SANP Club Meeting
Steve Zigler Presentation About Eclipses
Tuesday May 23, 2023
7:00 pm
Our regular club meeting date has been moved up a week to tonight. This is one meeting you will not want to miss.
Social time begins at 6:30 PM, followed by the meeting at 7 PM. Come early and enjoy the opportunity to mingle with club members and chat nature photography with us. Friends are always welcome. We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd.
Our presenter is Steve Zigler. He will be presenting about the total solar eclipse occurring on April 8th, 2024. Why is it important to hear this presentation, now? Several reasons. In 2017, the last total solar eclipse in the US passed through our area in East Tennessee. Many of you saw it, and several photographed it. Some of you have seen the excellent composition that Clay Thurston put together of the 2017 eclipse.
Steve's image Precious Totality
The 2024 total solar eclipse on April 8th is travelling a different path across the United States. It is occurring in April which will present other issues that was not present for most in 2017. Lodging in some areas are already filling up especially Airbnb’s as a lot of people will be attending to just observe the interesting show with the Sun and Moon. The location you pick to view or photograph this show, may be affected by cloud cover or other weather issues. The amount of time that you will have to observe the eclipse will vary depending on your location. If you want answer to these questions and more about the eclipse, you will want to attend this presentation by Steve Zigler.
If you are unsure about your interest in the total solar eclipse, this is a presentation you should attend. Steve is the person to ask your questions about type of camera, lens, filter, special equipment, weather, best locations, and the location he plans to use.
Information provided by Steve:
The Solar Eclipses of 2023 and 2024
As a photographer living in East Tennessee, you probably remember what you were doing on August 21, 2017. That was the date millions watched a rare and spectacular total eclipse of the sun. If you were lucky, you may have even captured some memorable pictures of totality. If not, don’t worry because you’re going to get another chance on April 8, 2024! That is when a total eclipse of the sun will cut a path right through the heart of the United States from Texas toMaine. On that day, the moon will pass between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow that will completely block the sun for more than four minutes! That’s almost twice the length of totality as the 2017 eclipse. That’s huge!
The 2024 eclipse will require a little extra effort for East Tennesseans since totality will pass west of us, just grazing the northwest tip of the state. If 2024 seems too long to wait, we can warm up with an annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023. An annular solar eclipse is a unique type of partial eclipse when the moon almost blocks the sun except for a thin ring around the edges. A view of annularity during this eclipse will require a trip to the southwest United States.
Although they lack the spectacular moment of totality, annular eclipses are still exciting photographic opportunities. This is a great way practice for 2024! In this program, I’ll share my personal experiences and photographs from the 2017 eclipse as well as the 2019 eclipse that passed across central Chile. If these eclipses taught me anything about eclipse photography, it is be prepared! After my talk, I hope you’ll be inspired to do just that!
About Steve
Steve’s journey in photography began at the age of eleven when his uncle gave him a Pentax Spotmatic 35 mm SLR. He still has that camera. Steve’s experience evolved significantly in 2002 with the purchase of his first digital camera. Since then, he has dabbled in various genres of photography, including color, B&W, infrared, deep sky astrophotography, solar eclipse imaging, and time lapse. Steve has studied with Marc Adamus, Guy Tal, Marsel Van Oosten, Ignacio Palacio, Alister Benn, Daniel Kordan, and many other accomplished photographers. He travels extensively, focusing on amazing landscapes wherever he can find them in east Tennessee, the US, and across the globe. His simple mission is to touch the hearts and minds of people around the world through photography to help them connect with themselves, the planet, and the universe. Steve photographed his first total solar eclipse in 2017 from a remote hayfield near Guernsey, Wyoming. Steve’s second eclipse experience took place in central Chile in 2019. Steve’s ambitious goal is to spend 20 cumulative minutes in totality under the shadow of the moon. Steve is a member of SANP.
Don't forget to put this meeting on your calendar for next Tuesday. See you Tuesday night.
