[Leica] Minimalist eclipse photography

[Peter Klein]

My cousin lives in Austin. This gave us a good excuse to visit for the 
total solar eclipse Monday. It was my second total eclipse. My primary 
objective was to experience it, not to photograph. But then I thought, 
"how can I not?" So I decided to preset the camera for a middle corona 
exposure during totality, pre-focus manually, tape the focus ring in 
place, and take a few casual shots.  I used my Olympus E-M1 Mark II and 
the "Plastic Fantastic" 40-150 f/4-5.6 lens. That's 300mm in full-frame 
terms. No tripod--I relied on image stabilization. No messing with the 
camera once totality started.

The weather in Austin was very iffy. So we headed north and west, using 
a NY Times page that gave hourly cloudiness predictions. An "Eclipse 
App" proved even better, and we changed our destination at the last 
minute, just like real eclipse chasers. We ended up in the little town 
of Meridian, TX. We were treated to clear skies around the sun 
throughout totality.

I took a couple of shots of the partial phase. I didn't have a solar 
filter, so I just shot through a spare pair of eclipse glasses. Crude, 
but effective.

<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643757193/in/dateposted-public/>
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643885514/in/dateposted-public/>

And then... totality! My minimalist setup actually captured hints of the 
red solar prominences. I messed with post-processing exposure and 
contrast to show various parts of the corona.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643885519/in/dateposted-public/>
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643547456/in/dateposted-public/>
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53642665787/in/dateposted-public/>
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643547466/in/dateposted-public/>

We enjoyed the town, too, with its ornate county courthouse.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643757208/in/dateposted-public/>
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/53643757243/in/dateposted-public/>

Of course, I could have done better with a longer lens or telescope, a 
tripod, an equatorial mount, and exposure bracketing sequences. But that 
would have taken up much more time and concentration, which I wanted to 
devote to viewing the eclipse. So, "I did it my way."

Click or double click on photos to enlarge and shrink. Enjoy!
--Peter