I've followed this guy for a while. He's got to be one of the world's best nature photographers.
As a pro photographer I’ve always been intrigued by serendipity and luck. For instance, the amateur who photographed Mt. St. Helens moment of “the big one” eruption with a spectacular landslide preceding the event has made money licensing those images every year since.
Yet this is an example of something that required foresight and planning- and just a bit of serendipity. It’s a great image.
I’ve had some trouble illustrating the difference between these two concepts for people not in the profession. Yet my professional success has been entirely based upon the latter. However even with all the planning and preproduction work, most of my success has relied on serendipity to a degree. Sometimes this results in failure because this last little ingredient never happened.
Scrolling down that page it seems many photographers had a really fun time with this eclipse. Obviously the birds pics, but also the mountaineer and the guy "holding" the eclipse are absolutely amazing.
What a fantastic read. Love the dedication and the insight into what it takes to make art like that.
He probably had a cannon to make sure the birds were in the air during the eclipse :-)
The photographer likely used a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a telephoto lens and a solar filter to protect the camera and lens. They may have also used a tripod for stability. By adjusting settings like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, they captured the eclipse's phases, ensuring proper exposure and sharpness. Additionally, careful planning, timing, and location scouting were crucial for capturing the moment effectively.
What percentage of the population would you say has an interest in a craft at or above this level?
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Gen AI: “I Made This.”
What a horrible photo, really. Jesus on the cross.
Glad others were photographing it. I was just there for the ahhhhs. It's a kind of a religious experience for me and, though it was my second, I knew from the first one that I ought to just ignore the phone and just take in the experience. No regrets.
I'm old enough that it's questionable I'll be around in 21 years for the next one in the U.S.. Only my middle daughter has not yet seen one (wife and the other two daughters are good). If I am lucky I'll be alive to join her for it.
I have to say, bit off topic, I'm fairly pissed off that I didn't get "my Halley's comet". Or rather, I got it, but it was crap. I suppose I could live to be 97.... (I am not sure if Mark Twain was lucky or unlucky with regard to Halley's.)
Anyway, Hale-Bopp was a treat, I have to confess. I suppose I am fortunate for that.