Earlier this summer on the evening of August 12, the moon slid in front of the sun. Here in Bavaria we were able to once again witness a partial eclipse where 89% of the sun was covered at its peak. That was a great opportunity to grab my camera. What was nice this time around was that the eclipse happened in the evening. That provided better photo opportunities than during daytime.
Everyone was out
The eclipse was the talk of the town for a few days. People were lining up to purchase special viewing glasses. No surprise then that I wasn’t the only outside. Tons of people were out in nature where I live: Fields and hilltops started filling up hours before. Some people brought BBQs and drinks. My preferred viewing spot was actually too busy and I ended up on the side of a random field. It’s not often you see a whole neighborhood stop what it’s doing to watch the sky.
Getting the shot
I brought my Fuji X-T5 and the Fuji 70-300mm. Getting decent photos of the eclipse turned out to be surprisingly easy. I switched to manual exposure mode and simply exposed for the sun. Everything else fell into deep shadow, and the result was a surreal, almost otherworldly atmosphere.
Not dark – but different
It didn’t get dark per se. But there were visible changes in the light. Most of all, the shadows and the colour temperature of the light took on an eerie quality that’s hard to describe. Everything looked slightly off. At the peak, only a thin sliver of the sun was still visible. And yet it was still bright outside. That really gave me a sense of just how strong the sun is.
Sometimes it’s the little things
Some people around me were disappointed that it wasn’t more dramatic. I get it – there was no sudden darkness, no stars at dusk. But I thought it was a neat experience, especially the subtle differences in the light. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. I enjoyed it.
A word of caution: never look at the sun – even when it’s mostly covered – without proper eclipse glasses, and use a solar filter on your lens.
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