Expert gives advice on photographing total solar eclipse- People's Daily Online

Expert gives advice on photographing total solar eclipse

09:47, July 16, 2009

Mr Li from Shanghai, who has experience of photographing solar and lunar eclipses, traveled to Lhasa on July 10. He said that he was very lucky to be able to tour Lhasa. On July 22 he will get up very early, go to the roof of the hotel and set up his equipment to take pictures. Jin He, a photo enthusiast from Dalian, told reporters that his camera was not a professional SLR, but he had a good way to make up for that, he took a single-tube telescope out of his backpack, and explained that he will connect it to his small digital camera on July 22.

"As photo enthusiasts, a strange feeling works its way into our hearts when we watch the solar eclipse, and it is fascinating to take photos of the things around us, like the changing sky and the changing reactions of the watchers," said Che Gang, vice president of the Tibet Photography Society. He taught some of the tricks about photographing the solar eclipse to residents. He said that before taking the actual photo, rigorous planning and practice is needed, for instance, choosing the right apparatus in advance such as long-focus lenses, tripods and shutter release systems is important.

He added that the content of the photo should be pre-determined, focus on the eclipse itself or the environment, and never try to catch everything. Make sure to use a big enough memory card. Try not to change memory cards before and after the eclipse. Take enough batteries, and check the battery level before taking the picture.

Che Gang added that people should focus on the brighter areas; to counterbalance this, the exposure value should be increased by slightly more than half. In composition, landmarks like mountains and buildings in Lhasa should be in the foreground. During the eclipse, the sun should be in the center of focus. However, before the eclipse, never point the camera lens directly at the sun to avoid burning out the photosensitive elements inside.

By People's Daily Online