Advanced Photo Team Setup 6/28/2017, 8*07 PM

Advanced Photo Team Setup

1. Be sure you have the correct equipment

a. Camera
i. You will need an interchangeable lens digital camera, such as a DSLR (digital single
lens reflex). Examples of these include: Canon T5i or 7D, Nikon D7200 or D810, etc.
ii. Or a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, such as the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5
b. Telephoto or zoom lens
i. Either a fixed focal length telephoto lens, or a zoom lens with the acceptable focal
length in its range is acceptable.
ii. Depending on the type of sensor in your camera, you can pick a range of zoom
lengths. For a camera with a APS-C crop-sensor, a minimum focal length of 200mm,
up to a maximum of around 600. For a camera with a full frame sensor, a minimum
focal length of 300mm, up to a maximum of 800mm.
iii. You can calculate what size works best for your camera at either of these sites:
1. http://multiverse.ssl.berkeley.edu/Eclipse/CamSpecCalc
2. http://www.howardedin.com/articles/fov.html
c. A stable and level tripod
i. Camera tripods or piggybacking on telescopes both work. See Eclipse Day
Preparation below for detailed information about various tripod setups.
d. Optional hardware:
i. Remote trigger - This is easy to use if you are not able to bracket photos or set the
timer to take many photos. If you don’t have one you can get by with the shutter timer
ii. Level (or level app)
iii. White cloth to keep your camera cool in the sun
e. Optional software:
i. You don’t need to attach your camera to a computer, but many people do. If you’d
like to be completely hands-free during totality, we recommend tethering:
1. Simple presets allow you to set your camera up. Select aperture priority
setting. (ISO to smallest reasonable value)
2. For greater ease and less to remember during the eclipse, camera control
programs supply scripting for the eclipse. You can find much more information
on these in the Photo Team Google Group. Two examples are:
a. Solar Eclipse Maestro (Mac OS X, free!):
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/Solar_Eclipse_Maestro_Ph
b. Eclipse Orchestrator (Windows):
http://www.moonglowtechnologies.com/products/EclipseOrchestrator/index.s
f. General checklist for what to bring to an eclipse - don’t forget sunscreen!
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/05/25-things-to-bring-to-the-eclipse

2. To do in advance
a. Determine your method for establishing GPS location. If you have an internal GPS system,
you’re all set. Otherwise, you have options.
i. This article gives an overview of options with great pictures:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/how-geo-tag-
your-photos
ii. Buy a Geotagging accessory - Easy but not cheap, such as:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/GPS-Geotagging-
Accessories/ci/13916/N/4033586339
iii. If you do not have the above, on the day of the eclipse you can take a picture (selfie,
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iii. If you do not have the above, on the day of the eclipse you can take a picture (selfie,
landscape, anything) with your smart phone. Make sure you have Location Service
turned on. The GPS locator in your phone will tag the image with your coordinates.
Then, upload this image with the ones you take with your DSLR. We’ll use the GPS
location from that photo to tag the rest.
1. Here’s how to turn on location services from an iPhone:
https://help.instagram.com/171821142968851
2. And from an Android phone:
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3467281?hl=en
b. Get your camera’s time correct. If you have built in GPS, this will happen automatically. If
not, you’ll need to set your camera’s clock to the second using a reliable time such as your
phone or http://time.gov. Use the timezone of the location where you’ll view the eclipse.
c. How will you make sure you have the right exposure? There are many options:
i. Calculate your ISO/shutter speed settings for totality and pick one that works for the
mid-corona then lock them in place:
1. http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipseExposure.html
2. Exposure guide from Fred Espenak:
http://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/image/SE-Exposure1w.GIF
ii. You can also use the 3-photo bracketing a few times throughout the eclipse (auto
mode or manual - lowest possible ISO and intermediate aperture and let exposure time
vary by +/- 1 stop.) Some camera models allow 7 or 11-photo bracketing. Some also
allow you to automate this process over a period of time when using the on-board
intervalometer. Learn more about bracketing: https://digital-photography-
school.com/automatic-exposure-bracketing-aeb/
iii. Imaging software as described above may make the settings automatically
according to a predetermined script.
d. How will you know when totality will arrive? Calculate the 1st - 4th contact at any likely
locations in advance. Know with certainty when 2nd and 3rd contact happen by putting your
location into this site. Alternately:
i. There are apps that will do this - Android Megamovie Mobile (iOS to be released
soon) the Star Map App (Android, iPhone), Eclipse2017, etc. Just make sure to set the
time and location and see where the sun will be in the sky.
ii. Remember to keep a list of times and locations handy if you will be out of cell range
iii. Imaging software as described above may help with this step as long as your
computer clock time is set accurately. Predetermined scripts may provide an alert for
the onset of totality.
e. Attend a training session (July 1st or view archived webinar) or test your equipment and
upload a photo on your own. This will qualify you to receive the official Megamovie pin and
more, shipped mid-July.

3. Eclipse day preparation - August 21

a. Set timer to alert you 5 minutes before totality
b. Determine the general position of the Sun at totality (see
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html to
determine the azimuth and elevation)
c. Set up tripod at least 1 hour ahead of time:
i. Level the tripod, 4 options -
1. In-phone level app. Place phone on the tripod in 2 orientations and adjust
until level
2. Spirit/bubble level - Set level on tripod, adjust until bubble is in the middle
when tested at right angles
3. Plumb bob - take a picture and adjust until the line is completely vertical
4. Some cameras have an artificial horizon feature you can use
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4. Some cameras have an artificial horizon feature you can use

ii. OR If you are not imaging the entire eclipse, set tripod to the approximate alt/az of
totality
1. See step 1.a.
2. Use a compass to find north
3. Determine direction to point - two options:
a. Use tripod setting circles
b. App that determines direction
iii. OR if you are shooting from an alt-az mount/piggybacking on a telescope on and
alt/az mount, there will be a way to indicate that in the final version of the Megamovie
upload site. (not currently available, but in the works)
d. Insert new memory card (or have enough space) and batteries
e. Set the recommended shutter speed and bracketing sequence, as calculated in step 2.c.
f. Check timestamp
g. Check your GPS using a method from step 2.a.
h. If you are not shooting in RAW mode set white balance to 5800K
i. Attach your chosen lens (see Equipment above for which lenses are acceptable)
j. Put the camera on the tripod or telescope
k. Cover lens with solar filter or lens cap (attach the filter with string so you can just flick it off
and back on without losing it)
l. Turn off image stabilization/vibration reduction feature
m. Disable the flash! (If you have a stationary flash, you can cover with black tape. But do
NOT cover pop-up flashes with tape as that can cause your camera to report an error and
stop taking pictures. Thanks, Rick!)
n. Focus either on infinity or on the most distant object you can see (not the sun!) and lock the
focus Turn off the auto-focus. Tape the focus in place.
i. Use digital display, focus on distant object, zoom in the display and make sure distant
object is in focus.
ii. If you have a solar filter, you can attach it to your camera lens, then follow the steps
in 14a to focus on the sun.
iii. DO NOT POINT YOUR CAMERA AT THE SUN WITHOUT AN ATTACHED SOLAR
FILTER!
o. Did we mention that you should turn off flash? Flashes during totality are really
annoying and just bad eclipse etiquette
p. Connect remote trigger
q. Cover camera with a white cloth to keep cool

4. Taking a picture of the total eclipse

a. At moment of totality
i. Remove solar filter or lens cap
ii. Minutes before totality, point the camera towards the Sun if not already imaging
(Never look directly at the sun through an unfiltered camera’s optical viewfinder, even if
you are wearing solar glasses, because a telephoto lens will magnify the brightness of
the image)
iii. At totality, remove solar filter or other covering
iv. Snap as many bracketed bursts or continuous shots as you like (1 is fine, 100 are
great too!)

5. Submitting photos to the Megamovie

a. Immediately after if you have a way to connect, as soon as possible if you don’t. Movie will
be constructed that afternoon if you want to be included in that evening news’ Megamovie.
(4pm EDT)
i. Load all images to https://eclipsemega.movie/profile
ii. We are only looking for photos of the totally eclipsed Sun or images with Bailey’s
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ii. We are only looking for photos of the totally eclipsed Sun or images with Bailey’s
Beads
iii. Acceptable file types are RAW, JPEG or PNG. All types of RAW are accepted.
iv. * Note that the online system may not recognize the GPS data in your files. If you
are sure it is included, there is no need to do anything. If you would like to also include
a jpg taken with GPS data to be sure, see the Eclipse Day Preparation GPS section.
b. Correcting for image rotation, or minor cropping is acceptable.
c. Please do not make any adjustments to image contrast, color correction, brightness,
sharpening, or use HDR.
d. We’d like these images for science, so any time after the eclipse you are also able to
upload your images is also helpful.
e. These photos will be credited with the name you use in your
https://eclipsemega.movie/profile profile so make sure that’s what you want it to say

6. Trial Run Preparation

a. Have a trial-run of the preparation in the next step with the Moon at night, between first and
third quarter. Do this as soon as possible, in case it’s cloudy or you find that you need
something you don’t have:
i. Good dates for evening testing: June 1-17, July 1-16, July 30 - Aug 15
ii. Set an arbitrary time to view the Moon in advance (after it has been above the
horizon at least 1 hour), e.g. 9:33pm. You can use some free apps like The Star Map
App (Android, iPhone) that let you set the time and location and see where the moon
will be in the sky.
iii. Attempt to photograph the Moon using the steps below as you will
Document image
doesn't the
display Sun
correctly?
the day of the eclipse. See the original Google Doc
1. You may want to set up the tripod positioning and focus features before it

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