Get Ready For 2017 Full Solar Eclipse Photography

* * *  Check out Canon's website for Total Solar Eclipse Photography  * * *

From Canon Digital Learning Center :

North America will experience a wonderful astronomical event on August 21, 2017 - a total eclipse of the sun. This hasn’t happened in the United States in 38 years and is the first one to race across the entire country since 1918!

This will be the first total eclipse in North America in the digital photography era, and that means that everyone from novice to professional photographers will be able to photograph it.

We are embracing this rare phenomenon and will publish articles, photos and videos between now and August to give you the necessary photographic skills and background information to capture this eclipse.

Considering the path of totality and partial eclipse phases, almost a half billion people will have the opportunity to view at least a partial eclipse. Millions will undoubtedly travel to the narrow path of totality stretching from Oregon to South Carolina. It’s estimated that about 225 million people live within a day’s drive of the path of totality.

Areas north and south of the totality path will see a partial eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible as far north as the Arctic, and to the south as far as Ecuador and Brazil.

You don’t need to be a seasoned pro. Anybody will be able to shoot this with the proper precautions but if you really want to do it up right, you’ll need to plan ahead.

Planning and Preparation

Planning is everything with a project such as this. Over the next few months, we’re going to guide you through the necessary steps and ideas to consider in order to photograph a total eclipse of the sun. We’ll cover which cameras and what lenses will be best for eclipse photography and show you what size sun disk the various focal length lenses can produce.

Please don’t think you’ll need an expensive camera to record this year’s solar eclipse. We’ll show you how to get the most out of your existing camera whether it be a PowerShot SX60 HS point-and-shoot model, or all the way up to the top pro DSLR, EOS-1D X Mark II.

If you’re considering purchasing a new camera or lens, the timing couldn’t be better. Canon’s camera/lens combinations will definitely be of interest to you.

The focal length of the lens is important if you want a large sun disk in your frame. For DSLR shooters, we’ll show you what all the big “white” longer focal length lenses will produce on each sensor size.

The most important consideration throughout this project is visual safety and that means using an accredited solar filter. Never look at the sun without an approved solar filter either in the form of solar viewer over your eyes or glasses or a solar filter placed on the front of your camera lens.

If you’re just photographing and not looking at the sun with your eyes, you’ll only need a solar filter for your camera lens. If you think you’ll be looking at the sun during the partial phases, then you will need a solar viewer with approved solar filtration for your eyes or to fit over your glasses. These are inexpensive and should be considered for children and other friends or family you might have on your solar party list.

During totality, you won’t need any solar filters for your eyes or camera lens. It will seem as though it is almost nighttime for about two and a half glorious minutes during one of the most beautiful natural scenes on earth.

Then we’ll consider the importance of “feeling” the experience. Capturing sun disks is only part of the experience. During the last stages of a partial eclipse and on through totality, a lot will be happening to the light, terrain and animals around you. You will be amazed at the effect the near darkness will have on everything.

Types of Solar Eclipses

There are three main types of solar eclipses: Partial, Annular and Total.

An eclipse of the sun happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth in perfect alignment, so as to block part or all of the sun from us on earth. Our position on the earth’s surface determines the amount of coverage of the sun. Actually, an eclipse happens during every moon cycle but the angle of the moon and sun places the eclipse in space and thus cannot be seen on the surface of the earth.

A partial eclipse occurs when the moon partially occults the sun. That may be a result of the viewer not being in the path of totality or there simply isn’t totality due to the shadow of totality going off the surface of earth into space.

An annular eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon passes exactly in front of the sun but the moon is farther away from the earth and doesn’t completely block out the sun. There is a thin “ring of fire” of the sun around the moon. You need an approved solar filter for the complete eclipse cycle since the sun’s disk is still visible and is never completely covered.

A total eclipse, like the one coming this August, occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun but is at the perfect distance from earth so the size of the moon is the same as the sun. Therefore, completely blocking the sun, leaving only the very faint corona around the sun visible. This is the rarest of all of the eclipses. What makes it especially rare to us in North America is that it usually happens over remote areas of earth or in the middle of an ocean. 90% of the 2016 total eclipse happened over the southern Pacific Ocean.

The fact that the August eclipse will completely track across the United States means that more people in North and Central America will be able to view this than just about any other eclipse in history. Additionally, since we will also be able to capture it digitally, this will be a really exciting opportunity.

Over these next few months, we’ll cover the technical aspects of exposure, consisting of optimum ISO, aperture, shutter speeds and various techniques. As well as adding a few ideas on location set-up and behind-the-scene preparation - you’ll have a complete tutorial on how to make this all happen.

If you have a question for Dave or Ken, click on this link (eclipseguys@gmail.com) and they will respond in an upcoming eclipse article.

This eclipse will prove to be the most photographed event of 2017, so get ready to join us in capturing this wonderful natural phenomenon.

It will be thrilling. It will be the greatest show on earth.

Canon Digital Learning Center Presents 'Being Safe Using Solar Filters'

Canon has dedicated a website to the upcoming Solar Eclipse Photography. Below is an excerpt from CDLC on how to use Solar filters safely.

So far in our eclipse series we’ve discussed camera bodies and lenses that can be used to photograph the upcoming total solar eclipse. This article covers solar filters, the most important consideration for solar photography and direct viewing of the solar eclipse.

IT IS NEVER SAFE TO LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROPER EYE PROTECTION WHEN ANY PART OF IT IS VISIBLE BEHIND THE MOON!

THIS ALSO INCLUDES NOT LOOKING THROUGH YOUR CAMERA’S VIEWFINDER WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING THE ECLIPSE – USE A SOLAR FILTER ON THE FRONT OF THE LENS, AND LOOK THROUGH YOUR LCD SCREEN INSTEAD OF THE VIEWFINDER!

Safety

Now that we’ve made our camera and lens decisions, we’re going to be actively involved with looking at and photographing the eclipse. We need to pay close attention to the use of the solar filter.

We can’t stress the importance of safety for your eyes and your camera gear enough. Beware of solar filters being marketed on the Internet as “safe.” Our emails are full of questions from readers asking about these filters. Just because they claim to be safe doesn’t mean they are. A truly safe filter for viewing and photography should have a CE or ISO certification.

There is a difference between solar filters used by the public for viewing the solar eclipse and photographers photographing the solar eclipse.

Some marketers are saying that ND filters that restrict 14 – 16.5 stops of light are ‘safe.’ These may be safe for photography use only but definitely not for direct viewing. Restricting the light being passed through a filter is only part of the story. A safe filter for photography and viewing also restricts infrared and ultraviolet light beyond 800nm. Neutral density filters don’t do this. In some cases, you may feel the warmth in your eye but in most you won’t. At that point the damage is done to your eye.

All partial phases of the eclipse absolutely need a solar filter. About five seconds before totality, there are still a few tiny rays of sunlight peeking between the valleys of the craters on the moon. This creates what has been named “Baily’s beads,” after English astronomer Francis Baily.

Partial Eclipse

As soon as the “beads” disappear, you can remove the solar filter for about 2-1/2 minutes (varies depending on your location in the path of totality) until Baily’s beads reappear again. When they reappear, that’s the end of totality. Then, immediately replace the solar filter on the front of your lens. Do not remove it again until you’re finished photographing the sun. Always use your LCD screen to position the sun. Don’t use your camera’s viewfinder.

Never look at the sun without accredited and approved solar filtration over your eyes. There are special solar viewing frames that can be used over your eyeglasses or solar viewing glasses for those that don’t wear glasses. Permanent, irreversible eye damage and/or blindness can result in seconds and you won’t even know it.

Never point your camera into the sun without a special solar filter. All camera lenses need an accredited and approved solar filter mounted on the front of the lens. Not using a solar filter at eclipse magnifications can ruin your camera in seconds!

Intense light passing through your lens at eclipse magnifications, without a solar filter, can fry your image stabilization and aperture mechanisms, damage your sensor and shutter, and cause permanent eye damage. Eclipse magnification is a lot different than what landscape photographers do when they have the sun peeking through a tree canopy with their wide angle lens stopped down to f/22 to create a starburst effect. In that case the sun is so tiny and the exposure is so brief, there isn’t any damage.

Never improvise, modify or use general photography neutral density (ND) filters regardless of density even up to 16 stops. They are totally insufficient to provide the protection your eyes, and your equipment, need. Neutral density filters, regardless of density, transmit high levels of invisible infrared and ultraviolet radiation which can cause a thermal retinal burn. You won’t feel anything, but the damage is done. Stacked neutral density filters don’t do anything more than reduce the intensity of the visible spectrum either. And, as photographers, we know that shooting through multiple filters dramatically reduces sharpness too. Buy an approved solar filter. They’re relatively inexpensive and are designed for the task. Don’t risk your eyes or your sensor!

Types of Solar Filters

Solar filters can transmit or restrict different wavelengths of light such as “white” light and Hydrogen-Alpha light. The most common solar filters used by amateur photographers transmit “white” light – which refers to the visible spectrum and not necessarily the color of the sun disk it produces.

Scientists and advanced photographers may want to see details such as prominences and solar flares on the surface. In this case, you’ll need a special filter known as a hydrogen-alpha (or H-alpha) filter. This type of solar filter can be expensive and is available from professional solar filter companies such as Astronimik, Baader, or Thousand Oaks.

For most of the rest of us, there are many “white” light solar filters on the market. There are round non-silvered glass filters, round silvered glass filters, thin metalized Mylar sheets and special silver/black polymer solar film filters.

There are filters meant for photography and filters meant for observing. The first decision you need to make is whether or not you want a “photographic only” solar filter to protect your camera’s sensor, or a filter safe for visual observing (or while looking through your eyepiece if your camera doesn’t have Live View on your LCD screen) to protect your eyes.

The next consideration you need to make is the color of the sun that the filter will produce. Non-silvered glass and metalized Mylar produce a blueish-white sun disk while professional silver/black polymer solar film produces a yellow sun disk.

Threaded Small Lens Solar Filters

Most glass filters are not silvered on the front and are good for photography only, but read the instructions that come packaged with your filter.

The Hoya Pro ND100000 (5.0) filter is the most commonly available filter and produces a blueish-white solar disk. Most camera retailers have this filter available in traditional threaded filter sizes up to 82mm. The Canon EF 100-400mm zoom, the EF 300mm f/4, and the EF 400 f/5.6 telephotos use a 77mm filter thread. The popular Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L zoom uses a 67mm filter thread.

The Hoya Pro ND100000 (5.0), or similar filters, are designed for photography only and will do the job, but isn’t recommended for visual viewing such as looking through your camera’s eyepiece or holding it up to your eye for solar viewing. Read the instructions. Use your LCD screen only to safely view the eclipse if you’re using this type filter.

Large Lens Solar Filters

As photographers, we’re used to using glass filters such as polarizers and neutral density filters that thread into the front of our lenses. Since the beginning of digital photography, many advanced photographers have become used to using large square or rectangular resin (plastic looking) filters that are of very high optical quality. They are used in special holders mounted onto the front of the lens.

With large front-mounted filters in mind, there are different types of solar filtration available for large diameter Canon L-series, big white telephoto lenses. In this case, you’ll use large filters that mount over the front of the lens – often referred to as full aperture filters.

There are two ways to mount these filters. You can buy them in sheets and fashion your own frame large enough to cover the front of your lens or buy the filter already mounted into a round aluminum housing that slips over the front of the lens.

Just as in the mounting, there are two types of solar material used in these type filters: Metalized Mylar foil and Silver/black polymer film.

Thin, metalized Mylar is an inexpensive foil type filter that will do the job and is available all over the Internet. Be careful as to the source some of these Internet resources use. It is difficult sometimes to determine the actual manufacturer of this material because, in some cases, this material is also used in the food packaging industry and is repurposed as a solar filter. This Mylar material is prone to pinholes. This is usually sold in sheets that can be cut to fit various homemade mounting devices.

Being silvered on both sides, this material is highly reflective and has the possibility of creating reflections off the front of your glass, onto the back of the silvered Mylar filter and then back into your lens. Check the photo below (sent in by a reader) that shows this ghost-like halo. This type filter produces a blueish/white sun disk.

Silver/black polymer film has the optical quality of glass and is flat compared to the wrinkle prone metalized Mylar foil material. The advantage of this type filter is that the silvered front surface restricts the transmission of the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum making it safe for direct viewing or photography. And, the black reverse side of the filter eliminates the “ghosting” reflection off the back of the filter. This type of filter produces a yellow-orange colored sun disk and is relatively inexpensive.

These filters are completely safe for viewing as well as photography. They block the harmful Infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths.

A popular source for large-lens slip-on filters, solar viewing glasses and solar viewing frames is Thousand Oaks Optical. Their filters are used by scientists, astronomers and most observatories all over the world. They’re also approved by NASA and CE and ISO certified. Check their website for the filter size for your telephoto or super telephoto lens.

Don’t Use the Rear Filter Tray

Most of the large Canon L-series lenses have a rear mounted slip-in filter tray. NEVER use a solar filter in this tray. This filter mounting system is designed for terrestrial photography using traditional photography filters. It is not designed to house a filter to be directed celestially into the sun. At these magnifications, you will destroy the filter -- similar to taking a magnifying glass to a leaf and put your lens, sensor and your eyes in danger. The intense light and heat could fry aperture and image stabilization mechanisms, damage the autofocus sensor and, if the mirror is locked up ruin your sensor. Buy the correct front-mounted solar filter. They’re relatively inexpensive and completely safe.

Solar Eclipse – Direct Viewing

If you’re part of a solar viewing group, or just want to enjoy viewing the solar eclipse without a camera, there are safe options as well. You can use special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held, cardboard mounted solar viewers.

For this kind of viewing, there are many sources for cardboard mounted solar filters such as Eclipse2017.org, Greatamericaneclipse.com and ThousandOaksOptical.com (Thousand Oaks also has a large rectangular “viewer” for people that wear eyeglasses; you simply hold it in front of your eyeglasses).

IT IS OK TO WATCH, ENJOY, AND PHOTOGRAPH A SOLAR ECLIPSE - BUT ONLY IF YOU DO IT SAFELY AND WITH PROPER EYE AND CAMERA PROTECTION!

If you have questions you'd like Dave and Ken to address in an upcoming article, email them at : info@theeclipseguys.com.

Canon Dedicates Website To Total Solar Eclipse Photography

MELVILLE, N.Y., April 18, 2017 – On August 21, 2017, the Moon will pass between the Sun and the Earth, fully blocking the Sun from view for over two minutes to a large portion of the country. This natural phenomenon is called a total solar eclipse; this is the first one to race across the entire country in 99 years. The last one viewed in the United States occurred in 1979. Serving as a resource for all photographers interested in documenting these once-in-a-lifetime moments, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the launch of the Canon Eclipse Blog, “A Total Guide to Totality” (usa.canon.com/eclipse); a vital resource for anyone looking to capture what is likely to be the most photographed total solar eclipse to date.

The blog, co-authored by Canon Explorer of Light Ken Sklute and photographer Dave Henry, will feature a series of ongoing posts with helpful guidelines, images and videos that teach photographers of all skill levels how to capture the total solar eclipse including tips that may help protect your eyes and camera’s lenses and sensor. In addition to the blog, consumers can also learn and practice their photography skills in-person through specialized Canon Live Learning workshops at Canon facilities around the country.

Canon Presents Solar Eclipse Photography 2017

* * *  Check out Canon's website for Total Solar Eclipse Photography  * * *

From Canon Digital Learning Center :

North America will experience a wonderful astronomical event on August 21, 2017 - a total eclipse of the sun. This hasn’t happened in the United States in 38 years and is the first one to race across the entire country since 1918!

This will be the first total eclipse in North America in the digital photography era, and that means that everyone from novice to professional photographers will be able to photograph it.

We are embracing this rare phenomenon and will publish articles, photos and videos between now and August to give you the necessary photographic skills and background information to capture this eclipse.

Considering the path of totality and partial eclipse phases, almost a half billion people will have the opportunity to view at least a partial eclipse. Millions will undoubtedly travel to the narrow path of totality stretching from Oregon to South Carolina. It’s estimated that about 225 million people live within a day’s drive of the path of totality.

Areas north and south of the totality path will see a partial eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible as far north as the Arctic, and to the south as far as Ecuador and Brazil.

You don’t need to be a seasoned pro. Anybody will be able to shoot this with the proper precautions but if you really want to do it up right, you’ll need to plan ahead.

Planning and Preparation

Planning is everything with a project such as this. Over the next few months, we’re going to guide you through the necessary steps and ideas to consider in order to photograph a total eclipse of the sun. We’ll cover which cameras and what lenses will be best for eclipse photography and show you what size sun disk the various focal length lenses can produce.

Please don’t think you’ll need an expensive camera to record this year’s solar eclipse. We’ll show you how to get the most out of your existing camera whether it be a PowerShot SX60 HS point-and-shoot model, or all the way up to the top pro DSLR, EOS-1D X Mark II.

If you’re considering purchasing a new camera or lens, the timing couldn’t be better. Canon’s camera/lens combinations will definitely be of interest to you.

The focal length of the lens is important if you want a large sun disk in your frame. For DSLR shooters, we’ll show you what all the big “white” longer focal length lenses will produce on each sensor size.

The most important consideration throughout this project is visual safety and that means using an accredited solar filter. Never look at the sun without an approved solar filter either in the form of solar viewer over your eyes or glasses or a solar filter placed on the front of your camera lens.

If you’re just photographing and not looking at the sun with your eyes, you’ll only need a solar filter for your camera lens. If you think you’ll be looking at the sun during the partial phases, then you will need a solar viewer with approved solar filtration for your eyes or to fit over your glasses. These are inexpensive and should be considered for children and other friends or family you might have on your solar party list.

During totality, you won’t need any solar filters for your eyes or camera lens. It will seem as though it is almost nighttime for about two and a half glorious minutes during one of the most beautiful natural scenes on earth.

Then we’ll consider the importance of “feeling” the experience. Capturing sun disks is only part of the experience. During the last stages of a partial eclipse and on through totality, a lot will be happening to the light, terrain and animals around you. You will be amazed at the effect the near darkness will have on everything.

Types of Solar Eclipses

There are three main types of solar eclipses: Partial, Annular and Total.

An eclipse of the sun happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth in perfect alignment, so as to block part or all of the sun from us on earth. Our position on the earth’s surface determines the amount of coverage of the sun. Actually, an eclipse happens during every moon cycle but the angle of the moon and sun places the eclipse in space and thus cannot be seen on the surface of the earth.

A partial eclipse occurs when the moon partially occults the sun. That may be a result of the viewer not being in the path of totality or there simply isn’t totality due to the shadow of totality going off the surface of earth into space.

An annular eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon passes exactly in front of the sun but the moon is farther away from the earth and doesn’t completely block out the sun. There is a thin “ring of fire” of the sun around the moon. You need an approved solar filter for the complete eclipse cycle since the sun’s disk is still visible and is never completely covered.

A total eclipse, like the one coming this August, occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun but is at the perfect distance from earth so the size of the moon is the same as the sun. Therefore, completely blocking the sun, leaving only the very faint corona around the sun visible. This is the rarest of all of the eclipses. What makes it especially rare to us in North America is that it usually happens over remote areas of earth or in the middle of an ocean. 90% of the 2016 total eclipse happened over the southern Pacific Ocean.

The fact that the August eclipse will completely track across the United States means that more people in North and Central America will be able to view this than just about any other eclipse in history. Additionally, since we will also be able to capture it digitally, this will be a really exciting opportunity.

Over these next few months, we’ll cover the technical aspects of exposure, consisting of optimum ISO, aperture, shutter speeds and various techniques. As well as adding a few ideas on location set-up and behind-the-scene preparation - you’ll have a complete tutorial on how to make this all happen.

If you have a question for Dave or Ken, click on this link (eclipseguys@gmail.com) and they will respond in an upcoming eclipse article.

This eclipse will prove to be the most photographed event of 2017, so get ready to join us in capturing this wonderful natural phenomenon.

It will be thrilling. It will be the greatest show on earth.