"With the upcoming total solar eclipse coming to North America on August 21, 2017, you might be wondering how you can take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to document and photograph this unique event. While photographing a solar eclipse might not sound like a big deal, there are a few very important considerations you have to keep in mind to avoid damage to your camera equipment or to your eyes.
In this article, we will take a closer look at where you would want to physically be at the time of totality, what equipment you should have on hand, what safety precautions to take before, during and after the solar eclipse, and what framing and composition aspects to consider. Keep in mind that totality will only last a couple of minutes, so if you are not fully prepared, you might miss the opportunity to photograph this rare phenomenon.
I have previously witnessed a solar eclipse before, but it was only partial. Still, it was a very memorable event that I did not want to miss, so I armed myself with my camera and a telephoto lens and waited for the moment. I wanted to fully document my experience, because I wanted to know what challenges one might face when photographing a solar eclipse – after-all, it was my first time attempting to photograph a solar eclipse. Unfortunately, clouds moved in and blocked most of the eclipse in my area, but I was still able to get a few shots when the clouds cleared up a little.
So keep this in mind, even if you do end up with some cloud coverage, as long as it is not very thick, you should still be able to get some cool shots. Ideally though, you might want to find a spot that will allow you to see the eclipse clearly, as it will present additional opportunities to get very unique shots. Also, while witnessing and photographing totality is going to be important for many of us, if you don’t get a chance to get to an area of totality, you can still capture some great images of a partial solar eclipse."
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