This article is part of a special report on the total solar eclipse that will be visible from parts of the U.S., Mexico and Canada on April 8, 2024.
A total solar eclipse is a rare, often once-in-a-lifetime event. So we asked Lucie McCormick, a professional astrophotographer and eclipse chaser, how to capture an eclipse using any camera you have.
Hi, I'm Lucie. I am a night sky photographer and an eclipse chaser. On April 8th there's going to be a total solar eclipse crossing over North America. The path of totality is going to start somewhere over Mexico and be ending over Nova Scotia. So I'm here today to talk about how you can capture great photos and videos of the eclipse, no matter what kind of equipment you have.
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Eye Protection
Before we start, let's talk about eye protection. If you are in the path of totality, or just watching the eclipse, you need to make sure you have adequate eye protection. You can get eclipse glasses from authorized online retailers, but the reason it's important is that if you're looking at the sun with the wrong eye protection, you might not feel that it hurts, but it can be damaging your eyes. So with that said, let's get started.
Level 1: Eclipse Pics With a Smartphone
First, we have our smartphone setup. Here I got a little solar filter that I can attach to my phone, or if you don't have that, you can also order sheets of solar filters and then just cut it out to fit your phone. But once you've attached it, your phone is going to read that it is nighttime, so you want to make sure your flash is turned off.
One other thing you can do, is in your phone's camera settings you can make sure that taking "RAW" photos is turned on. Or if you're planning on taking video, you can also shoot in 4k. This is basically just going to give you the most information in your image, so that when you look back at it, you can either zoom in or edit it in post and try to get the highest resolution photo possible.
Another thing I recommend is that you not zoom in really far when you're taking photos. Most cameras have different settings of what their natural optical zoom is. On these you'll get the highest quality image, but the further you zoom in you're going to start to lose image data because we don't have an actual lens zooming on our smartphones. Taking a wider shot and cropping in later will give you the clearest image. I do recommend having a tripod as it's going to help you have the most stable image, and it also lets you take video and time-lapse.
Level 2: Eclipse Pics With a Camera
So now let's go to our DSLR setup. Here I have my camera set with a 200 mm lens. This is not a very long telephoto lens, but if you can't invest in something much longer, you can also find more affordable 2x extenders online, which will basically take a 200 mm lens and make it a 400 mm lens.
So the first thing is to make sure that you have a solar filter for your camera. I got this one because it slips on and off easily, which is perfect for a total eclipse. Then the next thing I want to do is make sure that the sun is positioned in my frame so that as the sun continues to move through the sky it's going to stay in the frame. You'll probably need to readjust a few times as the eclipse goes, and you might want to consider timing it so that as totality is happening, the sun is in the middle of your frame. So during totality you want to be ready to take off your solar filter. It's also the one time you can take off your eclipse glasses and view safely. And be prepared to change the exposure settings on your camera quickly. So most cameras cannot take photo and video at the same time. I have my time-lapse remote here which I use to take photos consistently, which I can turn into a video later. The one thing is to make sure that you pause your time-lapse while you're changing your settings.
Level 3: Eclipse Pics With a Camera and Star Tracker
So our last setup is a more advanced solar photography setup. Here I have my camera mounted on a clock drive or a star tracker. It's basically a motorized device that helps rotate the camera at the same rate as the Earth's rotation, and it does that by lining up with the North Star if you're in the northern hemisphere. There's also a way to orient it if you're in the southern hemisphere. Because we're setting it up during the daytime, there are apps you can download to help you identify where it is in the sky. All of the rest of the principles from the DSLR setup apply. I have a solar filter attached to the front of my lens. This one's a more permanent setup, but during totality I might actually choose to use a filter that slides on and off easily. So those are the basics for capturing the upcoming eclipse.
Just Look Around, as Well as Up
But remember, during the eclipse there is a lot going on. It's not just what's happening in the sky, so pay attention to shadows, pay attention to the changing light, even just the excitement in your environment. An eclipse is a moment in space and time that you can't revisit, you just have to be there. If you get photos you want to share, tag us in our socials and we might share them online. I'm going to put some helpful links in the description below, and I'm wishing you clear skies.
To find safe eclipse eyewear and solar filters, click here.
For safe eclipse viewing guidelines, click here.
