Across the vast millennia of human existence, the total solar eclipse remains the most spectacular and celebrated of astronomical phenomena. As the blue sky dimmed, I suddenly decided to shoot the 2024 solar eclipse on black and white film using my trusty Hasselblad 500 C/M. Capturing a photograph of a total solar eclipse ranks high on many photographers' bucket lists.
Way back in 2017, when the world was pure and innocent, I was fortunate enough to be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse as the spectacle unfolded above the Appalachian Mountains. It did not disappoint. Fast-forward to 2024, and I found myself once again situated in the southern United States bordering the path of near-totality (about 95%).
To be honest, I hadn’t planned on shooting this year’s eclipse at all. Call me cynical, but I had already “been there and done that.” The desire to shoot the event again was simply not with me.
However, my attitude immediately shifted when texts from photographer friends (photographic enablers) began rolling in, showing off their camera setups trained at the darkening skies. A switch flipped. The muse sang.
I immediately found inspiration. There would be regret and gnashing of teeth should I not at least make an effort to photograph the sun and moon’s celestial tango. But how to make things a bit more interesting? How to make shooting this year’s eclipse a personal challenge? I had just the thing: Alice.
This time around, I would attempt to capture the .