[Leica] Minimalist eclipse photography

[pdzwig at summaventures.com (Peter Dzwig)]

Pretty impressive, Peter

Peter

On 10/04/2024 01:18, Peter Klein via LUG 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 at 
> N04/53643757193/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> 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 at 
> N04/53643885519/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> N04/53643547456/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> N04/53642665787/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> N04/53643547466/in/dateposted-public/>
> 
> We enjoyed the town, too, with its ornate county courthouse.
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> N04/53643757208/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at 
> 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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-- 

Dr. Peter Dzwig