About 6 weeks before the celestial event, I decided to pull the trigger and find a room on the Path of Totality. My lack of decisiveness earlier on cost me big time because there were only three hotel rooms left within a reasonable driving distance and the prices were jacked up sky high. Money could be replaced, but lost opportunities being lost forever was my rationale for this first of several similar preparatory decisions. The room I snagged was in a no-name budget hotel but the prices were closer to the Hilton.
In order to make this worthwhile, some investments needed to be made in photography equipment. If I was going, I was damn well going to photograph it and the right stuff was required to do so. My first purchase was a new tripod because my old one was barely usable as it didn't lock into position properly anymore. I justified this because I like to go birding and having a tripod is more than a bit helpful. I spent almost 10x more for the new one which is lightweight carbon fiber, than I did for my old clunky, heavy original 20 years prior. While I was at the store getting the tripod, I checked in to renting a lens. There were two I was interested in and I was able to test out both of them on a camera body model the same as my own. I played with them for some time before choosing which one to put on hold for rental. A week later I returned to the store and bought the 200 - 500mm f/5.6 Nikon lens so I could practice before the event. Unfortunately just the lens was not sufficient. Just like my eyes, I had to protect the sensor in my camera with at least 15 stops of light blockage. The filters to accomplish that were not cheap. Making all of these purchases significantly reduced my savings account.
I started playing with my new lens immediately and got pretty comfortable with its weight and how it sat on the tripod. The results were spectacular! Check out the two photos below. The first is a "blood moon" lunar eclipse from several years ago with my 18 - 200 mm kit lens and the second is a waxing gibbous moon with the new lens at 500mm.
Soon it became clear that sharing this experience would be better than going it alone, though I was more than prepared to fly solo. On a whim, I shot a text to my big brother, Chuck, who is an avid astronomy buff, "I just booked a room on the Path of Totality for the eclipse. Do you want to come along?" Within minutes he agreed and our very first adventure together was set. After that, he would regularly send me links to articles, simulations, recommended apps and safety information.
The day arrived and we were on the road by 6:15 AM hoping for a 4 PM arrival time. The drive took an hour longer than expected due to increased traffic: We weren't the only ones heading for totality! We also made an obligatory stop at the roadside attraction South of the Border, so we didn't arrive to the hotel until around 5:30 PM. It was called The Southern Lodge and it was small, old and dated. The women at the front desk were very warm, friendly and welcoming. They gave us a complimentary bottle of wine, and then suggested a restaurant for us to try after we got settled into the room.
Room 123 was ours and we drove to its door and unloaded the car. The instant the door was opened the stench of stale cigarettes wafted out. It was more than a little unpleasant and permeated the entire room. The furniture was old and worn, with a country style decor, left over from the early 1980s. There was a king sized bed and a sofa bed, so my brother would have his own bed. The sink was outside the tiny bathroom and the tub had a line of amber burn marks along its edge where lit cigarettes were rested while smokers used the toilet. The only thing in the room that was modern was the flat screen TV. It was not a good impression, but there were no other rooms in the state that were on the path of totality so even though I paid Hilton prices, we had no choice but to stay in this hovel.
Famished, we headed down the road to FATZ, a southern restaurant chain. We checked in with the host to learn that there was a 20 - 30 minute wait. There were no seats in the waiting area so I went around the corner to check out the bar. Two men were settling up their bill so they could move to a table with the rest of their families and I asked Chuck if he would be OK sitting at the bar to eat. He agreed, so I went to the host to take our name off the list while he went to claim the seats at the bar. I love to sit at a bar and eat, so this arrangement was more than fine with me. After we got settled in and placed our orders it didn't take long to start chatting with the people around us.
My brother was next to a couple from Texas who made the trip to SC just like us, to experience the totality of the eclipse. I was next to a family from U.K., a couple and their two young daughters. They lived about 70 miles north of London and were regular eclipse chasers. They had fascinating tales to tell of travel all over the world, including Australia and Turkey, to experience eclipse totality. It was their 7th total eclipse as a couple and the girls' first. The father's name was Paul and he insisted that once experienced, we would also be hooked, and find ourselves planning to see another total eclipse. We talked for quite awhile about the phenomena that occur leading up to and during totality and the awe that he felt at the process and the unexpected beauty. I didn't think it was possible, but that conversation made us even more excited for the next day's event.
We had a lazy morning on eclipse day. We went to the free breakfast provided by the hotel and then packed up most everything. I readied my camera and tripod and we prepared to move out of the room and into the car until the long awaited celestial event. Check out time was 11 AM so we would have about 4 hours outside on a hot, sunny day. I took the key to the front desk to check out and told them that we were going to hang out in the parking lot until after the eclipse, then we'd clear out. To my utter surprise and delight the clerk told me that we could have the room until we were ready to leave. I was blown away and Chuck was very pleased about it too. Southern hospitality is a wonderful thing!
As the time for the eclipse approached, temperatures outside started to climb. By the time the astronomical event began, it was upwards of 90 ℉. From the moment that the disk of the moon began to overlay that of the sun, our heads were pointed skyward every few minutes, with eye protection in place, or for myself, through the protected lens of the camera. The sky remained bright and sunny throughout the moon's traverse. Even during the diamond ring phase, when there we only a bit of sunlight peering through from one side, it was full on daylight. Moments later and in an instant as the moon's perfectly aligned over the sun, it became dark. The sky turned a deep slate blue. We removed our protective eye wear and gazed in amazement as the sun's corona shone around its darkened orb. It was white and yellow and orange and red. Solar flares, like spewing volcanoes were visible. Stars and planets that were obscured by the brightness of day appeared to our delight. Songbirds stopped singing, crickets began chirping, and streetlights came on. We looked all around us to take in the awe inspiring experience of a 360° sunset. My 65 year-old brother transformed into a gleeful child, filled with curiosity and amazement. I could not contain the joy I felt and found myself smiling widely and giggling. Even my body was responding with the energy of excitement. I wanted everyone to have this experience, and all the while I was clicking my remote shutter release, recording hundreds of images to mark my presence on the Path of Totality.
The 3 minutes of totality sped by, and in an instant, it was once again daylight. The second diamond ring came and went. The streetlights turned off, the crickets were silenced, and the songbirds resumed their song. Still giddy from what we had just experienced, I packed up the camera gear, we gathered up the remainder of our belongings from the hotel room and shut the door behind us. We made a quick stop to the office to return our key and express our gratitude to the staff one last time. It was time to head back home. The eight hour drive took us 13 hours as the rest of the eclipse chasers took to the roads to return to their homes and lives. We were exhausted and happy as we recounted our experience several times.
Needless to say, I was more than a little bit eager to get home so that I could upload my images, begin the editing process, and share the fruits of my photographic labor with my friends, family, and the world. I slept soundly that night, and as soon as I awoke, I removed the SD card from my camera and popped it into the computer. I set up the upload and was utterly and completely disappointed that there was not a single shot, not one, that was good enough, or crisply focused enough. I spent hours pouring through the 400+ images in hope of finding one worthy of my time to edit. Filled with the agony of shame for my utter lack of skill, I chose a single image for my editing attempt and embarrassingly shared it on social media. Here it is:
Hopefully there will be another chance for me. If all things go as planned, my brother and I plan to be on the Path of Totality for the next total eclipse visible from the United States. Hopefully by April 8, 2024 I will be ready.
My brother was next to a couple from Texas who made the trip to SC just like us, to experience the totality of the eclipse. I was next to a family from U.K., a couple and their two young daughters. They lived about 70 miles north of London and were regular eclipse chasers. They had fascinating tales to tell of travel all over the world, including Australia and Turkey, to experience eclipse totality. It was their 7th total eclipse as a couple and the girls' first. The father's name was Paul and he insisted that once experienced, we would also be hooked, and find ourselves planning to see another total eclipse. We talked for quite awhile about the phenomena that occur leading up to and during totality and the awe that he felt at the process and the unexpected beauty. I didn't think it was possible, but that conversation made us even more excited for the next day's event.
We had a lazy morning on eclipse day. We went to the free breakfast provided by the hotel and then packed up most everything. I readied my camera and tripod and we prepared to move out of the room and into the car until the long awaited celestial event. Check out time was 11 AM so we would have about 4 hours outside on a hot, sunny day. I took the key to the front desk to check out and told them that we were going to hang out in the parking lot until after the eclipse, then we'd clear out. To my utter surprise and delight the clerk told me that we could have the room until we were ready to leave. I was blown away and Chuck was very pleased about it too. Southern hospitality is a wonderful thing!
As the time for the eclipse approached, temperatures outside started to climb. By the time the astronomical event began, it was upwards of 90 ℉. From the moment that the disk of the moon began to overlay that of the sun, our heads were pointed skyward every few minutes, with eye protection in place, or for myself, through the protected lens of the camera. The sky remained bright and sunny throughout the moon's traverse. Even during the diamond ring phase, when there we only a bit of sunlight peering through from one side, it was full on daylight. Moments later and in an instant as the moon's perfectly aligned over the sun, it became dark. The sky turned a deep slate blue. We removed our protective eye wear and gazed in amazement as the sun's corona shone around its darkened orb. It was white and yellow and orange and red. Solar flares, like spewing volcanoes were visible. Stars and planets that were obscured by the brightness of day appeared to our delight. Songbirds stopped singing, crickets began chirping, and streetlights came on. We looked all around us to take in the awe inspiring experience of a 360° sunset. My 65 year-old brother transformed into a gleeful child, filled with curiosity and amazement. I could not contain the joy I felt and found myself smiling widely and giggling. Even my body was responding with the energy of excitement. I wanted everyone to have this experience, and all the while I was clicking my remote shutter release, recording hundreds of images to mark my presence on the Path of Totality.
The 3 minutes of totality sped by, and in an instant, it was once again daylight. The second diamond ring came and went. The streetlights turned off, the crickets were silenced, and the songbirds resumed their song. Still giddy from what we had just experienced, I packed up the camera gear, we gathered up the remainder of our belongings from the hotel room and shut the door behind us. We made a quick stop to the office to return our key and express our gratitude to the staff one last time. It was time to head back home. The eight hour drive took us 13 hours as the rest of the eclipse chasers took to the roads to return to their homes and lives. We were exhausted and happy as we recounted our experience several times.
Needless to say, I was more than a little bit eager to get home so that I could upload my images, begin the editing process, and share the fruits of my photographic labor with my friends, family, and the world. I slept soundly that night, and as soon as I awoke, I removed the SD card from my camera and popped it into the computer. I set up the upload and was utterly and completely disappointed that there was not a single shot, not one, that was good enough, or crisply focused enough. I spent hours pouring through the 400+ images in hope of finding one worthy of my time to edit. Filled with the agony of shame for my utter lack of skill, I chose a single image for my editing attempt and embarrassingly shared it on social media. Here it is:
Hopefully there will be another chance for me. If all things go as planned, my brother and I plan to be on the Path of Totality for the next total eclipse visible from the United States. Hopefully by April 8, 2024 I will be ready.
