[Leica] Minimalist eclipse photography

[Don Dory]

I'm glad your visit to Austin went well.  You were lucky to find a cloud
reduced spot to view the eclipse.

On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 7:19 PM Peter Klein via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
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-- 
Don
don.dory at gmail.com