How professionals photograph an eclipse

Arguably, Spain will be one of the best places to experience the event, the first of its kind to be visible from mainland Europe since 1999, although exact viewing conditions will depend on local position, weather and, most importantly, the view of the horizon. More exciting still, is that the eclipse will coincide with a late summer sunset, meaning the sun will be low in the sky and those professional photographers with a clear view to the west may have the opportunity to capture the elusive diamond ring effect. This happens at the edge of totality, when the last embers of sunlight slip away from the rugged, uneven edge of the moon, leaving one final bright bead visible against the dark lunar silhouette, creating the appearance of a diamond ring.

While only some will enjoy being directly in the path of the umbra, elsewhere a partial eclipse will be visible across much of Europe, plus northwestern Africa, most of Canada and some northern parts of the United States. In the UK, those in the far southwest are set to enjoy some of the best views, with around 96% of the sun obscured in parts of Cornwall, while observers in London will see around 91% as the eclipse is set to get underway locally from 18:17 BST, ending shortly after 20:00. In France, southwestern cities will experience some of the deepest partial obscuration, with Biarritz expected to reach almost total coverage, while those in Paris will see around 92%. In Germany, coverage will be deepest in the southwestern and western regions of the country, with Freiburg reaching around 90% and Berlin edging 85%.

As tempting as it may seem, photographing a solar eclipse is not something to approach casually and is not recommended for anyone except professionals or highly trained photographers. It takes specialist safety equipment, careful planning and a clear understanding of when it is, and when it is not, safe to look at the sun.

One seasoned professional set to capture the celestial show in all its magnificence is renowned Swiss photographer Angel Fux, whose love of capturing the night sky has seen her work appear in NASA APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day), BBC Science Focus, the Guardian and Astronomy magazine.

We caught up with her to discover what exactly goes into capturing an event like this safely, from the preparation and protective kit involved to the spilt-second timing when totality arrives…

Safety first

“The sun can cause permanent eye damage without the right protection, and no image is worth that, so during the partial phases I will always wear certified eclipse glasses on my eyes if looking directly at the sun, and I use a proper solar filter on the front of every lens during the partial phases,” says Angel. “The filter is made specifically for solar imaging and is rated ND100000. Only at the moment of totality will I remove my glasses and filters. I am studying the contact times ahead of the eclipse and know exactly when to remove the filters and when to replace them.”

Why every second counts

“There are four moments during an eclipse. C1: the partial phase begins. C2: totality starts. C3: totality ends. C4: the eclipse is over,” Angel explains. “People who've witnessed totality describe it as one of the most disorienting, overwhelming things they've ever seen. The sky darkens, the brightest stars and planets appear, the air temperature drops and the corona becomes visible to the naked eye. This particular eclipse will give us less than two minutes of totality, making it one of the most challenging ones to photograph well.

“At totality, the sun will be only 8° above the horizon, which is very low. The corona, the landscape and the last light of day will all be in the same frame, and it is so rare to be able to plan for that combination twice in a lifetime. So, before I have even touched my camera, I’ve already decided on the one image I want to come home with, and I let that be my anchor and my goal. The eclipse moves fast; the adrenaline will be real and having that clear priority will keep me focused when it counts.”

The importance of reliable kit

“To capture the eclipse successfully, the gear choices I make beforehand genuinely matter,” continues Angel. “For example, a tripod is non-negotiable, as any movement during a sequence ruins composite work in post. I make sure I have locked it down and will refrain from touching it.

“For lenses, wide-angle gives context: the landscape, the shadow, the atmosphere. Telephoto brings you in close: the corona, the diamond ring, the detail. I’ll be running two set-ups, the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S for the corona and the NIKKOR Z 14‑24mm f/2.8 S for the landscape, both paired with a Z8.”

The method behind the image

“For this eclipse, I’ll have a little under two hours, with totality lasting only 103 seconds,” says Angel. “I’ll be using the time between C1 and C2 to check focus, confirm exposure and just breathe. I will be setting my camera to capture the partial phases in intervals of between five and 15 seconds, which I find to be a good rhythm.

“At C2, I will be removing my solar filter completely, and during totality, I will be bracketing as wide as possible. The corona requires a wide range of exposures to capture it fully, from the innermost ring to the faint outer streamers. I will typically use nine stops, as no single exposure will capture it all, and I will aim to work from 1/8000 sec down to a full second.

“In the 30 seconds between C2 and C3, this is when I will switch to Continuous H (High-Speed), and this is when we can expect to see the diamond ring, Baily’s beads (the tiny points of sunlight that sparkle around the Moon’s rugged edge just before and after totality), and the first glimpse of prominences (those glowing pinkish flares visible around the edge of the Sun). These moments last mere seconds, so I won’t be adjusting any settings when they happen. At C3, when the second diamond ring appears, I’ll put the filter back on immediately.”