Partial Solar Eclipse from Mason, OH 10/23/2014

[Warren Spreng]

It is interesting getting different opinions on this image based upon the forum. I post more frequently in an Astrophotography forum but I'm interested in comments from a forum more dedicated to landscape images as to any thoughts on this image. This is actually two images layered together in order to get the sun as well as the clouds since to get the sun exposed correctly it took a much higher SS which left the clouds totally black. So these images were shot about 20 seconds apart, one exposed for the sun and one for the cloud background and then layered so it is a true representation of the position of the sun at the time of the partial eclipse which occurred at sunset. Imaged with a Canon Rebel EOS T3i Solar image was imaged at ISO400 1/1000 sec f/11 150mm and clouds ISO400 1/125 f/11 150mm Technique used is similar with other High Dynamic Range objects to layer the two images together. Processed in PS4, mild sharpening, mild increase on saturation.

I had just about given up hope that I would get any glimpse of the eclipse due to cloud cover but luckily the sun started to peek through for just a few minutes so I caught the lower clouds illuminated by the setting sun as well as mid level clouds covering it and the high cirrus clouds above.

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[Don Railton]

Hi Warren

You have gone to a lot of trouble and achieved an interesting image of the sun with a 'bite' out of it. Congratulations for the effort. Its quite moody piece but it has large areas of black areas without detail which while setting a sombre mood, do little else for me.. So judging it as a landscape image alone I find it lacking enough detail to maintain my interest and hence call it a 'good landscape'...Just my opinion of course, but that's what you were looking for..

best regards

DON

[Diane Miller]

The bottom 1/3 is unearthly -- looks like our CA coastal fog at sunset, at its best. The darkest clouds do feel a bit heavy, but overall I really like it as a landscape. I really like the tree as an anchoring element. And nice layering! No soar filter needed? I love it when I can look at and shoot the sun with just a natural cloud/fog filter.

We had total clouds here. (The day before was gorgeous...)

[Warren Spreng]

Thanks Diane, my exact feelings about the lower portion. No filter since the sun was so low and filtered by the clouds so I did not have to add false color to it. If you zoom in you can actually make out a huge sunspot that was present that week that several reported they could see with the naked eye when viewing through a filter without optical aid.

[Warren Spreng]

Hi Warren

You have gone to a lot of trouble and achieved an interesting image of the sun with a 'bite' out of it. Congratulations for the effort. Its quite moody piece but it has large areas of black areas without detail which while setting a sombre mood, do little else for me.. So judging it as a landscape image alone I find it lacking enough detail to maintain my interest and hence call it a 'good landscape'...Just my opinion of course, but that's what you were looking for..

best regards

DON

Thanks Don, yes, that was the type of feedback I was looking for. Had I thought about it I would have taken one more slightly slower SS shot and gotten some of the textures in the clouds in front of the sun to layer in as well. Alas, hindsight!

[Diane Miller]

You can bring out a lot of that texture with Nik Color Efex Pro's Detail Extractor or Tonal Conrast (or a combination). Too bad the huge sunspot dosn't show more although I think I see a dot lower center. It's juxtaposition with a partial eclipse was wonderful. I got it a few days before and after.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/123896-Dancing-to-a-different-drummer-again?highlight=sunspot

I'd bet you got it spectacularly with your solar telescope.

[Warren Spreng]

You can bring out a lot of that texture with Nik Color Efex Pro's Detail Extractor or Tonal Conrast (or a combination). Too bad the huge sunspot dosn't show more although I think I see a dot lower center. It's juxtaposition with a partial eclipse was wonderful. I got it a few days before and after.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/123896-Dancing-to-a-different-drummer-again?highlight=sunspot

I'd bet you got it spectacularly with your solar telescope.

Thanks Diane, I will have to play with the image a bit to see if there is anything to pull out of that area. I didn't get the eclipse with my solar scope due to where my setup is and where the sun was, but I did catch that big sunspot with my Hydrogen Alpha scope that week and here is what that looks like.


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[Diane Miller]

Spectacular!! I love the texture it shows! Can cameras can be converted to HA sensitivity, similar to IR or UV? I've seen filters for over the lens -- do they "come close"?

[Warren Spreng]

Spectacular!! I love the texture it shows! Can cameras can be converted to HA sensitivity, similar to IR or UV? I've seen filters for over the lens -- do they "come close"?

Thanks, it is addictive to view and image the sun in HA and other wavelengths other than white light. No, there is no filter you can put on your camera to convert it to HA. You can either buy a dedicated HA scope or you can get external Etalons/Filters that fit on scopes and then you need to add a Blocking Filter to be able to view and image the sun in HA. The surface is fun to look at and the prominences can be amazing and change rapidly. I'll attach an example of a time lapse I did which represents only 30 minutes, but you can see the rapid changes of the prominences.


http://astrob.in/132884/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg (http://astrob.in/132884/0/)

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Warren, I like the image and the eerie feeling to it. As for the overall comp as a landscape shot, I would have preferred it if the sun was a little more towards the right of the scene.

[Warren Spreng]

Hi Warren, I like the image and the eerie feeling to it. As for the overall comp as a landscape shot, I would have preferred it if the sun was a little more towards the right of the scene.

Thanks for the comment Andrew! Since I am new to this, is the placement of the sun more of a balance issue in the image? So rather than centering the sun in the image bring more of the tree in from the left or crop from the right and leave the tree alone? Or in framing the shot move to have a little more separation from the tree and the sun?