8 Comments
User's avatar
Dave Mead's avatar

Great story Ralph and that Totality picture is incredible. Thanks for sharing 👏

Ralph Turner's avatar

Cheers, Dave, much appreciated.

Lin Gregory's avatar

What a fabulous experience Ralph. The only solar eclipse I've seen was back in 1999 when I was working - we all decamped out into the car park as the darkness fell, traffic and the birds spookily fell quiet. Minutes later is was like the dawn chorus all over again.

Ralph Turner's avatar

I have to confess I was a little reckless with the totality and diamond ring shots. Spur of the moment, I grabbed my dslr with tele-zoom and aimed it straight at the sun with no precautionary measures.... 👀😬😏. On odd occasions one does these rash things..

Lin Gregory's avatar

I think we're all guilty of that now and then! 😊

Ralph Turner's avatar

Thanks, Linn. It's funny, but I don't remember the 1999 event. I looked it up and I suspect I was at work. I do, though, remember the partial of the following year at the end of July. I was off work on a rather protracted period of sick leave at the time. I can remember managing to sit in the back garden as the sky dimmed sufficient for the birds to roost.

KewtieBird’s Photo Journey's avatar

What a cool experience.

Ralph Turner's avatar

Thanks. It was quite something. There was an eerie sense of quiet, all the birds had gone to roost and folks were going "oooh!" and "ahh..." 😊