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How to photograph the solar eclipse: NASA tips for taking pictures of Aug. 21 event

There is plenty of information on how to safely view the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse as it makes its way across North America. But what are the best ways to take photos of the Great American Eclipse? 

Before the eclipse 

If you want to take photos of the eclipse, you will first need to learn about its path, the best viewing spots and the times where it will be the most complete. The path of totality - the 70-mile wide area that will experience the most complete periods of darkness - stretches from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. 

Major cities along the path include Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon, Oregon; Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon, Oregon; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming; Grand Island and Lincoln Nebraska. St Joseph, Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; St Louis, Missouri; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Greenville, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina.

In most places, the eclipse's peak time will be less than 2-and-a-half minutes and viewing will depend greatly on the weather. Corvalis, Albany and Lebanon, Oregon will experience the mid-eclipse times at 10:17 a.m. local time, with peak times in Columbia, South Carolina occurring at 2:43 p.m.

You can see times on the eclipse's peak where you live here.

What's next? Photographing the eclipse

NASA has recommendations on the best way to capture eclipse images:

Safety first

To take images as the moon covers the sun, you'll need to use a special solar filter to protect your camera, just as you'll need a pair of eclipse glasses to protect your eyes. However, at totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun, make sure to remove the filter so you can see the sun's outer atmosphere -- the corona.

You will also need a tripod to help stabilize the camera and avoid taking blurry images during the low lighting of day. Using a delayed shutter release timer will allow you to take photos without jiggling the camera.

You can use any camera

"Whether you have a high-end DLSR, or a camera phone, you can take great photos during the eclipse; after all, the best piece of equipment you can have is a good eye and a vision for the image you want to create," NASA officials said.

If you don't have a telephoto zoom lens, try taking landscape shots to capture the environment in the changing light or have a try at human interest photos.

"The real pictures are going to be of the people around you pointing, gawking and watching it," NASA photographer Bill Ingalls said. "Those are going to be some great moments to capture to show the emotion of the whole thing."

Practice before the eclipse

Give your equipment a trial run before Eclipse Day. Most cameras, including many found on phones, have adjustable exposures, which can help you darken or lighten your image during the event. Make sure you know how to manually focus the camera for crisp shots.

Here are NASA's technical recommendations:

"For DSLR cameras, the best way to determine the correct exposure is to test settings on the uneclipsed Sun beforehand. Using a fixed aperture of f/8 to f/16, try shutter speeds between 1/1000 to 1/4 second to find the optimal setting, which you can then use to take images during the partial stages of the eclipse. During totality, the corona has a wide range of brightness so it's best to use a fixed aperture and a range of exposures from approximately 1/1000 to 1 second."

Share your photos

NASA and others want to see your eclipse photos. Use the hashtag #Eclipse2017 and tag @NASAGoddard to connect your photos on social media to those taken around the country and share them with NASA. Upload your eclipse images to NASA's Eclipse Flickr Gallery and relive the eclipse through other peoples' images. Images will be selected from the gallery and shared on Twitter and Instagram.

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