The most useful eclipse-photography secret is preparation: rehearse a fixed-aperture bracket of shutter speeds before eclipse day, then use it during totality. The Sun’s corona contains details across a wide range of brightness, so one exposure is unlikely to capture them all. NASA’s general guidance offers a starting point—not settings tested specifically for the 2027 eclipse.
Why exposure bracketing helps photograph the corona
During totality, the Moon covers the Sun’s bright face and reveals the corona. NASA’s eclipse-photography guide describes the corona’s surface brightness as about one million times fainter than the photosphere. A single exposure may preserve brighter inner structures but lose faint outer detail, or reveal fainter detail while overexposing brighter areas.
Bracketing means taking a sequence of photographs at different shutter speeds while keeping the aperture fixed. The sequence gives you images with different exposures to choose from or combine later. NASA’s 2024 tips suggest experimenting during totality across approximately 1/1000 second to one second at a fixed aperture. Treat that as a broad practice range, not a guaranteed recipe: the right exposures depend on your camera, lens, filter, and conditions.
How to prepare your camera before eclipse day
- Choose your subject and setup. For a close-up of the Sun and corona, use a camera with manual controls and a longer focal length, along with a compatible, purpose-designed solar filter for the partial phases. For people, landscape, or changing light, a basic camera or phone may be enough.
- Practice the controls. Learn how to change shutter speed and aperture, focus, and trigger a sequence without hunting through menus. Rehearse the bracket you intend to use so the operation feels familiar.
- Calibrate for partial phases safely. With the solar filter secured over the front of the camera optics, test exposures on the uneclipsed Sun. NASA’s older technical guide suggests fixed apertures in the f/8 to f/16 range for this calibration; haze or clouds may call for bracketing. These are starting points, not universal settings.
- Rehearse totality exposures. Before eclipse day, test how your camera handles a fixed aperture and a range of shutter speeds. NASA’s approximate 1/1000-second-to-one-second range is a useful span to explore, but do not assume every value will suit your equipment or the 2027 sky.
- Plan the phase change. Know how you will remove the front-mounted filter at the start of totality and replace it immediately when any bright sunlight returns. If possible, practice the movements with the camera pointed away from the Sun.
When to use a solar filter—and when to remove it
Keep a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of your camera lens or other optical equipment whenever any part of the Sun’s bright face is visible. Remove it only during totality, when the Moon completely blocks that bright face. Replace it as soon as the bright Sun begins to reappear.
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NASA warns that looking at any part of the bright Sun through an unfiltered camera lens, binoculars, or telescope can cause severe eye injury. Handheld eclipse glasses are not a substitute for a filter mounted over the front of camera optics. For direct viewing, use appropriate solar eye protection outside totality; NASA says safe solar viewers should comply with ISO 12312-2 and does not endorse a particular brand. That handheld-viewer standard should not be confused with requirements for photographic filters.
Choose a close-up or photograph the whole experience
A large solar image is only one way to photograph an eclipse. A longer focal length makes the Sun look larger in the frame, but actual framing depends on the camera format and lens. NASA’s technical guide gives illustrative examples: a 50 mm lens produces a 0.5 mm solar image, a 200 mm telephoto produces a 1.9 mm image, and a 500 mm mirror lens produces a 4.6 mm image. These are optical examples, not product recommendations.
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- Black polymer is the most common filtering material for observing sunspots and granulation, through telescopes and binoculars.
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For a wider view, photograph the changing landscape, people watching, or natural pinhole projections as the light changes. A tripod can help stabilize low-light scenes, but it does not replace a solar filter during partial phases. NASA photographer Bill Ingalls put the people-centered approach plainly: “The real pictures are going to be of the people around you pointing, gawking, and watching it.”
What to photograph as the eclipse changes
NASA identifies Baily’s Beads and the diamond-ring effect around the transition into totality, as well as the corona, prominences, shadow changes, and the surrounding landscape. These moments and views call for different framing and exposure choices, which is another reason to rehearse your camera controls in advance.
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- Black polymer is the most common filtering material for observing sunspots and granulation, through telescopes and binoculars.
- These sheets are a quality product of Thousand Oaks Optical, Arizona, a manufacturer of safe solar filters for over 30 years. "Stronger than Mylar with the filtering properties protected within the substrate. Guaranteed five years."
- Make a filter on your own for any telescope / binoculars / camera, and for a fraction of what factory made filters cost.
- The sun will appear in a natural orange color when viewed through your telescope using this filter.
- WARNING: ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE FILTER IS WELL ATTACHED TO THE TELESCOPE/BINOCULARS, USING STICKY TAPE, TO KEEP IT FROM FALLING WHILE OBSERVING!
Keep the sequence manageable. Set up and check your framing before the brief total phase, then use the rehearsed bracket rather than improvising every setting. Leave time to look at the eclipse directly during totality, when unprotected viewing is safe only while the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—known about 2027-specific settings
The cited NASA guidance provides general eclipse-photography and safety advice, not camera settings tested for the 2027 eclipse. It does not establish local contact times, totality duration at a particular location, or likely weather. Check current official eclipse circumstances for your location before planning timing; use the bracket as a practiced starting method rather than a forecast of exact exposure needs.
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