Timing is Everything

 

April 8th 2024 Eclipse 

It's a month after the eclipse and I'm proud to say that my picture above won first place at my photo club this month. Each month we gather and critique each others entries and mine one for the beginners category.  To say timing is everything is an understatement with this shot. firstly, we traveled to my cousin's house in Ohio. On the way I got some sort of stomach flu which lasted from Sunday morning through Monday, the day of the eclipse. Second, we had rain the morning of the event up until a few hours before. Third, it seems as though through the excitement and the amount of camera and telescope equipment I brought, was so overwhelming, that I really was not prepared with my camera settings as I should have been. This shot was a pure editing miracle. The original is below for reference.

Obviously my camera was in Manual Mode which means I choose all the settings. However, my mind was so scattered that day that I forgot as the Sun became darkened I would need to change those settings. I was also using a telescope for the before and after shots, which had a solar filter on it making the Sun darker. So, when I took the camera off the telescope to get the diamond ring effect, it was over exposed. I didn't change the settings until I snapped several shots resulting in the picture above.

When you look at the stark contrast between the two photos, a person that doesn't edit photos in Lightroom would stare in amazement but those that know, know how well these programs can do when adjusting pictures. Of course you can tell instantly the image is cropped. I had to get that flare out of the picture as it draws the eye. Side bar: It's amazing how the eye will instantly gravitate to imperfections. When looking at a person's face, if they have a blemish or scar or any kind of issue, the eye is drawn to it. That's why I spend an overly excessive amount of time critiquing people's driving skills. 

So the flare had to go and my eye also caught the left and right light streak extending from the Sun's glare which is tilted slightly so I corrected that by rotating the picture to make those at a 90 degree angle. It makes for a more symmetric photo. Next I had to reduce the amount of glare, add saturation and voilà, we have an award winning shot. 

I wish I could say that pure talent took this shot but instead it was knowledge of editing that saved my butt. However, I did go away from the event with how not to prepare for an eclipse. Wasn't it Edison didn't consider his failures as failures but ways on how not to make a light bulb. In looking back at the event, I made it overcomplicated by bringing a drone that I could get working, brining a telescope I had never used before until that day and brining two cameras as well. 

It was a bit overwhelming and the eclipse was there and gone, it seemed like it was seconds. They said it was 3 plus minutes long but it went by way to fast. Looking back my thinking was the telescope afforded me the zoom range to get close up of the before and after shots, the drone was for shots of the 360 degree sunset, the second camera had the zoom but was not as good as my primary which I used on the telescope. Now, I have a bigger lens for my primary, I'm selling the backup camera, I've still not flown the drone yet and the telescope went back to my friend. 

Looking into the future, I have my eyes set on the Sydney Australia eclipse on my birthday in 2028. Traveling that far though will make me travel lighter and bring less equipment which I think will be better. Less is more in some cases. I'll have a better primary camera by then too. God willing, everything will align again and I'll be able to have my third eclipse experience, my first time being on another continent, my first time being in the southern hemisphere and a ton of other firsts. Can't wait.

To God be the Glory!