I'm not going to make this a long, involved post except to explain the process of such an event. This is the 2nd major solar event taking place in the past year and in our case, a very fortunate one. The path of both events passes right over our winter location here in Leakey, TX.
This past fall the crowds expected were not nearly as big as those that actually attended, but the vacancy rate was FULL everywhere. The event in April didn't change much as there were no vacancies anywhere in our area. My neighbor was kind enough to put up extra NO TRESPASSING SIGNS on both our properties. This spring I figure we'll just delay our northern departure till afterwards in order to enjoy the spectacle ourselves. We have a prime viewing opportunity at our property.
Although I am an experienced photographer, I still did lots of research about such an event and my preparations for it. I worried quite a bit about the logistics and cost of such an adventure. I purchased a Hi-Res Solar filter for this a solar event. Everyone is concerned about the intensity of the sun on eyes and damage, but this same risk applies to cameras. The intensity of the solar corolla is strong enough to damage a quality digital SLR camera and its processor chip. This solar filter is the equivalent of 20 stops of neutral density, greatly reducing the amount of light getting through. In 2017, photographer Sean MacDonald sacrificed a Canon DSLR to prove this point. With a 400mm lens pointing directly at the sun and unfiltered, the camera began smoking within seconds.
I also prepared by tracking sun locations and times per my location. I already had a remote shutter control, so I did not have to directly monitor the event for long, so I set things up to practice several times. I also switched to the digital viewfinder instead of the optical viewfinder for safety. I shot hundreds of practice pics. I used my Nikon D7200 with a Tamron 150-600mm lens. More lens fills the frame. I shot practice pics at ISO 200, aperture priority and varied f-stops from 5.4 to 8. All manual focus. F8 worked the best providing shutter speeds of 1/1000. I shot the first group by hand cause I'm stubborn and the results weren't as sharp as I would like...DUH. Amazing to me, I got the best results at 600mm. 2nd group I used the Sirui Composite Tripod with Gimbel Mount. Results were much better, and I decided I would not use the remote shutter.
Day 1 test shot
Day 2 test shot between breaks in overcast
Day 3 F8 1/1000 at 600 mm finalized
The day finally arrived and thankfully we did not experience any trespassing issues. Of course, we stayed out of town and stocked up early. Hotels, motels, RV parks? Forget it, they've been booked for months. There were several incidents of folks setting up camp wherever. No trouble, but I'm sure a chore for the sheriff. Landowners offering a place to set up were able to charge a premium.
Up early with coffee and a good breakfast taco, I was ready. The forecast was for 90% cloud cover and rain. We got very lucky as there was overcast but caught enough glimpses between cloud banks to rip some off. These photos spanned 12:45>1:35 p.m. I photographed the onset, but not the departure.
Nikon D7200, 150-600mm lens, solar filter, Sirui composite tripod with Gimbel Mount
All the shots prior to totality were with ISO 200, heavy filtration, and Raw NEF, F8 @ 1/1000. At totality I removed the solar filter and shot with settings of F8 @ 1/640 all at 600mm.
"Three things cannot be long hidden, the sun, the moon, and the truth"
Buddha
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