The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, seen from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. In the foreground are two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the F-16 Viper Demo team, parked at the end of the runway for us to use as subjects.
Composited into the image are shots of the Sun as it marches toward (and then, away from) totality. I had set the interval timer to capture a frame every 5 minutes, but because of clouds (and, at times, rain), there is some inconsistency in the spacing and the exposure of the sun. The images represent two hours of motion, with the first image taken at 1:46 pm (ET) and the last frame taken at 3:45 pm. The flare of light (it is hard to make out in a wide shot like this, but it's almost the "diamond ring" effect) is the totality coming to an end, and this is the last image I would take before replacing the solar filter for the rest of the sequence.
Specs for the background image: ISO500, f11, .5 second exposure.
The settings for the shots of the sun vary widely depending on clouds and how far the eclipse had progressed.
And, because the sun was so high in the sky, I (naturally) framed the shot vertically and was shooting with a 17-40mm lens set to 23mm, on a full-frame Canon body.
And, again, big thanks to the Public Affairs and Communication teams at Shaw Air Force Base and to the F-16 Viper Demo team for moving these planes into position for us, and for being so entirely hospitable to the We Report Space team.
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