How to photograph the solar eclipse with a smartphone

Mira Wassef
·2 min read
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NEW YORK (PIX11) – Practice those moon shots if you want the perfect photo of the total solar eclipse next week, experts say.

The nation is already buzzing about Monday’s event because it’s been 45 years since the last total solar eclipse in the United States. The last time anyone saw a total solar eclipse in the United States was on Feb. 26, 1979. It has been even longer — 99 years — since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

And practically everyone will be looking to capture that Instagram-worthy shot, likely with a smartphone.

You can sneak under a tree for some shade during the solar eclipse so the patches of sunlight can be easily captured with a cellphone, according to Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist.

“With a bit of preparation, you will be able to create some stunning pictures,” according to NASA.

Before the big day, here are some tips and tricks to help you get a quality shot during the solar eclipse:

  • Practice photographing the full moon to get an idea of how large the eclipse will appear with your smartphone’s lens. Use your finger to adjust the focus and metering spots.

  • You need to adjust your focus manually, and this can be done by simply tapping the screen and holding your finger on the moon to lock the focus on an iPhone. For Androids, you have to search for the exposure setting.

  • Try an affordable zoom lens attachment that will give you 12x to 18x zoom, which will make the solar eclipse look clearer and more detailed. The attachments can run $20 to $40.

  • Try using the delay timer set at 5 seconds so that once you press the exposure button, the camera waits 5 seconds before taking the next shot. That can give you vibration-free images.

  • Try to zoom out for a wide-angle view to get landscape and group photos.

  • When manually focusing your smartphone on the enlarged eclipse, make sure that you center the focus spot on the edge of the moon, which will be a sharp edge for the camera to auto-focus on. Also, adjust the light sensor spot manually so that it is metering the corona. You may need to move the metering spot around to get the best contrast and image definition.

  • Make sure that you stop and enjoy the view!

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