In 2024, I drove to southern Indiana with 3 of my friends to witness and photograph the Great American Solar Eclipse. On this trip, we drove to southern Indiana for a day, and then camped behind a gas station for the night, because all the hotels and campsites were totally booked up, and I didn't want to book things in advance to make sure I could go where there was no cloud cover on the day of the eclipse.
That next morning we got up, got breakfast at a local diner, and then drove out to an agricultural field, where we were the only ones there. We laid out a blanket, and had a little picnic while we waited for the eclipse to start. When the eclipse started, I set up my camera on a tripod, and used a solar filter to protect my camera sensor. I took a series of photos throughout the eclipse, from the partial phases, to totality, and then back to partial again. Below are two images I put together from the series of photos I took during the eclipse.
During the actual eclipse, one really cool thing was how immediately the temperature dropped as soon as totality started. It was a pretty hot day, (mid 80s F), but as soon as the sun was completely covered, it felt like the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees! It was really surprising how quickly that happened, and it was a really cool experience to feel that change in temperature.
One area I totally screwed up on though is that I forgot to take OFF my solar filter during totality, so the image of the corona is very dim and lacking in detail. Oh well, live and learn I guess! Hopefully I'll be able to photograph another eclipse in the future and do better next time. I still think the photos I got are pretty impressive.
And really, regardless of the fact that I forgot to take off my filter, this trip with my friends was one of the best experiences I had while at Iowa State, and it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. I'll always look back on it fondly.
Equipment Used
- Camera: Olympus OM-D EM1 MK3
- Lens: M.Zuiko ED 100-400mm
- Tripod: Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
- Post-Processing Software: Gimp
Photo Settings
- ISO: 250
- F-stop: f/14
- Exposure: 1/1000 sec.
Challenges and Learnings
This was actually a pretty easy shoot compared to my usual deep-sky astrophotography attempts, since the sun is so bright and easy to photograph. The main challenge was just making sure I had the solar filter on during the partial phases, and remembering to take it off during totality (which I failed to do). I also had to make sure I was using a fast enough shutter speed to avoid overexposing the sun, especially during the partial phases.
Eclipse Process Photo
Totality Photo
Conclusion
Overall, photographing the 2024 Great American Solar Eclipse was an incredible experience, and I'm glad I was able to capture some images of it, even if I did forget to take off my solar filter during totality. The trip with my friends made it all the more special, and I really hope I get the chance to photograph another eclipse in the future. The next total eclipse visible in the contiguous United States will be in 2044, so I might have to wait a bit.