I decided to photograph this morning’s partial solar eclipse from my back garden. I re-used a trick I devised at university to photograph an earlier eclipse in the 1980s. The trick is to place two polarising filters on the camera’s telephoto lens, setting them at right-angles. This creates a very effective dark filter. I also set my camera on a tripod, focusing manually, and employing the mirror-lock mechanism and 10-second self-timer to reduce camera-shake.
Our postman turned up as the eclipse approached its maximum. I don’t think he could believe his luck, finding someone who could show him what was going on, without frying his retinas.
I’ve experienced, and photographed, partial solar eclipses before, but this morning’s was by the far the best. I was astonished by how much the temperature and light-level dropped.
It was the postman who pointed out that the local rooks and jackdaws seemed to be acting somewhat agitatedly. We might have been imagining it, but it certainly seemed so at the time.
You can see bigger versions of my eclipse photos on Flickr.
