases.

Specific Feedback

Technical, Aesthetic & Emotional.

Technical Details

All the images were shot at 600mm using a Sigma 150-600 zoom lens mounted on my Canon R5. Before and after totality I was shooting f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/8000, 1/4000 & 1/2000. I used the 1/2000 images for this composite.
During the Diamond ring, Baily’s Beads my settings were ISO 125, f/11, 1/8000, 1/4000 & 1/2000. I did a Mean Blend on these images.
For the center Earth Shine image my settings were ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 & 1 sec. I did a Mean Blend on first 6 images. I omitted the 1/2 & 1 sec. images because they were too over exposed. I was using a Celestron AVX equatorial tracker to follow the motion of the Sun.

Description

I wanted to compose this image in an aesthetically pleasing way that would fill a 8 ft wide mural. I choose this double spiral to arrange the various phase of the eclipse.

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2

Very nice design idea! I like the dark blue BG, which is correct – the sky didn’t go completely black. It may be JPEG compression but there is a vague rectangular lighter area around the corona. The 6 diamond ring / BB images don’t fit well tonally. They have dark halos and the orange tint seems odd. Most solar filters give an orange tint for the partials but those 6 would have been shot with no filter.

3

The spiral composition is unique, rather than the linear or square mosaics I always see.
The partial phases & corona look nice against the blue background. However, the diamond ring & bailey’s beads are very harsh. The moon is suddenly jet black, and there is an orange tint, with a very hard cutoff at the edges.
Perhaps you could try a darker background if you cannot get it to balance? Or make the blacks of the mentioned photos more of the blue color as in the partial phases?

4

Clever idea and great execution. Congratulations.