Eclipse photographers aim for the sky

Results vary from camera to camera

The solar eclipse coming April 8 was the star of the show March 2 at the Rogers Public Library.

Katherine Auld with NWA Space opened the day with a stellar program about all things eclipse, including why they occur, how to view them safely, different kinds of solar viewing glasses and what to expect on the big day. I’d call Auld the Carl Sagan of Northwest Arkansas since her knowledge of the heavens is as vast as the solar system.

In Northwest Arkansas, 98.6% of the sun will be hidden by the moon during the early-afternoon eclipse, Auld told the attentive crowd. At the peak of the eclipse, a sliver of the the sun will be seen in Benton, Washington and Carroll counties. but it won’t be a total solar eclipse. Far southeast Madison County is in the swath of totality that stretches from southwest to northeast Arkansas.

During the afternoon, I followed up with tips on how to photograph this stunning event. Most folks clutched cellphones during the program, so I was glad to focus a lot of information on shooting eclipse pictures with a phone camera.

I was lucky to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, when the path of totality was close to Arkansas, running across central Missouri. It was a sight that had a profound effect on me, an emotion that even today is hard to put into words. Spiritual comes pretty close.

That’s why my first piece of advice was don’t get so wrapped up taking pictures that you miss the event. Your best camera is one we all have, the camera of the mind. Use that and you’ll have a lifetime of memories of this possibly once in a lifetime event.

At the 2017 eclipse, I only spent about 30 seconds taking pictures, preferring to bask in the glow in this amazing experience. I didn’t shoot any with a cellphone, but read up on it for info to pass along at the library.

First, take care of the fundamentals. Be sure your phone is charged. Clean the lens.

You’ll need some kind of solar filter on the phone’s camera lens to shoot photos of the sun before or after totality or risk wrecking your phone. Even if there’s 98% of the sun hidden, you still need a filter. The only time to shoot without a filter is during totality.

Solar filters for cellphones are available online, but there’s another option. Attach a pair of solar eclipse glasses to your phone so the eyepiece covers the lens. Use a rubber band or tape to secure the glasses. Or, cut the eyepiece out of a pair of eclipse glasses and affix that over the lens. Lots of eclipse programs taking place around the region this month offer free eclipse glasses.

Don’t expect to get the quality photos with a cellphone that you’d get with a digital single lens reflex camera such as a Nikon, Canon or other professional brand. Some sunny afternoon this week, step outside and take a few cellphone shots of the sun with the lens protected. The results will give you an idea of the pictures you’ll get on April 8.

I did this with my iPhone SE, an eight-year-old phone, with poor results. Quality was worse when the camera was zoomed in. I also learned doing research that the newer the phone, the more likely it will be damaged if shooting the sun without a solar filter, except during totality.

Another idea is to go outside and snap a few shots between sunset and dark. Those will be a clue how your phone camera will handle low light situations such as an eclipse.

There will be lots of things other than the sun to photograph and video during the eclipse no matter where you are. Friends will be wearing their funky solar eclipse glasses. People will ooh and aah or get excited. These moments make good pictures. There’s the mesmerizing quality of light at the height of an eclipse.

To learn more, the Photographic Society of Northwest Arkansas will teach a free eclipse photography class from 2 to 3 p.m. on March 23 at the Shiloh Museum meeting hall, 110 W. Price Ave., in Springdale. Also, Auld will give an encore presentation of her fabulous talk at 4:30 p.m. on March 25 at the Bella Vista Public Library.

Take pictures, yes, but most of all, enjoy the experience. Let’s keep fingers and toes crossed for clear skies.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff) Attaching solar eclipse viewing glasses over the lens of cell phone will allow shooting pictures of the sun during the eclipse without damage to the phone. It’s all right to shoot during totality without lens protection.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff A photo of the afternoon sun on March 4 taken with an iPhone SE without zooming in, but cropped about 50% from the full-frame image. Solar eclipse viewing glasses were attached to the lens. Taking some cellphone pictures before the eclipse will give an idea of what image quality to expect.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff A photo of the afternoon sun on March 4 taken with an iPhone SE fully zoomed in with solar eclipse viewing glasses attached to the lens. It produced a poor quality image.