Preparing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, Pt. 3 (full practice run with basic kit)

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❤️ Patreon ❤️
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As mentioned at the end, a special perk for joining my patreon related to the eclipse is that my Patreon members get a free month of Astrospheric Pro leading up to the April 8th, 2024 eclipse. Details on that perk once you've joined my patreon are here:

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Resources mentioned or demonstrated
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Solar Eclipse Timer App:

Baader Astrosolar Safety Film for making your own custom filters (3 stores in case any sell out):

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Contents
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0:00 2 months away!
0:24 Recap of the first two parts
2:19 What's next in the series?
3:54 The Basic Kit and Why practice?
5:18 Useful Online Tools (Exposure Calculator)
19:20 Before C1: Finding and focusing on the Sun
22:50 C1: First Partial Phase begins
24:37 C2: Totality!
30:51 C3: Second Partial Phase
31:35 The pictures - what they will look like and processing
33:14 Astrospheric Pro offer / Patreon / Credits

[solareclipsetimer]

This is Gordon Telepun, the developer of the Solar Eclipse Timer app that Nico recommends in this video. Overall, this is a great video for basic eclipse photography. Thanks, Nico, for giving all of those tips! I have imaged 5 totals and 1 annular eclipse and I just want to list a few comments.
1. Whatever filter type you use, and whatever formula you use to choose your initial shutter speed for the partial phases, that is only the starting point before you practice on the Sun. Your final shutter speed is based on what gives you a balanced exposure of the full solar disk when you practice (now). That means you have a relatively bright center area without bleaching out sunspots and preserving limb darkening. The Sun Is naturally darker on the limb and your final exposure choice should show this limb darkening. So the formulas are just a starting point.
2. The final crescent before C2 and the first one after C3 are narrow and they emit less light. So whatever shutter speed you are using for all of the other partial phase images, these two crescents (within about 5 to 6 minutes of C2 and C3) need a shutter speed 1/3 stop slower to capture more light.
3. I don't think you have to give up on trying to image diamond ring, into Baily's beads, into chromosphere before C2 and the opposite coming out of C3. You just need a fast shutter speed and take exposures with a remote shutter release as fast as you finger can push the release and as fast as your camera will buffer. Before C2 when my app says remove solar filters, take it off quickly and start taking images rapidly. Toward C3 when my app counts down to 10 seconds start taking images as fast as you can until about 15 seconds after the C3 tone and then replace your solar filter. It's too difficult in this comment to discuss the shutter speed for this phase of the eclipse. But this is doable.
4. You need a wide range of exposures of the corona. Perhaps everything from 1/1000s to 1 second if not guiding; up to 4 seconds if guiding. I have found that it is very difficult to tell the difference in corona with exposures just 1/3 stop difference. So, skip 1/3 stops and take your images at 2/3 stops to save time.
5. If not guiding the formula that Fred Espenak uses to calculate the maximum exposure time before you get Earth motion blur is 340/focal length of your system. Example: 600 mm effective focal length system; 340/600 = 0.56s exposure. I have found that you can get away with a little more, maybe 1 second at 600mm, even if not guiding.
6. If you are positioned for a long totality, over 4 minutes, the Moon will move across the Sun and be asymmetric (early and late) and cause some alignment challenges later for HDR processing. Therefore, don’t start your corona imaging immediately after C2, wait a bit and try to center the timing of corona imaging around max eclipse. The Moon will be more centered for you. More information can be found on my website in addition to the app information. My YouTube channel has all sorts of eclipse education videos.

[francislesliezabala]

Thank you Nico for sharing your knowledge on photographing the solar eclipse.

I've been playing your videos in this series over and over again, and practising under the scorching heat of the sun.

May we all have clear skies on April 8, 2024.

[absorbingphotons]

Nico — even with two eclipses under my belt I found this video incredibly helpful & useful. We are so lucky to have you in this community. Thanks for everything you do!

[DR-fyqy]

Another Master Class in how to capture a Solar Eclipse. Explained in simple layman's terms with just the right measured cadence in delivery. Easy to follow along for a novice like me. Thanks!

[hotflashfoto]

I was waiting for this video for so long. So, so long!

I'm now a Patreon member because you do so much for folks like us who love to do this kind of stuff. That, and I just had to see what that weather app was all about, too!

I had a blast in 2017 at my first-ever TSE, so much so that I forgot to move my camera during totality, even using the timing app, as you can see from my avatar. LOL Now I have a tracking mount and will be out there practicing, just like you recommended.

[masiguru]

Rehearsals are so important. For 2017 I had everything timed. One camera mis functioned. I had allocated 15 seconds. Time was up, I moved on and was able to actually look up and watch 15 seconds of the actual eclipse. 2 minutes flew by. Having 4+ minutes will feel like a luxury. Great video. Never knew about the clock button on the app.

[Lukionest]

Thank you, Nico for the excellent video. Great info. I made a sunshade for my camera from a very thin piece of hardboard. It's 6" x 9" with a large cutout for the entire lens to fit through. It sits flush with the camera body and keeps the body cool instead of baking in the sun and gives me a large shadow zone so that I don't have to worry about accidentally getting the sun in my eyes when trying to look at the camera screen. The only downside will be if it is windy that day, the hardboard might catch the wind and interfere with my camera's aim. I hope it works for me.

[marcusa]

one thing to sorta automate a basic rig: use the 'custom' setting capabilities of your camera. Usually, modern cameras have anywhere from 2-4 custom setting slots. Figure out what features you want to capture (e.g. one for prominances, one for beads, etc.), the settings needed for said features, then set them in the quick access slots. Then during practice, get a feel of how you cycle through those settings to figure out the most efficient way to set them (e.g. you might want to replicate C1 and C3 for non-totality settings, so you just flip through C1, C2, C3 instead of fiddling back to C1 from C2)

[lidarman]

Every time I do an eclipse, I get nervous about all the things I gotta get right on the day even though I have done this multiple times before.

[augustwave]

I would like to say a big thank you!! I’ve followed your guide and I was successful with my eclipse photographs yesterday. It was quite an experience and challenge! Especially for a beginner like myself. Again, thank you very much!!!

[jimtaylor]

Absolutely the best video series to prepare you for April 8th and beyond…had already gotten the eclipse apps but the Sundara filter was a real find for my 52mm lens…

[lovet]

I really do enjoy your video. It's going to be my first solar eclipse, and I am learning a lot from your video. I am in Dallas area, and I am sure I'll be ready for April 8. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[jacobf.]

Fantastic video series, I ended up getting shots of partiality and totality that I'm really happy with by following some of these tutorial steps!

[Redoran]

Wow! The value of this channel is remarkable.

[guidobesserer]

Thank you so much for this video. Yor are helping me a lot. The 2024 will be the first eclipse I photograph. I'm going from Alabama to Round Rock, TX for this event.

[jimmurray]

PERFECT!!! Really enjoyed your latest eclipse prep video. I think you are doing a great job with simple explanations and your level of detail. I shot the 2017 eclipse from Oregon. I can vouch for everything you have said. I agree that practice is the key ingredient. Keep things SIMPLE. Test and get to know every piece of your gear until it is a habit. Since there are no "do-overs" you cannot be overly prepared. Putting a string on the solar filter is a super idea. May I please suggest keeping a fully charged spare battery in your pocket too? Some people in my group even put a fresh battery in their camera 20-30 minutes prior to C2. Best of luck on eclipse day!

[blackeyedplau]

Thank you very much for this video! I learned a lot about my camera and lenses and how I should use them for the next solar eclipse. I appreciate the time you took to prepare this video. 🙂 Greetings from Mexico

[KYFriedHam]

Thank you so much for this series! I was able to capture some great photos using your tips... even as a very novice photographer with the basic kit!

[JethroXP]

FYI - I'll be on the south side of Dallas, and despite being pretty flat, the elevation is 180 meters.

[lidarman]

People aren't kidding about doing an end-to-end practice run. I did my first successful one yesterday after fiddling with things for 5 days. One thing to keep in mind of if using Eclipse Orchestrator is the if you disconnect the camera and reconnect it, you might have to start the program again to see the camera. I also fiddled with is so much I think I screwed up the serial port in memory and had to reboot the computer the fix it. I also somehow had in software the exposure compensation at +5 stops and didn't know it. Be sure to compare the shutter times in the software to the website that gives exposure times and make sure they are similar. Check and triple check.