I’ve been lucky enough to see several partial solar eclipses in my lifetime, and lunar eclipses as well. But nothing prepared me for how otherworldly the total eclipse of April 8th was, and in some ways, I’m still processing it. It took a lot of planning to get there, and I had to purchase a special filter for my camera as well, not to mention use eclipse viewing glasses to avoid damaging my eyes.
In many ways, it was just a normal spring day, though I’d driven several hours to get to a prime viewing location that was in the center of the path of totality. I opted for a spot away from a big city, where I hoped only a few people would be.
The biggest thing that I did right was to set up early. I couldn’t have had a better spot, and I took timed photos throughout the process. The hardest part was keeping the lens focused on the right spot. I was not using any kind of solar-tuned tripod that would calculate the rotation for me. Each frame had to be centered by hand, and then by the time the photo was taken the sun would have moved.
The other thing I did right was to not spend too much time staring through the camera viewfinder. It was so amazing to see the bright daylight vanish, see twilight cloak the world, feel the chill of the air around as the sun disappeared. It was rewarding to capture so much of it on film but I am glad I was in the moment, too.
What I would do differently if I get another chance is to use a 2-second timer rather than 10 seconds, as I missed the “diamond ring” shot I’d hoped for, when the sun just starts to vanish or just starts to reappear. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and unfortunately, by the time the shutter clicked when I’d pressed the button, the ring had disappeared. Likewise on the far side, I didn’t time it perfectly and though my pictures came out remarkably well nonetheless, I would have liked to have gotten that shot. Maybe next time.
The drive that took 90 minutes to get there took 8 hours to return home.
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