How to Photograph the Total Solar Eclipse
by Alan Dyer
$10 (iBooks or PDF)
Copyright ©2017, 290 pages

As part of my preparation for viewing and photographing the Total Solar Eclipse on 21 August 2017, I purchased the "How to Photograph the Total Solar Eclipse" iBook for my iPad. (There is a PDF version available but the iBooks version provides lots of interactivity and additional capabilities not available in the PDF version.)

The Amazing Sky web site provides a nice overview of the book. The Table of Contents lists what you will learn from the book:

  Chapter 1: Introduction
  Chapter 2: The Eclipse Experience
  Chapter 3: Where to Go
  Chapter 4: Eclipse Photo Fundamentals
  Chapter 5: Shooting Wide-Angle Stills
  Chapter 6: Shooting Close-Up Stills
  Chapter 7: Shooting Time-Lapses
  Chapter 8: Shooting Video
  Chapter 9: Shooting Composites
  Chapter 10: What Can Go Wrong?
  Chapter 11: Processing Eclipse Images
  Chapter 12: Conclusion

The iBook starts with a short video of a previous Total Solar Eclipse as a teaser. It then goes into worthwhile details on this year's Eclipse. Much of the content of the first 4 chapters will be useful to first-time eclipse goers or to those still trying to decide where to go. But then you get into the real heart of the book which provides a lot of valuable information and tips on almost every page for still and video photography during the Total Solar Eclipse. I thought I had planned for everything before reading the book but I was wrong! I found many of the unexpected tips to be extremely useful and have already taken steps to incorporate the advice in my eclipse planning.

High quality photos and graphics are on every page of the book. Here is just one example:

Chapter 11 discusses using software to process your eclipse images. It covers mostly Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, along with brief mentions of some other programs. You will likely find the instructions here most valuable when you return home following the Eclipse and begin editing your photographs.

The book wraps up with many online and other resources to enhance your planning and enjoyment of the Total Solar Eclipse.

Summary

To get the most out of your experience of this year's Total Solar Eclipse, this is a book you definitely want. Whether you plan to photograph the eclipse with a DSLR, a video camera, or even a smartphone, with a wide-angle lens, telephoto lens, or through a telescope, the book will give you expert advice from Mr. Dyer, an experienced eclipse chaser. Even if your plans are to just observe the eclipse there is much in the book that will be useful to you.

I recommend you get this downloadable book now and read it now. Like me, you may have to order some additional, unplanned, equipment and you will want time for the item(s) to arrive and for testing. Links to purchase the book (iBooks or PDF) are available on the Amazing Sky web site.

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