On April 8, over 32 million Americans will witness a total solar eclipse, the last until 2044. ABC News and National Geographic will host “Eclipse Across America,” broadcasting live from 2:00 p.m. EDT across multiple platforms, including ABC, National Geographic Channel, Disney+, and Hulu. Anchored by David Muir and Linsey Davis from Burlington, Vermont, the program features Nat Geo talents like Babak Tafreshi, Mariana van Zeller and Cristina Mittermeier, and will provide insights on safely observing and photographing the eclipse. The broadcast will cover 10 North American cities in the eclipse’s path of 100% totality, offering live reports from locations ranging from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Houlton, Maine. The event will also be available on ABC News Live and various social media platforms, inviting audience interaction with the hashtag #EclipseAcrossAmerica.
National Geographic Explorer Babak Tafreshi will be on-site in Texas and will be shooting from Texas. He took a moment to discuss the upcoming solar eclipse with SCINQ.
As an astrophotographer what makes photographing this total lunar solar eclipse challenging and rewarding? What your expectations?
Every solar eclipse is unique due to the variability of solar activity within its cycle. A significant challenge arises from the scarcity of images and data, particularly from the Sun’s inner corona—the enclosed part of its outer atmosphere. This is because satellites and space observatories typically monitor the outer corona, leaving the inner corona largely unexplored except during the fleeting moments of totality. Understanding how energy is transported from the Sun’s interior to the outer corona and then across the solar system is a key scientific puzzle. Amateur astronomers and photographers can contribute significantly by capturing high-resolution images of the solar corona during the eclipse. This task presents a variety of challenges and opportunities, especially when considering the dynamic range of both telephoto and wide-angle lenses.
Human eyes can perceive the entire spectacle of a total solar eclipse, including the corona’s structure, prominences, and rays, thanks to our dynamic range exceeding current camera technology. Achieving similar results with a camera requires combining multiple exposures through bracketing. One major challenge lies in merging these details into a single, sharp, and stable image. Telephoto lenses, in particular, are susceptible to temperature drops during the eclipse, which can cause image blur or focus issues due to the diffuse nature of the subject. Preparation is crucial, requiring manual focusing before totality and maintaining it throughout.
Wide-angle photography faces its own set of challenges, particularly in terms of including a compelling foreground when the eclipse occurs high in the sky, as in Mexico, Texas, or Arkansas, where the eclipse can be 60 to 70 degrees above the horizon. Capturing the eclipse in these conditions demands an elevated vantage point to make the image engaging. Conversely, in places like New England, upstate New York, or Canada, where the eclipse is less than 40 degrees high, including people or landscapes in the foreground becomes easier.
Beyond the sun, wide-angle lenses offer the chance to capture additional phenomena, such as the planets Venus and Jupiter on either side of the sun, and potentially even Comet Pons-Brooks, if it becomes bright enough in the days leading up to totality. The panoramic effect of a nearly 360-degree sunset, the advancing and retreating shadow, and the possible visibility of shadow bands or the shadow cone from an elevated position add to the spectacle. The eclipse also prompts fascinating reactions from both people and animals, providing a rich subject matter for photography beyond the technical challenges.
Will you be shooting primarily on wide lenses?
No, I will cover both telephoto from 800 millimeter all the way to eight mil limited, which is circular visual.
You’ve described a lot of the challenges and things that you might see. What kind of preparation do you do before during the shoot?
The first step is planning what you aim to achieve. For those interested in using just a smartphone, it’s a viable approach. Capturing wide-angle images with a smartphone in low light has become increasingly popular. Indeed, using a tripod with your smartphone is recommended for stability. If your preference leans towards telephoto photography, the setup differs significantly. This involves using lenses commonly recommended for eclipses, ranging from 500 to 600 millimeters. Consideration must also be given to the Earth’s rotation, which can move the sun across your field of view. Deciding whether to use a star tracker to follow the sun or allow it to drift from one side to the other during totality is part of the preparation. This also includes calculating how long the sun will remain within your field of view.
For wide-angle photography, creativity plays a larger role and often depends on the location. The ability to include people, a natural feature, or a monument in the foreground can dictate the choice of lens and the shooting location. The aim is to find compelling foregrounds that enhance the eclipse’s visual impact. In regions like Texas or Mexico, you might opt for a super wide-angle lens, such as a 14mm, to capture expansive scenes. In contrast, the Northeast offers opportunities to incorporate detailed foregrounds, potentially using lenses with focal lengths of 50mm, 70mm, or even 100mm. This varied approach highlights the importance of preparation and the need to adapt based on your photographic goals and the environment.
Normally, you do a lot of night photography. Depending on where you are, and if you get a total eclipse, it seems deceptively like it might be similar to nighttime conditions. Of course, it’s not because the sun is still shining. Can you discuss if there’s any similarities? How do you prepare for that?
Some people prepare for photographing solar eclipses by practicing with the full moon, given that the solar corona is approximately a million times fainter than the sun’s direct light. This significant decrease in light and temperature during an eclipse, although still brighter than the full moon, results in conditions akin to deep twilight rather than complete darkness. This level of illumination offers a glimpse into the brightness of the inner corona and the surrounding environment. Despite this, totality appears much darker to human eyes due to the abrupt reduction in light, yet our night vision isn’t immediately activated, leaving us in a state that feels intensely dark. Within a minute or so, however, the sky transitions to a deep blue, revealing only the brightest planets and a few stars—without the Milky Way or a star-filled sky, as the solar corona’s glow still dominates. Indeed, there are parallels to low-light photography, but the experience and requirements differ significantly from capturing images in the deep, dark of night, leaning more towards a twilight scenario.
And where specifically will you be located for the event?
For National Geographic and ABC, I will be stationed at a cave for a project I’m undertaking for the National Geographic Society titled “Life at Night.” This initiative aims to observe and document any disturbances experienced by bats, birds, and other wildlife as a result of the eclipse. A particular focus will be on whether bats exit the cave during the period of totality. This observation will take place near San Antonio, where the cave is located. The goal is to gain insights into how these animals react to the temporary darkness brought about by the eclipse, contributing valuable information to our understanding of their behavior under such unusual conditions.
What conditions do you expect for that location?
The duration of totality for this eclipse is four minutes and twenty seconds, positioning us near the centerline, where the eclipse’s maximum duration is about four and a half minutes. This duration decreases slightly to between three and three and a half minutes as you move toward the Northeast along the centerline. This makes it a notably long eclipse, with its duration being twice that of the 2017 eclipse in the U.S. Currently, it’s too early to provide an accurate weather forecast, but preliminary indications suggest better conditions in the Northeast U.S., defying earlier predictions. For instance, Burlington, Vermont, is currently expected to have clear skies, though it’s important to note that these forecasts are still subject to change.
If you could give a single tip to amateur photographers who are going to try and capture the eclipse, what would it be?
Try to experience the eclipse firsthand; while capturing it on camera is important, take moments to observe it directly. It’s a rare, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, and there’s much to be missed if you don’t pause and view it with your own eyes. Enjoy the unique spectacle personally as well as through the lens, balancing the act of documentation with the act of pure observation.
IMAGE CREDIT: National Geographic.
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