Hello everyone,

Our August Spain adventure will be here soon. I made a final scouting trip to the area a few weeks ago and it will be very exciting. Zaragoza is very aware of how special it is to the path of totality and they are geared up for it.

I did more precise scouting on where we’ll shoot the eclipse. It is from a bridge so we can have a large cathedral in the foreground. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has thought of being there, so we’ll have to get our positions early.

There are a couple of ways to photograph totality, you can see the different shots on my website workshop description page at https://www.lorenphotos.com/product/spain-eclipse-photo-workshop/. One is to use a long lens in the 500-600mm range and get a tight shot of the sun with the moon blocking it. This is when you make the shot of the corona flaring out and there won’t be anything in the foreground. You won’t see the corona with your eyes but we’ll do multiple shots and bracket exposures and put them together later in the computer.

Another way to photograph the eclipse is to have something in the foreground, which is why we’re going to be on the bridge. I recommend using a lens in the 70-200mm range, you can go wider but the sun will be rather small in the shot. 

I have to say something I think is extremely important. Once totality starts you don’t want to be fussing with equipment. We’ll do a practice shoot the day before to make sure you have the proper camera settings and work out any kinks but once totality starts you won’t have time to fix anything that isn’t working. I won’t be able to help you. Totality lasts 1 minute and 25 seconds at our location and I’m going to insist that you spend at least some time not making photos and just taking in the eclipse. This is one time the many pictures in your memory will be better than the ones in your camera.

Unless you have photographed total solar eclipses before and feel extremely confident handling your equipment, I strongly urge you to pick one shot and not worry about the other shot during totality. You have plenty of time to play around during the partial phases. 

During the partial phases of the eclipse you need to have a solar filter. Regular ND filters won’t work. I had mentioned in December that we could make them when we are there but the logistics don’t make that possible. There are two types of solar filters you can buy, one screws in and one is magnetic, so you can remove it quickly. I’m now a dealer of NiSi filters, one of the best, and they make both types. I should be getting delivery this week and will get it on my website. Obviously you don’t need to buy one from me, just make sure you have real solar filters and if you plan on using multiple lenses, you need multiple filters. Or have a step up ring so you just have one filter and can use it on any size lens. 

During totality the filters come off, the sun’s rays are blocked and you can look at and shoot the eclipse without a filter. I will have special eclipse viewing glasses for you, you don’t want to look at the eclipse during partial phases, it will do bad things to your eyes.

I have found some great locations to photograph the Milky Way and stars on the other days. We’ll be based in the town of Huesca and going out and photographing the Milky Way over old castles and cathedrals. It will be hot, hot, hot in Spain in August, so most of our shooting will be at night. Our hotel in Huesca is centrally located so you can venture out during the day and make some wonderful images. We’ll also have processing sessions in the air conditioned hotel during the day, so plan on bringing a laptop to download your photos. 

To photograph the Milky Way you want to have a lens as wide and fast as possible. I’ll be using a 15mm f/2.8 and you want something in that range. Make sure you have a steady tripod, if you can make it wiggle with your pinkie while the camera is on it, you’ll be disappointed with your results. Don’t try one of those little travel tripods. Also have a remote shutter cable, a wired one is better than wireless. If your camera doesn’t have a built in intervalometer, you’ll want one to do star trails, so get a remote shutter cable that has an intervalometer. Make sure you have plenty of memory cards. And have spare batteries for your camera and be sure to bring your charger, I bring two chargers to make sure I can keep all my batteries juiced and in case one breaks.

This is a lot to consume and I want to make sure everyone feels comfortable long before we go, so I’m scheduling a Zoom session on Monday, July 6 at 7:00 p.m. EDT so I can go over some things and you can ask questions. I’ll record the session and you can watch it later if you can’t attend. 

Here’s the Zoom info: 

Topic: Spain Eclipse

Time: Jul 6, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84252646678?pwd=5S0A9XatQFhb8MArcamwbO2j69JfHV.1

Meeting ID: 842 5264 6678

Passcode: 995479

Of course you can ask me questions anytime.

I’ll see you on July 6, please let me know if you can or can’t attend.

Loren