Hype can ruin an event when the message outweighs the result. This image is what I expected to see for the duration of the eclipse. While I had seen photos of the last total eclipse it didn’t quite register how amazing it would be to see in person. Intellectually I knew the totality would be a ring instead of a crescent, but I didn’t comprehend how neat it would look in the sky. The hype was right. It was an unforgettable experience and I am glad I was there with a camera to capture it.
We are fortunate our house was in the path of totality so we sat in the front yard with the kids and conversed with the neighbors. The weather was beautiful with mostly sunny skies and around 70F.
I was prepared with two cameras: My Nikon z7ii with a Viltrox 20mm lens and my Fuji X-T5 with the 100-400mm lens. I use Maven magnetic filters and stacked my 10 stop & 6 stop ND filters for a total of 16 stops to protect my sensor. The beauty of the magnetic filters is when the eclipse reached totality it took less than a second to remove the filters and keep shooting. I have always had a terrible time removing threaded filters and often had to look for a rubber band or something else to add some grip so I could get them unstuck.
I did not use a filter on my Nikon. I only used it during totality when the sensor was not at risk for damage.
It was fascinating to watch the brightness of the sun decrease to the point the birds went to roost and the bumble bees covering our red bud tree went back to their nest. The temperature dropped by over 5F. It was eerily silent for 3:06pm on a Monday. When the last bit of sunshine was blocked by the moon we were awestruck!
It was so unusual to see the sun looking like a black hole in the sky surrounded by a brilliant white light. It was sunset in all directions and the street lights turned on. Four minutes was not enough. I want a do-over. I want more time to set up more compositions. It is easy now to understand why so many people travel to see a total eclipse. I would.
I was too preoccupied doing photography and staring at the sky to pay attention for any crickets or frogs. Just as quickly as it started it was over at 3:10pm. The sky brightened quickly, the birds and bees came back out, and the temperate went back to normal.
I am glad I took the time to take in this experience. I will see one again someday.
I enjoyed editing these photos. Here are a few with some artistic license in the coloring. If you have the opportunity to see a total eclipse some day in the future …don’t miss it.
douglas adams 