Learn How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse

Safety

Let’s start with the most important aspect: never look directly at the sun, even through a camera! Use certified solar filters designed specifically for photography throughout the eclipse, except the brief moments of totality. 

Before continuing, make sure you read the following guides 

1. The essentials for solar photography 
2. Using certified filters for solar photography 

Remember: NEVER point your camera directly at the sun without a certified solar filter! These specialized filters block harmful radiation, allowing safe viewing and photography. 

Imaging Goals

The big question you have to ask yourself is what do you want to image during an eclipse? Unless you have multiple camera setups, you need to decide early on what approach you wish to take.  

1. Close-ups: This approach places the sun in the center of your frame pushing the focal length between 150-500mm. This is the easiest method in that you don’t have to do much pre-planning. Plus, it gives you options to photograph other interesting things that will happen during the eclipse. 
2. Complete Sequence: This requires a series of photos throughout the eclipse without moving the camera position. This will require a wider field lens for your camera. During the processing workflow, you maintain the static landscape and layer in the different phases of the eclipse into the image during post processing. This requires proper planning on where the sun will be positioned through the entire eclipse. You will most likely want a secondary camera to photograph the other amazing things that will be happening around you. 

Camera Settings

Weeks before the eclipse, you need to practice solar photography skills. You need to know what camera settings to use so you don’t waste time during the main event. Use the follow guide for DSLR settings as your starting point. Practice so you figure out the exposure, focus, and framing routines.

You now have the starting position for the beginning of the eclipse, but things will change as the eclipse moves through the 5 stages.

1. First Contact: SOLAR FILTER REQUIRED.
   This is when the moon’s shadow first appears on the edge of the sun. This stage will progress for the next 80-90 minutes as the moon slowly covers more of the sun. Plan to take images at regularly scheduled intervals, while remember to check your histogram at each interval to validate your exposures are correct. Be aware that you will have to make small adjustments to your exposure time (but you’ve practiced this so it should be easy).  
2. Second Contact: SOLAR FILTER REQUIRED.
   The moon is almost ready to completely cover the sun.  This phase happens fast, so be prepared. And, if you are lucky, you might capture some interesting things 
   • Baily’s Beads: This phenomenon appears briefly, just before and after totality. These brilliant points of light are caused by the uneven lunar landscape. As the Moon’s mountains and valleys dance across the Sun’s edge, sunlight peeks through in some areas, creating the illusion of luminous beads along the lunar silhouette. This captivating effect, named after Francis Baily, the English astronomer who first witnessed it in 1836, is a short glimpse of the sun’s hidden light before complete darkness descends and then reappears as totality recedes.  
   • Diamond Ring: The mesmerizing display of Baily’s beads reaches its peak before fading. As the last rays of sunlight struggle to pierce through the lunar valleys and mountains, a single, breathtaking phenomenon emerges. A solitary bright spot, a dazzling “diamond”, appears to glitter on the edge of the Moon. This captivating effect is brief and a goal for many solar eclipse photographers. However, this brilliance is short-lived. As the diamond fades, signifying the complete disappearance of direct sunlight, totality, the peak of the eclipse, descends.
3. Totality: REMOVE YOUR SOLAR FILTER
   At this stage, you can capture the chromosphere of the sun. Adjust your exposure time by using your camera’s histogram graph. This is your new baseline. Take many photos with slightly longer exposure lengths. Keep increasing the exposure time. This will allow you to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image later. The initial (shortest) exposures will get you the details near the sun while longer exposures will show the chromosphere further away.  
   Totality is brief. Don’t try to do everything. Have a plan and stick to it.
   Because totality is so unique, make sure you leave yourself time to forget about photography and enjoy the experience. Look around. Listen to the world around you. Take in your surroundings. Don’t read about these experiences until you experienced them first hand. NO SPOILERS. 
   The most important this is to keep watch on the time as totality will be over before you know it. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get that solar filter back on. You need to be ready when totality ends to capture phase 4. 
4. Third Contact: SOLAR FILTER REQUIRED. 
   This is just like Second Contact, but in reverse order.  First, the diamond. Then, Baily’s Beads. 
5. Fourth Contact: SOLAR FILTER REQUIRED.  
   Over the next 80-90 minutes, the moon will slowly uncover the sun until the eclipse comes to a complete end. Just like during the first contact phase, you will need to slowly shorten your exposures as more of the sun becomes visible.

What’s Next

Photographing a total solar eclipse is an unforgettable experience that demands meticulous planning, technical knowledge, and a dash of luck. By prioritizing safety, understanding the process, and practicing beforehand, you’ll be well-equipped to capture the magic of this astronomical wonder. Remember, the journey itself is an adventure, so enjoy the chase as much as the capture! 

Once the eclipse is over, you can now start processing your images to bring out the details of this unique experience by stacking the images together with AutoStakkert. This begins the image processing workflow for solar photography.