Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Sirius Glass · Jun 12, 2017

Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Dead Link Removed

I am thinking of going to see it. Not photograph, but to see it. I am thinking about the difference between photographing a wedding versus attending a wedding.

Your thoughts?

Two23 · Jun 12, 2017

No.

Kent in SD

DWThomas · Jun 12, 2017

Months back I gave it some thought, after seeing something about St. Josephs Missouri having a big festival tied to it. But now I'm seeing comments about places to stay at various points along the path, even campgrounds, being booked up, etc. I have to travel far enough to get to a totality zone I am beginning to question doing it, especially given cloud cover could pretty much spoil it -- all 2 minutes and 38 seconds! I would like to take a least a few photos if I do it. (And then there's 16 stop ND filters, and special glasses with or without photos, although there are some that are pretty reasonable.)

ME Super · Jun 12, 2017

Yes, I do plan to go see it. St. Louis is about a 2.5 hour drive for me. I can be in Carbondale, IL in about 4 hours. I have never seen a total solar eclipse before, and it's on my bucket list. I have another shot in 7 years to see another one, so I think I'll just observe this one instead of photograph it. I just want to drink it all in.

Here's hoping the weather's good that day!

Leigh B · Jun 12, 2017

There's another recent thread about the eclipse, with recommendations.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

You ABSOLUTELY need a set of viewing glasses.
PM me your mailing address and I'll send you a pair, two if you're taking somebody.

- Leigh

Arklatexian · Jun 12, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Dead Link Removed

I am thinking of going to see it. Not photograph, but to see it. I am thinking about the difference between photographing a wedding versus attending a wedding.

Your thoughts?

Unless you are bringing a telescope rigged for looking at the sun, you probably would not get much of a picture anyhow and what you see will be with you the rest of your days. All that and no darkroom time, etc. There are times when a camera, any camera, can actually be in the way. Long ago a friend told me that. Of course, we were talking about shooting nudes at the time..........Regards!

Sirius Glass · Jun 12, 2017

oldtimermetoo said:
Unless you are bringing a telescope rigged for looking at the sun, you probably would not get much of a picture anyhow and what you see will be with you the rest of your days. All that and no darkroom time, etc. There are times when a camera, any camera, can actually be in the way. Long ago a friend told me that. Of course, we were talking about shooting nudes at the time..........Regards!

I am planning on have a good pair of sun viewing glasses if I go.

480sparky · Jun 12, 2017

I've been planning since 2010.

Arklatexian · Jun 12, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
I am planning on have a good pair of sun viewing glasses if I go.

Have you ever used the "camera obscura" (not sure about the spelling) method of viewing a solar eclipse? You take an 8x10 mount board, spray it black, punch a small hole in the center (1/8 to 1/4"). To use, put a white 11 x 14 mount on the ground and let the sun shine through the hole onto the larger board. You get an image of the sun on the larger board. I think this is safer than any type of glasses except, perhaps, dark welders goggles. Unlike the cloth shutters in my Leicas, the retina of your eye cannot be replaced. But you know that.....Regards!

Truzi · Jun 13, 2017

oldtimermetoo said:
Have you ever used the "camera obscura" (not sure about the spelling) method of viewing a solar eclipse? You take an 8x10 mount board, spray it black, punch a small hole in the center (1/8 to 1/4"). To use, put a white 11 x 14 mount on the ground and let the sun shine through the hole onto the larger board. You get an image of the sun on the larger board. I think this is safer than any type of glasses except, perhaps, dark welders goggles. Unlike the cloth shutters in my Leicas, the retina of your eye cannot be replaced. But you know that.....Regards!

When I was a kid my grandfather made me a similar "viewer" out of a shoe box.

I had worked at a high school, and during an eclipse we took the students outside. The maintenance people had a welders mask, but the science teacher gave us all two 3x5 index cards, one with a pinhole. We held the cards with the sun behind us, over our shoulders, and moved the cards to the right distance to see a nice image on the cards.

Then the art teacher took us under the trees and we saw hundreds of the same images all over the ground. The dense leaves created "pinholes."

Sirius Glass · Jun 13, 2017

oldtimermetoo said:
Have you ever used the "camera obscura" (not sure about the spelling) method of viewing a solar eclipse? You take an 8x10 mount board, spray it black, punch a small hole in the center (1/8 to 1/4"). To use, put a white 11 x 14 mount on the ground and let the sun shine through the hole onto the larger board. You get an image of the sun on the larger board. I think this is safer than any type of glasses except, perhaps, dark welders goggles. Unlike the cloth shutters in my Leicas, the retina of your eye cannot be replaced. But you know that.....Regards!

I did that in the 1960's for a partial eclipse in the Washington DC area. Now I would like to see the real thing with the proper eye protection.

Raphael · Jun 13, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Dead Link Removed

I am thinking of going to see it. Not photograph, but to see it. I am thinking about the difference between photographing a wedding versus attending a wedding.

Your thoughts?

Hi Sirius,

You are right, sometime, having to manipulate gear and camera during Totality can just interfere with the feeling of the event. If not spoiled by clouds, total eclipse of Sun is a bone-shaking, grandiose sight.

You will see and feel a lot of other thing outside the obscured Sun disk, "flying shadows" just before and after totality, color of the sky, the brightest stars that are lighting up, temperature drop, and so on.
Of course, it depends a lot if you have already at least see one.

Personally, I will attend my second (with success, I hope) , I'll probably take a few (analog) shots, but I will try to experience this event at maximum. But this US eclipse is almost two time shorter than my first one, so choices will be mandatory.

If you plan to just attending the spectacle, the only gear you'll need will be the "eclipse specific" safety google, made with black mylar or Baader's astrosolar film, and this, only before and after the short totality phase, during when you can just use your naked eye.

My feeling is that you shouldn't be waiting too long to get theses eclipse googles, I'm afraid they will become increasingly scarce and pricey during the next months, in the USA.

Regards,

Raphael

LAG · Jun 13, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Dead Link Removed

I am thinking of going to see it. Not photograph, but to see it. I am thinking about the difference between photographing a wedding versus attending a wedding.

Your thoughts?

Taking into account that a wedding is quite different from an eclipse (depending on the size of the bride and the groom, and their movements), I think it is much more easier, comfortable and possible to attend an eclipse enjoying both photographing it and seeing it at the same time (no offense, that's my sincere thought!) Whatever you decide will be well done.

All the best and enjoy the moment of course!

vsyrek1945 · Jun 13, 2017

Raphael said:
(snipped)(

If you plan to just attending the spectacle, the only gear you'll need will be the "eclipse specific" safety google, made with black mylar or Baader's astrosolar film, and this, only before and after the short totality phase, during when you can just use your naked eye.

My feeling is that you shouldn't be waiting too long to get theses eclipse googles, I'm afraid they will become increasingly scarce and pricey during the next months, in the USA.

Regards,

Raphael

I'll second that advice. We visited my sister in Albuquerque, NM five years ago and learned on local TV news of the upcoming total eclipse (May 20,2012) mere days before it took place. All efforts to find appropriate lens filter material failed;. we w ere at least able to get freebie viewing specs and good seats for the show at the venue we chose for the event. (Ordering the needed viewing aids on line was only an option if I was willing to overnight it from B&H in NY to me in NM, and wasn't worth it to me)

I was shooting with a Pentax K10 with a 70-300 mm zoom as my longest lens at the time, and only managed a few shots of the totality. More interesting were images I got of the entertainment in front of us at the venue, the Balloon Fiesta grounds.

You'd best get what you need for photography an viewing ASAP. I bought a selection of lens filter caps and a box of cheap specs from B&H for the 71% partial eclipse we'll have in the NYC metro area.

Regards,
Vince

dmr · Jun 13, 2017

This will probably be my last chance to view and to photograph a total eclipse. I'm sure gonna take advantage of it.

Bud Hamblen · Jun 13, 2017

I'm certainly going. I can see it from my back yard. Seriously, if you can get to the path of totality do so.

Patrick Robert James · Jun 13, 2017

I think you have the right idea Sirius. Some things are better experienced than photographed. That is something the multitudes of phone users could learn these days. Besides, what kind of photograph could anyone possible do that hasn't already been done? There will undoubtedly be umpteen thousands of people wasting their time trying to make a photograph and they will all look the same, if they even get one at all. I saw a video recently of the multitude of photographers lined up at Yosemite to take a picture that happens once a year of one of the falls in "golden" light. One of the stupidest things I have ever seen...

Personally I have seen some amazing things in my life that I never took a photograph of, much more beautiful than an eclipse. They exist in my memory, and that is where they will stay, unless I tell someone, but it won't be with a photograph.

dmr · Jun 14, 2017

Bud Hamblen said:
I'm certainly going. I can see it from my back yard. Seriously, if you can get to the path of totality do so.

Where I live, I can drive 100 miles south or 100 miles west and hit the darkest of the dark.

I've actually blocked off the day of the eclipse on the calendar so I'll be able to go out and shoot it.

My concern is cloudy weather! If there's clear(er) weather within a 5-6 hour drive, it's worth it to me to do it.

I've seen a few partial eclipses (including the famous You're So Vain one) but never a total one.

Michael Firstlight · Jun 14, 2017

I will see it and plan and photograph it. I rented a cabin in the remote SouthWestern corner of North Carolina near the Tenn border that weekend of the 21st. I'll be at a high elevation above Fontana Lake far from any city or town light smack in the middle of the track of the full Eclipse. I plan to photograph it with both film and digital; I'll have to be set-up and work fast; digital will come first and if there us enough time, I'll capture it on film too - there won't be a lot of time in the heart of the full eclipse to work. I'm trying to decide which lens and filters to use (certified solar ones). My plan is to hook up my D800 to my laptop and use Nikon Control/2 to both view and photograph the full eclipse safely. I switch to my film cam if I can manage both.

Of course, all could go south depending on the weather

Mike

dmr · Jun 14, 2017

Michael Firstlight said:
I'm trying to decide which lens and filters to use (certified solar ones).

I picked up a Marumi ND 100000 solar filter.

For the shots of the crescent I'll be using the Fuji dig{mumble} HS30. Why? Because it has the longest lens I have, zooms out to 720. I plan on using the Pentax (film) and Canon (d-word) for shots of the phenomena and such during totality.

I'm currently getting used to the solar filter and trying to get a feel of exposure. I'm using this page as a guide, which was posted on another photo board:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/...lipse-photography-4-steps-for-success-step-2/

You need to be logged in to view the images, so I joined it. The person who wrote the page was apparently using a deeper filter than I have. The image below I took was f5.6, ISO 200, and 1/1000 and it's not as yellow/orange as the examples. I'm currently waiting for a clear afternoon when I'm off early to try more bracketed shots and get more of that orange that's shown in the example. The test one below was shot through some wispy clouds and looks maybe 2 stops or so overexposed compared to the examples.

Bud Hamblen · Jun 16, 2017

The Sun has a color temperature of about 5,800 K, which is not orange. The orange color in images is a function of the filter. Some glass filters have iron-nickel-chromium coatings that produce a yellow-orange image. Aluminum coated filters produce a blue-white image. Baader Solar Safety Film produces a nearly neutral image. Currently, I am using a Baader filter on a Celestron C8 telescope, and a Meade Coronado PST hydrogen-alpha wavelength telescope, to image the Sun with a modified Canon T3i (previously with an unmodified Nikon D7000). Not film, I know, but digital has its advantages in this type of imaging. Unfortunately, cloudy days, general busy-ness and a lack of sunspots has slowed my solar imaging. Here's a solar image from a couple of years ago, with a nice big sunspot: https://flic.kr/p/xuoL7s

dmr · Jun 16, 2017

Bud Hamblen said:
The Sun has a color temperature of about 5,800 K, which is not orange.

You have a very good point, and I'm gonna ask about that over on the astronomy board. My latest set of bracketed test shots do not show any orange. They're all stark white, and I can tell the point where I start to see "detail" in the sun image. (LOL, zone IX, tone without texture.)

I'm also assuming that my ND filter is indeed flat across the visible spectrum.

I would think, intuitively, that the sweet spot for exposure is where the center of the sun's image shows a solid 255 but the fall-off toward the edges is evident. I did get one image very close to this, testing using the eyedropper in Gimp.

Bud Hamblen · Jun 16, 2017

dmr said:
I would think, intuitively, that the sweet spot for exposure is where the center of the sun's image shows a solid 255 but the fall-off toward the edges is evident.

I think it is better when you don't blow out the highlights. To be a little nostalgic, Kodak Tech Pan was the go to film for this type of imaging, especially at the red end of the spectrum (most black and white films do not have good enough sensitivity at the 656 nm H-alpha wavelength), but Tech Pan is a long time gone.

Michael Firstlight · Jun 16, 2017

So I can borrow a Sigma 150-500mm 5.6 lens for the eclipse on a D800. I am wondering if 500mm is enough or should I use my 2x converter with it for longer reach? The solar filter I may use is a 86mm Helios Solar filter. What is the ideal magnification length to use? I read that "in order to photograph the Sun's corona during totality, the focal length should be no longer than about 1500mm (1000mm on digital); however, a focal length of 1000mm (700mm digital) requires less critical framing and can capture some of the longer coronal streamers". Often, optics best perform at less than their full extension - so maybe the Sigma optics might be best around, say 350-400mm with the 2X, giving me 800mm? Or, would it be better to forego the 2x converter and just push the sigma out to near 500mm?

Regards,
Mike

Paul Howell · Jun 16, 2017

I am going to shoot with Minolta 9, 400 Tonkia and 1.4 converter, Ektar 100, 5X neutral density on body, Minolta 800SI Konica Minolta 100 to 300 with 2X converter, Tmax 100, 5X neutral density, both on tripods. With my luck will overcast and raining.

Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

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