How to Photograph a Total Solar Eclipse: Complete Camera Guide
Learn how to photograph a total solar eclipse with the right camera settings, equipment, and techniques. Covers DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and smartphones.
The Challenge of Eclipse Photography
Photographing a total solar eclipse is one of the most rewarding — and demanding — challenges in photography. Within a span of about two hours, you need to capture a scene that goes from blinding sunlight to near-darkness and back again. The light levels change by a factor of roughly one million, and the most spectacular phase (totality) lasts just a few minutes.
The good news: with the right preparation, even intermediate photographers can capture stunning results. This guide covers everything from gear to settings to execution.
Essential Equipment
Camera Body
Any camera with manual exposure control will work. The best options, in order of preference:
- Mirrorless camera (Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm) — Best choice. The electronic viewfinder lets you compose safely with a solar filter, and you can see exposure changes in real time.
- DSLR — Excellent results, but you cannot look through an optical viewfinder at the Sun without a solar filter on the lens. Use live view instead.
- Smartphone — Surprisingly capable for wide-angle shots of the landscape during totality. Not ideal for close-ups of the corona.
Lenses
- 200–600mm telephoto — The sweet spot for corona detail. A 400mm lens on an APS-C sensor (600mm equivalent) fills the frame nicely.
- 70–200mm zoom — Good compromise between corona detail and ease of framing.
- Wide-angle (14–35mm) — Perfect for capturing the eclipse in its landscape context: the darkened sky, horizon glow, and people’s reactions.
Consider shooting with two cameras — one telephoto, one wide — so you do not have to swap lenses during totality.
Solar Filter
This is non-negotiable. You need a solar filter on your lens for every phase except totality. Options include:
- Baader AstroSolar film — Affordable and excellent optical quality. Available in sheets you can cut and mount yourself.
- Thousand Oaks or DayStar glass filters — More durable, screw onto standard filter threads.
- DIY cardboard mount — A sheet of solar film taped over a cardboard ring works perfectly well.
Never use ND filters as a substitute for a dedicated solar filter. Even a 10-stop ND filter lets through dangerous amounts of infrared radiation.
Check our eclipse photography gear recommendations for specific product suggestions.
Tripod and Remote Release
A sturdy tripod is essential for telephoto work. At 400mm+, even small vibrations will blur your shots. Use a cable release or remote trigger — or set a 2-second timer — to avoid shaking the camera when you press the shutter.
Other Gear
- Extra batteries — Cold morning or hot afternoon, bring at least two spares.
- Extra memory cards — Shoot RAW, which eats storage fast.
- Red headlamp — Preserves night vision if you need to adjust settings during totality.
- Printed settings cheat sheet — Tape it to your tripod. You will not want to fumble with your phone during the crucial minutes.
Camera Settings for Each Eclipse Phase
Partial Phases (Solar Filter On)
During the partial phases, the Sun is still dangerously bright. Keep your solar filter attached.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Mode | Manual |
| ISO | 100–200 |
| Aperture | f/8 |
| Shutter speed | 1/250 to 1/1000 sec |
| Focus | Manual (focus on Sun’s edge, then lock) |
| File format | RAW |
Take a test shot and adjust. The goal is a sharp, well-exposed solar disc showing any sunspots and the advancing lunar silhouette.
Diamond Ring and Baily’s Beads
In the seconds just before and after totality, the Sun’s light breaks through lunar valleys, creating the “diamond ring” effect and Baily’s Beads.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Solar filter | Remove it (just before totality) |
| ISO | 200 |
| Aperture | f/8 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000 to 1/2000 sec |
| Shooting mode | Burst / continuous |
This phase lasts only a few seconds. Set your camera to continuous shooting and hold the shutter down.
Totality (Solar Filter Off)
Totality is the main event. The corona varies enormously in brightness from the inner to outer regions, so you need a range of exposures (bracketing).
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Solar filter | Off |
| ISO | 200–400 |
| Aperture | f/5.6 to f/8 |
| Shutter speed | Bracket from 1/1000 sec to 1 sec |
| Focus | Same as before (do not refocus) |
Use auto-bracketing if your camera supports it (5 or 7 frames at 1–2 EV spacing). This gives you exposures for the bright inner corona, the delicate outer corona, and prominences at the Sun’s edge.
Critical tip: Do not spend all of totality looking through a viewfinder. Take your bracketed sequences in the first 30 seconds, then put the camera down and experience the eclipse with your own eyes. You will not regret it.
Chromosphere and Prominences
To capture solar prominences (bright red loops at the Sun’s edge), use a fast shutter speed:
- ISO 200, f/8, 1/500–1/1000 sec
- These show up as pink or red features in the few seconds around second and third contact
Step-by-Step Shooting Plan
Here is a practical timeline for eclipse day:
- 2 hours before totality: Set up tripod, attach solar filter, focus on the Sun, take test shots.
- Partial phases: Shoot every 5–10 minutes to document the Moon’s progress across the Sun.
- 5 minutes before totality: Double-check all settings. Switch to your totality exposure plan.
- 30 seconds before totality: Remove the solar filter. Start shooting Baily’s Beads.
- Totality begins: Shoot bracketed sequences. Capture the corona, prominences, and diamond ring.
- Mid-totality: Stop shooting. Look up. Take in the 360-degree sunset, the corona, the stars. This is why you came.
- Totality ends: Shoot the second diamond ring. Immediately replace the solar filter.
- After totality: Continue documenting partial phases if desired.
Smartphone Tips
If you are not bringing dedicated camera gear, smartphones can still capture the experience:
- During partial phases: Hold ISO-certified eclipse glasses over the phone’s camera lens. This works surprisingly well.
- During totality: No filter needed. Use the default camera app, tap to focus on the eclipsed Sun, and reduce exposure slightly.
- Wide-angle video: Consider recording a timelapse of the full eclipse, capturing the dramatic light changes across the landscape.
- Do not zoom digitally — it just degrades quality. The Sun will appear small, but the overall scene can be breathtaking.
Post-Processing Tips
- Stack bracketed exposures in software like Photoshop, Luminance HDR, or dedicated eclipse tools to reveal inner and outer corona in a single image.
- Shoot RAW so you have full latitude to recover highlights and shadows.
- White balance: Daylight preset works well. The corona is essentially white light.
- Resist over-processing. Some of the best eclipse photos are clean and simple.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting to remove the solar filter during totality — You will get a completely black frame.
- Forgetting to replace the solar filter after totality — You risk damaging your sensor and your eyes.
- Over-planning the photography and missing the experience — Totality is profound. Do not watch it entirely through a screen.
- Not practicing beforehand — Run through your entire sequence at home using the Moon as a stand-in.
- Relying on autofocus — Switch to manual focus once you have locked on to the Sun’s edge.
For specific equipment recommendations and purchase links, visit our photography gear guide. And whatever you do, make sure your eyes are protected with proper eclipse glasses during all partial phases.