The Next Eclipse

I've already added it to my calendar, with a reminder one week before; another reminder, one day before.

Ottawa, Monday, April 8, 2024.

I didn't put my neutral density (ND) filter on my lens. I wasn't worried about burning out the sensors on my D-SLRs, as I was when I photographed the solar eclipse, in 2017. After all, I've photographed countless sunrises and sunsets, without risk to my cameras. This sunrise was going to be partially blocked by the moon.

When I had used the ND filter, it had turned the blue sky to a night black, and I didn't want that in my photo. I had chosen a spot to shoot it where there was a lovely skyline, with the National Gallery of Canada and Notre Dame Cathedral providing an easily recognizable silhouette.

Shoot the photos, I told myself; edit them later.

I knew that the sun would be blown out, but I could use highlight recovery in post-processing.

I was wrong.

While I've always been able to claw back overexposed regions of RAW files, the sun was just too powerful, even being partially shaded by the moon.

When I composed a photo with my hand-held camera, I'd look through the viewfinder but never at the sun. I'm not stupid. I'd start wide, find the cathedral or the dome of the gallery's great hall, and focus on them. I'd then zoom in and recompose. Even out of the corner of my eye, I could see the clear crescent of the sun, but I wouldn't fix my gaze to it. I'd snap my photo and then lower the camera. I'd close my eye to let it settle down: even though I didn't look at the sun, the brightness in the viewfinder was considerable.

What I should have done was to mount the ND filter onto my D750, which was mounted on my tripod. I could have taken one shot, with the full ND setting. Immediately after, I could dial the variable filter to a clearer setting and then reshot the same scene.

In post-production, I could merge the two shots.

Because no matter what I did, post-production, with my single photo, I could not bring anything back from the sun.

This is the best I could get (which is pretty bad).

At lease I captured some great pre-sunrise shots, which for me were better than the eclipse itself. Like when you go to a concert and the opening act out-shines the headliners.

At least, for myself, I was able to see the eclipse.

The next time, in 2024, I'll do things differently. I'll put the ND filter on the lens and take a series of shots, creating an HDR effect for the final photo. I've got time to work that out.

In the meantime, I have to decide where I'll stand to take the total eclipse shots.

Happy Friday!