Feature Article - Photographing the 2024 Total Eclipse – Was it worth it?

Article and photos by: Hubert Cormier

April 2024

www.hubertcormierphotography.com

With all the hype about the 2024 Total Eclipse, I could not pass on the opportunity and challenge of trying to capture it. Especially as it’s the last Total Eclipse I would see from my yard in Saint-Édouard-de-Kent, New Brunswick....no travel required. I do not do much astrophotography, so I felt completely out of my element but decided to take on the challenge with very low expectations of the results but with the intent to enjoy and savor the Eclipse experience.

Here is how I prepared and at the end of the article, I will let you know if it was worth it.

I read and watched YouTube videos on the Eclipse and gained an understanding of how it would happen and the various phases. Then, I did the same for how to photograph it. On the photography side, there is a ton of different approaches based on what your goals are. For example, are you wanting to do a close or wide-angle view or both?

Now it was time to develop my strategy. It was simpler as I knew that I would be in the zone of Totality, so no travel plans were required. From a safety perspective, I obtained my certified solar filter (Celestron - Eclipsmart) for the camera and solar glasses well in advance.

I wanted to capture a close view of the Sun and all of the phases of the Eclipse. This involved planning for using a variety of settings and changing them quite quickly as the Eclipse evolved. I was using my Nikon Z6II Full Frame Camera in DX Mode with a 180-600 mm lens giving me a reach of 900mm. Based on this, I made myself a cheat sheet with planned settings as follows:

Partial Phases (before and after totality): Filter On – ISO 100 / F6.3 / 1/50s
Totality (Baily’s Beads / Diamond Rings / Corona): Filter Off – ISO 100 / F8 / 1/6400s

AE Bracketing: For all phases, I decided to play it safe by enabling the AE Bracketing on my camera set at 7 shots (0/–1.0/–0.7/–0.3/+0.3/+0.7/+1.0). I needed to ensure that my remote trigger was set to take the 7 shots each time I pressed it. This would give a safety buffer in the event that my base settings were off.

It was important to set the focus manually on the Sun before the start of the Eclipse and tape both focus and zoom rings so that they would not be bumped accidentally.

I also used my strongest tripod with a gimbal head that would provide a stable base and allow me to quickly reposition and track the sun.

I practiced a few times with the settings for the Partial Phases with full sun on the days leading up to the Eclipse. This allowed me to fine-tune my settings but I could not test for the Totality Phase. Now all I had to do was wait for the day and hope that the weather would cooperate. Did it ever, April 8th was a bright clear day with just a few high-level clouds. Perfect conditions, probably some of the best in North America for viewing the Eclipse.

It was a challenging shoot, with sharpness being the most difficult to maintain due to the high clouds that passed near the end of Totality. I had not accounted for the wind impact and lost several shots due to motion blur until I turned VR on. I took over 2400 shots that day and got 1700 that are workable for processing. I am still in the processing and editing phase but there are a few of my results attached.

So was it worth it? The answer to that is an unqualified YES. I managed to capture what I wanted and also enjoyed the moment with my spouse, family, and friends.

Practice ethical nature photography and enjoy!