Behind the Lens: Rock climbing and photographing the eclipse during totality

Jack Nissen
·2 min read

(FOX 2) - Among the thousands of eclipse chasers that flooded into the path of totality for the solar-lunar event of the decade was FOX 2's own Coulter Stuart, a photo journalist with an eye for the amazing and the equipment to photograph it.

As the moon blocked out the sun in the mid-afternoon of April 11, most viewers craned their necks upwards. Most also watched the celestial phenomenon through their solar eclipse-safe glasses.

But Stuart had something different in mind: "The big idea is to photograph our group rock climbing, then photograph the eclipse and put the images together."

The finished product didn't disappoint, with the silhouette of someone scaling the rock wall outlined in front of a total solar eclipse.

Capturing the event required more than a little preparation, starting with a location that would satisfy both the totality and the action happening underneath. Stuart settled on Whipp's Ledges, which is part of the Cleveland Metroparks in northern Ohio.

It's a popular climbing spot and considered a jewel for those who like top roping and bouldering.

<div>FOX 2 photojournalist Coulter Stuart captured the solar eclipse and the rock climber in separate images, then spliced them together. Photo Credit: Coulter Stuart</div>
FOX 2 photojournalist Coulter Stuart captured the solar eclipse and the rock climber in separate images, then spliced them together. Photo Credit: Coulter Stuart

First, Stuart and those that joined him did some climbing themselves, photographing the experience from several angles to ensure one was perfect. Then, around 2 p.m., after the eclipse had started and 100% totality was nearing, he readied the shot, using the view finder from the camera to capture the moment.

He wouldn't know how it would turn out until he got back home.

But for the few moments of darkness, there was no more planning or angling the shot, no physical exertion or mental gymnastics; just lining up of the three celestial bodies and everyone caught in the middle.

"I can't help but feel small and insignificant until I realize it's our human consciousness that gives this moment meaning," Stuart says in the video.

Doctor Tyler Nordgren, an astronomer who has published multiple books on eclipses, describes the moment as significant for the same reason.

"It's not just the alignment of the sun and moon and the Earth…it is the alignment of the sun and the moon with you, the viewer."