FORT WORTH, TEXAS (AP) — Photographer Mat Otero has worked at the AP’s Dallas bureau for nearly 30 years. In that time he has covered an annular and partial solar eclipse, so he was up for the challenge of taking a photo of the only total solar eclipse on this scale that he is likely to cover in his career (the next eclipse from coast to coast in the USA it is expected in 21 years). This is what he said about making this extraordinary image.
Why this photo
My job is to create and select compelling images that will attract the viewer, communicating through my lens with their eyes and brain. That’s part of the magic of AP: our work makes a truly massive journey every day, from the field to viewers around the world.
With millions of people interested in an event as historic and widely photographed as this eclipse, I knew that anything I produced would need to grab immediate attention and be shipped as quickly as possible after the moment. We joke at AP that every millisecond is our deadline.
Our modern cameras can capture large quantities of photos, requiring us to manage and edit to get the best choices very quickly. In the minutes and seconds before the eclipse, the clouds moved in and out. I thought I was going to get hit by a possum and have nothing. Finally, the clouds opened, separating for a few minutes and allowing light to enter my camera to take this photo.
How did I take this photo
Before the eclipse, I illustrated an AP story about research at the Fort Worth Zoo on how animals react to darkness, so it was decided to position myself there for the actual eclipse. We were on the edge of totality, so the event would be a little faster than locations near the center of its path across the country.
I have a variety of neutral density filters because I have previously photographed an annular eclipse, when the moon is furthest away in its Earth orbit and therefore does not block all of the sun. A “ring” of bright sunlight surrounds the moon, but the spectacular corona is not visible as it would be during a total eclipse. This time I used the filters to make a solar optical filter to use with a new 200-600mm lens – which would be my main camera. I also had wide-angle and medium-range cameras, both mounted on a tripod to be operated by remote controls.
I read as much as I could about photographing a total eclipse. I tested equipment, shooting position and sun positioning. A solar tracking app was a helpful guide to where the sun would be in the sky. As the sun was at a very high angle, I decided the best position was to lie on my back looking up. I practiced lying on a yoga block and mat holding a long-lens camera and keeping as still as possible.
Seeking to obtain the most exuberant appearance of the camera and reducing the possibility of digital noise, I chose to photograph with a slower shutter speed (1/50 of a second) and ISO (160) with an aperture of 6.3 to better show possible solar energy. prominences – the reddish trails of plasma that leave the surface of the sun.
With my yoga mat in tow, I made sure to pack a small lunch for myself and a reporter working in our place in the Zoo gallery. As totality progressed, there were some technical issues that needed to be resolved: switching to a hard wire when my remote control didn’t work, and repositioning the tripod to frame the sky – where is the sun again? I sometimes describe my work as looking through a straw and now it’s also a cloudy day.
I had read and talked to other photographers about how quickly the light burst phase of the eclipse would pass, but wow, it was faster and more stunning than I expected.
I could have audibly gasped as I “prayed and sprayed,” shooting and watching the ever-changing light. I even said to myself out loud, “You can see the fire.” Fortunately, the clouds stayed open long enough to allow a good view. As soon as the giant shadow passed, I marked my possible best shots on camera and put them on my laptop for quick editing and sending to the photo desk editors.
Why this photo works
Visual communication can be timeless, not requiring translation. This photo captured a split second in time, showing shards of solar energy and light struggling to make their way around the dark side of the moon. It feels like a secret look into the cosmos and the celestial dance of the Earth, Moon and Sun, all spinning around each other at incomprehensible speeds. The photo reminds me of ancient Native American rock art, depicting the solar eclipses that our ancestors watched, just as we did.
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