The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The first image is within seconds of max eclipse, and I was within a few hundred feet of centerline, 20 miles north of Winnemucca, NV. Everything went according to plan except the weather. But it was 50-50 and worth taking a chance on. A better option would have been about 2 states SE, but that was WAY too far to drive at the last minute with no reservations available anywhere. It was a mad scramble to even find it and keep in the viewfinder – the solar finder only works in full sunlight. And the rapidly moving broken clouds made me constantly changing exposure by many stops. Near totality it was behind so much cloud cover that I had to remove the solar filter – it blocked out all visibility. But it was worth it, including the 7-hour drive, to get even this much, given the conditions. (I had 2 nights reserved in a motel, but the driving was still no fun.)
Specific Feedback
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Not tracked – that would have been wonderful but the rig is too cumbersome for this kind of trip. Canon R5, 100-500 + 2X, focus established at first sighting and left untouched, exposures all over the place, with and without the solar filter. These are just the raw files except for the one just after first contact, where I did NR to sharpen the sunspots a little, and the last one where I did LR NR. The gold color is from the solar filter; the ones that look grayscale are as shot with daylight white balance. Constantly chasing the sun as it moved across the frame in about 6 minutes. Couldn’t have done it without the Gitzo fluid-damped gimbal head, with precision independent vertical and horizontal movements.
Diane, seeing your photos gives me comfort and peace of mind in the realization I can’t do astrophotography. Your photos are truly beautiful. I especially love the last photo. The clouds have added so much to the mood and beauty of the photos.
Thanks, @Egídio, but I’m sure you can! All this took was some travel, a long lens, a solar filter, a good tripod and some practice with quick exposure changes. (The latter is not generally expected to be necessary.) But I will admit that the genre is not conducive to comfort and peace of mind. It’s more like reckless skiing. And this astro stuff is definitely like being sucked into a rabbit hole – or a black hole.
But – you will be on the south edge of the path of the total eclipse March 8. I will be somewhere on the path, from my best guess at weather, and SW Texas looks like the best odds. We will hope to find a small airport we can land at (without prior reservations). Depending on where it is, we will also need a car – so we may have to plan ahead and just hope for good weather. Here is an interactive map: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8 If you can get a few miles NW of Austin you will have a spectacular view of totality. The closer to centerline the longer totality. The max is 4 minutes, which will feel like 4 seconds.
If weather permits, whatever you do, don’t miss it! It will be a long time until another one is easily accessible. It is unbelievable, even just to see. And there is a range of options to photograph it. Check out this excellent e-book – it’s only $10 and worth much more.
Cool! So glad you could make the trek and have the satisfaction of seeing the eclipse. Although the clouds made it more difficult, they do add that mysterious atmosphere to an already mysterious-looking phenomenon.
I’m with Egídio. In my case, your descriptions of what’s required to get these photos makes me realize I don’t want to do astrophotography. I’m happy to leave it to the pros like yourself.
A fascinating progression of images. Too bad about the amount of cloud cover at the totality, but they do add an interesting element. The ring of clouds in the second image from top is especially nice!
Nice series Diane. I initially planned on being in SE Oregon plopped on some barren BLM spot. But at the last minute, I decided the weather would hinder viewing, so I stayed local in the Bay Area. I did photograph the 2012 Annular Eclipse that passed through Redding that year, so I did not feel at a loss for not seeing this eclipse. I was plagued by high cirrus clouds in 2012 as well and it just wreaked havoc on trying to expose from minute to minute. So I can feel your frustration. This year, I bought both a screw-in solar filter and a full aperture filter both from Thousand Oaks Optical. I am glad I got the full aperture style as it made putting the filter on and taking it off much faster and easier.
Thanks, @Bonnie_Lampley and @DeanRoyer! I’m anything but a pro – just greedy for any kind of image I can manage. Solar and lunar stuff and the Milky Way is like wildlife and birds in flight – just an extension of using long lenses and regular cameras, but largely in the dark and often in the cold.
Astro (telescopes, trackers and a whole different kind of processing) is another realm.
@Youssef_Ismail, a filter designed for a telescope that slips over the front of the lens saved me this last time – I had it on and off maybe 5-6 times, in a big hurry each time.
I also had a few thin clouds at the previous annular, but not too bad until just after that last image.
These are great images of the eclipse! Do NOT be discouraged by the clouds. The clouds make these images unique. While I was grateful for my clear skies during the 2017 eclipse and this Annular, my images look like everyone else’s – a big orange ball. That is with the exception of the Annular through my Lunt 80mm Ha!
The clouds add character to the images and make them stand out from the others. I am sure dealing with the constant exposure changes from the clouds was a nightmare, though!
Thanks, @kyle – and welcome here – at least as a poster! I would love to know more about your 80mm Ha!
Yeah – the images were disappointing (due to a bad bet on weather) but I was pleased that I was able to keep up with repeated on and offs with the solar filter and anticipate the sun’s movement thanks in part to a gimbal mount that made it easier to make horizontal and vertical movements.
I will lug the tracker to the total in order to get a good HDR on the corona.
@Diane_Miller, the Lunt is amazing! I love watching surface features change on the sun from day to day. I found 80mm to be the perfect balance between size, cost, and what you can see – 60mm are darker, and 100mm is a bazooka and expensive.
Paired with my binoviewer is an incredible experience! I also have an ASI17MM for solar imaging, but have done so only a few times.
I’ll post my image when I get a chance later today.
