The Day the Sun Disappears Approaches

[dave.gt]

Ah, I almost forgot, it has been decades since we last experienced a full solar eclipse. In four weeks, a solar eclipse crosses the US, and the center of the path is only a few hours drive from here to the mountains for best viewing. It is not my thing to do, but I am looking forward to the usually awesome photos I see after these events.

Anyone here taking advantage of proximity to shoot the eclipse?know j

 

[JohnBrew]

Dave, from what I understand the eclipse will be directly overhead of our little island just south of Charleston at 2:46 pm. All the hotels in the area are fully booked including our house. We bought a half-dozen of the special glasses. I am not going to shoot the eclipse itself, I'd rather be looking for interesting images while the sun is blacked out. Should be fun. Now if the weather will just cooperate...

 

[tashley]

Dave, from what I understand the eclipse will be directly overhead of our little island just south of Charleston at 2:46 pm. All the hotels in the area are fully booked including our house. We bought a half-dozen of the special glasses. I am not going to shoot the eclipse itself, I'd rather be looking for interesting images while the sun is blacked out. Should be fun. Now if the weather will just cooperate...

I lived through a total a few years back and a pretty good partial about two years ago. Timelapse with fixed exposure is the way to go. That, and the odd, metallic quality of the light...

 

[k-hawinkler]

Shadow Bands - Solar Eclipse Phantoms
REA/Brasil - Página Solar Jean Nicolini

I witnessed these shadow bands running across the snow covered ground during the eclipse in early 1979 in Montana. Quite striking.

 

[jerome_m]

(not taken with a medium format, sorry)

 

[dave.gt]

(not taken with a medium format, sorry)

As the day approaches, I am... underwhelmed by the significance of making my own photos of the eclipse itself. Of course, I wait with great anticipation for the beautiful photos that always grace the news media, and, I hope, this and other forums.

Perhaps I am becoming more like a trout, only spending enough energy for an equal or better share of life-sustaining protein, rather than chasing what is obviously a small artificial fly cast about by even the best of fishermen...,

No, I will leave the solar eclipse for much better photographers... I long for a day on the water with flyrod in hand, and learning from my scaly friends beneath the water that not all things that catch one's eye are worth the effort to pursue.

Now, that is something I have yet to photograph to my liking, fly fishing... sigh,
I can only pick two: :bugeyes:

Time. Money. Energy.

And there is never enough of either!

 

[dave.gt]

Shadow Bands - Solar Eclipse Phantoms
REA/Brasil - Página Solar Jean Nicolini

I witnessed these shadow bands running across the snow covered ground during the eclipse in early 1979 in Montana. Quite striking.

Thanks for posting this... I had never heard of this before and I find it quite interesting. You must have been quite startled to have seen this in 1978!!!

 

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks for posting this... I had never heard of this before and I find it quite interesting. You must have been quite startled to have seen this in 1978!!!

It was February 1979. No, not startled at all. A colleague and I were looking for those shadow bands.
We also noticed the airplane overhead that the Laboratory had sent to observe the eclipse for an extended time period following in its track.
Here, page 14 of http://library.lanl.gov/cgi-bin/getfile?00847111.pdf is a writeup of their efforts.
Actually, my neighbor, Brook Sandford, was part of the team on the airplane taking one of the best observations/photos ever. :thumbs: :grin: