Total eclipse 8.21.17
What is this Burning Daylight?
How many of you witnessed the eclipse on 8.21.17? For months we had been hearing about the coming eclipse. There were blurbs about it every week leading up to the “event” and the final few weeks every news station saturated their coverage with it. Oh, and you’d better have the ISO approved viewing glasses or you WILL go blind!
Since we were in the full coverage area, I wanted to take advantage of this once in a lifetime event. I did some research to make sure I wouldn’t fry my camera and lens. Although I did see plenty of photos of burnt equipment.
I also checked my gear before leaving the house that morning to ensure everything was in working order. Camera, batteries, 300mm lens with 2x extender, ND filters, tripod, and the “official glasses” as provided by my wife.
Now it’s almost show time and it’s hot. What else do you expect while standing on black asphalt on an August afternoon at 1pm!
I waited until about 1pm or 20 minutes before totality to head outside. I got set up quickly and I was ready. But, for what! As time drew closer I had trouble seeing my camera and settings with the glasses on, and with them off to check the focus, the best I could do was squint and glance upward. A woman watching me and taking photos of me with her phone was having a hilarious time. Now it’s time! The diamond ring was seconds away. All I could do was snap and pray. It seemed like a blur! We were told we would have about a minute and 40 seconds of totality, but it only lasted about 40 seconds. Snap and adjust. Snap and adjust. I tried a range of settings to capture what I really couldn’t see with my eyes because I had my glasses off. (No, honey, I didn’t look directly at the sun.) The “diamond ring” effect is fleeting, then comes totality. With glasses off I snapped a few more and looked around. Seeing stars and planets during an eclipse is pretty cool. The sky is just dark enough to see their light. And within moments we’re on the other side of the eclipse and the sky begins to lighten.
I took a minute to review a few of the images I captured and thought I had a few “decent” shots but, I’d have to wait until I could load them on my computer. When I got home and saw them on my monitor I was more than pleased – I was blown away! People have asked me two questions: 1 – Is my image fake. There were a lot of fake photos making their way around the internet. Nope! It’s real. I adjusted the contrast slightly to keep the blacks black. 2 – How did you do that? Honestly – luck! Sure I have pretty good knowledge of photography, but this can’t be planned. Or, maybe the better reason is as a friend said, “Today you were given a gift.” I like that answer a lot better. Why was I in the exact right spot, with the exact right equipment, at the exact right nano-second, positioned at the exact right angle to the sun? I don’t know! Sometimes that’s how gifts work. Planning is good. Practicing is good. Showing up is necessary. But, when God gives you a gift – just receive it.
Note: Not knowing beforehand – had I placed the sun in the center of the viewfinder I would have missed the rainbow of colors that flare out to the edges of the frame. Like the brilliance of a diamond all of the colors are there: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Just as God designed and the same as when you look at His promise in the rainbow.
Why the title Burning Daylight?
First a little homage to John Wayne. The movie The Cowboys was filmed in 1972 and the story was about a rancher – Wayne – who hired 10 boys to help get his cattle to market because the men took off to mine for gold. His famously quoted line in the movie is, “We’re burning daylight.” Which meant – it’s time to get moving!
Every one of us has been given time, talents, resources, and relationships to make an impact while we’re here. The size or amount of each isn’t the question. It’s will we use them and how will we use them. The choice is yours. But, one thing I know for sure, regardless of your decision, we’re Burning Daylight!
