All text and photos by Alec Lee, including banner image.
Having the opportunity to experience and photograph the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, was a dream come true for me, combining my deep interest in astronomy with my passion for photography.
I’ve been captivated by astronomical events since I was a boy in England, and up to the start of 2024 I had experienced two total solar eclipses. For the first one on August 11, 1999, I went to Cornwall, England, but unfortunately, cloudy skies limited visibility – one of the risks of chasing eclipses. The second, on August 21, 2017, traversed the United States and we travelled to central Oregon for this one and found it to be a spectacular and deeply moving experience; one which I was thankfully able to photograph. I learned a lot about photographing an eclipse and was determined to do a better job the next time.
I was hooked and determined to see and photograph the total eclipse of April 8, 2024.
What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
In a total solar eclipse, totality is where the moon’s apparent diameter is large enough that it completely covers the sun. During the few minutes that this occurs, the world changes – day turns into night, temperatures noticeably drop, everything is quiet and the stars and planets become visible. The path of totality occupies a narrow strip across Earth approximately 200km wide (depending on the moon’s distance from Earth). As the moon and sun move across the sky, the path of totality traverses across Earth, covering quite a distance, offering many possible spots to view the total eclipse. Picking the right one is critical, considering the weather and the duration of totality which varies across the path.
While totality may only last a few minutes, the complete eclipse sequence can last several hours, from when the moon first begins to cover the sun through to when it has completed its solar traverse. As we know, proper eyewear must be worn when viewing the sun. But, during totality you can remove any protective eyewear and observe the phenomenon directly. These few minutes of totality are the most captivating and, in my experience, highly emotional, as I was impacted by the magnitude of what we’re observing.
In the instant before the moon completely covers the sun a flash of light appears, referred to as a ‘diamond ring’, followed by totality and its noticeable darkness. As the moon’s solar coverage ends a few minutes later another ‘diamond ring’ appears on the other side of the sun, signalling the end of totality. During totality, you can observe the sun’s corona, the bright outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere extending millions of kilometres into space. This is not normally visible due to the sun’s bright surface. You can also see solar prominences, large flame-like features stretching out from the sun’s surface. Amazing!
My Goals and Vision
I had several photographic goals, including:
- the stages of the moon’s coverage of the sun, from beginning to end. My intent was to create a composite image showing the complete event.
- both ‘diamond rings’
- totality, showing the corona and prominences
- a video of the surroundings during totality
The April 8, 2024 Eclipse
The path of totality for the eclipse ran from the west coast of Mexico near Mazatlan through to Newfoundland. Choosing the right location was critical, particularly given the vagaries of weather at that time of the year and the duration of totality. The coast of Mexico seemed ideal. Fortunately, I was invited by some friends to join them there and I jumped at the chance.
A carefully planned expedition led us to a football field in the small Mexican town of Tecualilla, 80 km southeast of Mazatlan. Despite a thin cloud layer nearby, the eclipse was perfectly visible! Hooray!
The moon first touched the sun at 9:52 am and finished its solar passage at 12:53 pm, lasting 2 hours and 41 minutes. Totality only lasted 3 minutes and 20 seconds so the pressure was on. I did not want to miss anything or make a mistake. In an event like this, you only get one chance, so preparation and backup are critical. At the same time, I didn’t want to be so wrapped up in photographing as to miss the experience itself.
Setup and Gear
My main camera body was a Nikon D810 (full frame) with a 200-500 f5.6 lens. My backup camera was a Nikon D500 with a 70-200 f2.8 lens. Other gear included a tripod, Solar Filter (Meade SF#450) which could fit on both lenses, solar glasses for viewing, spare batteries and SD cards, comfortable chair, and my iPhone on a tripod to video the surrounding area during totality.
It is critical to have the proper solar filter to avoid camera damage. It’s not enough to have ND filters, even stacked. They’re not designed for this purpose.
The Shoot
The solar filter must be on the lens before pointing the camera towards the sun, to avoid damaging the sensor. However, it comes off just before totality to capture the diamond rings as well as features of totality. This is the most critical time.
While I was shooting lots during totality, I made it a point to stop for a while to fully take in this surreal experience. Venus, Jupiter and numerous stars were clearly visible. The temperature dropped, the area darkened and other than our “oohs” and “aahs”, everything went quiet.
The corona was in full display, and some massive solar prominences were visible with the naked eye. The largest one, at 4 o’clock relative to the sun, extended out by about 55,000 km, more than 4 times Earth’s diameter!
Camera settings changed throughout the shoot depending on the stage of the eclipse and my shooting goal. ISO was 200 or 400, focal length 500mm, aperture stayed at f5.6, auto white balance. The shutter speed varied from 1/50-1/800 during the partial stages, 1/650 for the diamond rings, 1/100 for the corona, 1/4000 for the prominences, and were bracketed from 1/360-1/30 throughout totality. The MrEclipse Exposure Guide was particularly useful in planning these exposures.
Processing
I used Photoshop for processing and, except for the totality, prominences and composite images, processing was very straightforward, calling for minimal change from the raw file images. The totality image was the most complicated in that I wanted to expose as much of the corona as possible. Details of my Photoshop settings are available. The composite image of the eclipse sequence was created using layers.
Upcoming Total Solar Eclipses
The whole total solar eclipse phenomenon captivates me, and I’m thinking about taking in another one. As it happens, there are two coming up in the next couple of years.
The first, on August 12, 2026, is potentially visible from the Arctic, Greenland and Iceland through to northern Portugal and Spain. Maximum totality lasts about 2 minutes.
The other one, August 2, 2027, is more accessible as its potential visibility extends from southern Spain through to north Africa. Maximum duration of totality is an amazing 6 minutes 23 seconds, expected near Luxor, Egypt. Yes, it’ll be packed and it will definitely be hot, but it could be worth the visit!
Alec Lee
About Alec Lee
After retiring from a rewarding career in post-secondary education, Alec decided to get more active in his life-long interest in photography, with a particular emphasis on photographing wildlife, plants, and night sky. By connecting with some like-minded and talented people individually and through the Victoria Camera Club, Alec has found lots of support in helping him to improve. This has resulted in several awards, including having one of his 2019 night-sky images receive national recognition as the best Lunar, Planetary or Solar Image, and being chosen as one of the Camera Club’s 2024-25 Advanced Distinguished Photographers. A member of the Camera Club since 2019, Alec is active with the Workshop Committee and the Nature SIG, as well as competing regularly in internal and external competitions. Check out what he’s been up to at aleclee.smugmug.com and on Instagram at @alecleephotography.
Edited by Anke Weber
Co-Editor, Close-Up Digital