This weekend, get ready for a total lunar eclipse! The eclipse takes place the night of May 15th and ends early in the morning on May 16th. Most readers in North America will be able to see a total or partial eclipse.
If you want to photograph the total lunar eclipse, you’ll want to be prepared. Read my article How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse for all the tricks you’ll need to capture this celestial event, including lenses and camera settings.
Experiencing the Totality of the Great American Eclipse
I made a special road trip to eastern Wyoming and managed to position myself in the path of the August 21st 2017 solar eclipse. What an amazing experience! I had great weather and clear skies for unobstructed viewing. I found a friendly farmer who let me set up in his cornfield.
The sun, photographed with my Nikon D500 and 200-500mm VR Nikkor lens.
I’m not a total die-hard when it comes to solar photography, but I’m going to be close enough to the 2017 solar eclipse event that I figured I’d at least try to get some photos. But first, I had to construct a solar filter. Here’s how I made mine for about $45.
First, decide on which lens you want to use for photographing the sun. I chose my Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 VR lens, because it’s versatile and I can shoot it hand-held if I want to. I also chose this lens because it has a front filter thread, which will allow me to easily mount the solar filter to it. Continue reading A Homemade Solar Filter→
