In Part 1 I did the bulk of my research behind getting these images, and I did a very quick test run to make sure I was ready...
A couple of weeks later and I was all set. As luck would have it, the weather was forecast for clear skies, so there were no pesky clouds to spoil my view.
I set the camera up, and pointed it at the sun. I could see the yellow ball on the LCD screen, and I took 1 image for the start of the sequence. I checked my watch, it was due to begin any minute now... suddenly I noticed that a small part of the sun was missing! Quick take a picture!
Yep the eclipse was well underway... I carried on taking a picture every 3 to 4 minute so I could have plenty of images for my final picture. This just a small selection, in reality there were over 200 pictures showing the entire sequence. Halfway though you can see the tiny slither of Sun left, this was to be the closest I got to witness the full eclipse. Actually seeing the Total eclipse would have required a 600 mile journey to the North of Scotland. And as it turned out, they had rain all morning so they didn't see nothing!
In this image I am actually holding the filter away from the camera, but still positioned between the sun and the sensor so nothing was damaged. You can see just how effective the 400ND filter is in blocking out the light, and it also shows why the images of the sun have a black background.
2 and a half hours later, the sequence was complete. I had 260 images to sift through.
Now I needed the help of Lightroom. I edited one of the images to make it more orange. This helped to make it more appealing and, slightly oddly, look more real. When we drawn the sun as children, we drawn it in yellow pencil. But when we look at science documentaries and NASA images the sun looks orange, so I chose to make them all orange. Using Lightroom I copied the edit to the rest of the images (one at a time, 260 images took a while)
I then turned to Photoshop to finish the image. I created a new canvas, and turned it black. Then I imported a selection of 'Suns' onto that canvas taking special care to keep them balanced. I wanted an image to show the phases of the eclipse from start to finish, so I tried to keep them symmetrical
I initially tried to put them in a line, which looked quite cool.
Then I put them into a circle shape (almost like a clock, so as you look around the image in a clockwise direction you can see the sequence happening)
And there we have it! After several months of planning and researching I ended up with the image I was after: An image showing the sequence of the Solar Eclipse.
It is 5 years old now, and it is still the image I am most proud off. Partly because its awesome, but mostly because in this moment I became a Photographer (not just a random guy taking random pictures).
Whether I am 'good' or 'bad' is up for the audience to decide I guess... and my challenge to those budding photographers out there, go and take interesting images. Take the time to look around and try different angles, and different ideas. Some might work, some might not, but try anyway. You don't need expensive equipment, or a fancy camera... you just need the right approach and you too can create an image that you can be proud of!
Second Public Service Announcement: I'm not kidding guys and gals! DO NOT stare at the Sun, you WILL damage your eyes... DO NOT take pictures of the Sun without taking proper precautions or you WILL break your camera. I refuse to take responsibility just because some people are flippin' daft
