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Questions to guide your feedback
This image was captured during the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017.
Other Information
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Image Description
I had been photographing the moon’s progress as it approached totality. When it arrived while I was removing the solar filter, I accidentally kicked my tripod and lost the subject all together. In a near panic I just roughly aimed the camera and lens in what I thought was the general vicinity of the action and took some shots. Upon reviewing the images in the view finder I saw nothing and spent the trip home cursing at myself. However, when I arrived home and downloaded my images to the “Big Screen” I found this image of the “Diamond Effect” of the eclipse. I believe this effect is created as the moon first uncovers just the edge of the sun.
Technical Details
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Lens: EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/22.0, @ 400 mm. for
1/8000 sec. ISO: 1250. Edited in Photoshop & Topaz as a plugin.
Initial impression: Beautiful, Robert. Follow on observations. I feel like this image would really be more impressive large in the frame, but that’s just because I’d love to see the details of the corona. You may not have the pixels for that and this does give more of the impression of the vastness of space.
After reading your description of the events: Great Recovery!!!
Thank you, Dennis. In fact my original work up of this image is a centered and larger diamond stage of the eclipse. However for this negative space theme I enlarged the space area. Bob
Well, maybe I should try this technique, as you got a better “diamond ring” than I did – and I was on a steady tracker. You also got a very nice flare at about the 1:30 point. It’s all about timing to catch that first (or last, at third contact) pinpoint of light. (It also depends on the terrain of the lunar edge at those contact points.) And I didn’t get the lovely starburst that you did.
I dig the negative space idea here, as the sun is really pretty small in the sky. I think I’d like it better if the eclipse was lower in the frame so there wasn’t the tension of the light pushing out of the frame edge, but that’s certainly artist’s choice.
Initial reaction was WOW. After reading the hidden comment, I thought “Here’s to accidents! Great unexpected result.”
I love the negative space, as it adds to the mystery. If it was mine, I would perhaps add a bit more breathing room above top of the eclipse.
Well done, Robert.
