On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible over a wide stretch of North America. My hometown of Cleveland, Ohio is in the path of totality, which, to be fair to everyone involved, I will let someone else describe:
A solar eclipse occurs at the New Moon in certain months when the shadow of the Moon passes over the Earth, so that the face of the Sun becomes obscured. The Moon’s shadow passes over a certain area of the daytime hemisphere of the Earth, which is only where the eclipse can be seen.
The Moon has an umbra or full shadow, and a penumbra, or a partial shadow. The umbra is the full 100% shadow of the Moon, so it is only within the umbra that totality is visible.
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Cleveland is one of many big cities along the path of totality, including Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Akron, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester and Montreal. But of all those places, Cleveland is closely located to the centerline of the path of totality and will therefore have a longer duration of totality than many other locations. - Eclipse Over Cleveland.
The takeaway, for those of us in the path of totality, or as I like to call it, Umbra Avenue, is that we will witness a rare celestial event. This is in itself enough to get me out into the open spaces for a good look at the sky, but as a photographer, it presents it own unique set of circumstances.
Photography is itself an understanding of light. Sunshine, shadows, flat light, back light, on-camera flash, off-camera flash, blue hour, golden hour, the list goes on, but I suspect you get the picture. I avoid using a flash if I can help it, not because of any judgmental feelings toward artificial lighting, but because I find the constraint of natural light forces me to be more creative. Sure, I can light up a subject with a flash and make them stand out in an image, but it does something to the mind’s eye when we subconsciously know the sunlight is coming from a different angle than what unnaturally lights up a subject’s face. Is there a headlamp nearby instead? What about a longer exposure? Give me a live flame! There are ways to play when the light is low. When it comes to sunrise and sunset, even amateur photographers know when to head outside and take a photo. During the day, most people can see the harsh light from a midday sun, but can they play with the shadows? Throw on a polarizer and see what happens.
My point to all this pictorial pontificating is that these options exist every time I pick up my camera. They are known unknowns. I run through all the basics in my head and throw in the eyes of my heart and somewhere between the two I get a decent image I will save, edit, and sit on for months until I am sure it’s good enough to share. But what on earth do I do with the light from a total solar eclipse? Not only have I never seen a total solar eclipse, but I’ve never seen the light from such an event, either. Oh, and if I miss the shot, I have the rest of my life to regret it.
Fortunately, photographer and Cleveland art connoisseur Michael Weil invited a group of 25 artists to enter pieces at an upcoming exhibition called Eclipse the Photosphere. The submission guideline for entry was that each piece must confront, express, or interpret celestial phenomena. All mediums welcome. Michael has taught the history of photography as a professional, so I think he knew the oncoming awareness of eclipse anxiety his community might be feeling. An art show is a perfect way to find an empathetic ear, and a better way to celebrate something special.
Cloudrise - We often think of the moon as the opposite of the sun. The moon doesn't create light, it reflects it. The moon moves through the night sky instead of day. But the moon is, after all, not a star. The night sky is full of stars, any one of which could be an opposite for our sun. The moon is something altogether different.
Where the stars and sun wait for one another to disappear before they ignite in our mind's eye, the moon is at home during night and day, waxing or waning. In some cases, the moon appears in the sky all to itself, in the space between. Perhaps in a world so full of light and dark, day and night, the space the moon creates between the extremes can bring a new kind of illumination. - D kendrick C
Beyond the exhibition of Cloudrise, I have yet to come up with a plan for how to photograph the eclipse, or if I will take a photo at all. It’s easy to get caught up behind the lens of an experience and miss something, especially an experience so new and simultaneously ancient as a solar eclipse. I guess I have a few ideas that need testing, a couple locations that may or may not pan out, but I’m still waiting for something divine to come to mind.
When the moon crosses between the sun and planet earth next month, you can be sure I’ll be out there somewhere, trying something. You can also be sure that the art at Eclipse the Photosphere will provide you with views on par with any astronomical event. You won’t even have to wait 420 years to see it again.
Between the upcoming photo op, my participation in a wonderful event, and a once in a lifetime experience, I just hope my stroll down Umbra Avenue in Cleveland will, for once, not include any clouds.
Cloudrise will be featured at the Eclipsing the Photosphere exhibition in the month of April at the Bostwick Design Art Initiative on 4824 Umbra 2731 Prospect Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. Join me and twenty-four other artists on the evening of April 3 for an opening reception from 5:30-7:30pm.