Last week we shared the story behind Ted Hesser and Andrew Studer's incredible climber photos captured at Smith Rock in Oregon during the August 21st total solar eclipse. Now, thanks to this behind the scenes video from Columbia Sportswear, we get to actually see how it all came together.
Hesser and Studer's images have gone, to use the technical term, bonkers viral since they were released shortly after the eclipse. Alongside Chris Burkard's slack-lining eclipse photo—which you can also see happening in the video above—it's safe to say Suder and Hesser's once-in-a-lifetime photos of climber Tommy Smith standing in front of totality are some of the most iconic photographs from the epic celestial event.
There's just something about watching these photos happen and seeing the photographers' and crowd's reactions that gives us goosebumps here at DPReview. Check out the video to see if it affects you the same way.
Say what you like, you can not argue its a totally unique and original shot. From someone who travelled thousands of miles from the UK and who has now witnessed and photographed 11 total eclipses, this is certainly one image of an eclipse that will stand out from the crowd. Well done.
What a zoo! So glad I got my shots in the privacy of a guarded lake resort! Everyone was out on their boats while I was on solid ground with a tripod with no one around me except friends and wife to photograph and enjoy!
So many people in owe of the calculations required to compose the shot but all they actually had to do is be there on the day before the eclipse at the exact same time of the day, compose the shot, mark their locations and wait 24 hours. Simple as that but probably not in USa where everything has to be a "project".
I'm as impressed as everyone else at the technical requirements of getting this shot, but it makes me sad that such an amazing astronomical event is so broadly known by a photo that has an individual as the subject.
If a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a sound?
If a total eclipse occurs in an area where no one witnesses it, is it still a dramatic event?
There were literally millions of photos taken of this eclipse (mine among them). And though I'm extremely happy with my images, the reality is that in a certain way, they're almost indistinguishable from most of the others.
Putting a human in the middle of this image (beyond the extreme technical challenge of doing so), was, to me, absolutely brilliant.
This was not some teenage girl standing in front of Michaelangelo's Pieta taking a "duck-faced selfie."
OK. You can look at the millions of other photos that are indistinguishable from each other. I'll appreciate this beautiful, unique photo that has an added point of interest.
dqnielg, mostly I'll look at the other unique photos of the eclipse that I prefer; it's not a binary choice between this photo and indistinguishable ones...
You go ahead and appreciate this photo. No one asked you not to, dqnielg.
Same sentiment goes for the rest of you.
There's plenty of other ways to get foreground interest than to make the foreground yourself, Neal, and different ways to get a human element than to take a photo of yourself, steve.
A unique pov. Your line of logic leads to "eclipse desecration" as if its a sacred thing. Its the universe doing its thing; It's trigonometry; It's beautiful and awe-inspiring for sure.
Like others said, u will find a million similar images of the sun eclipsed.
Studer used a focal length of 512mm and an exposure time of 1/4000s at Iso 500, but I wonder why he didn't choose 1/1000s or 1/2000s. He used a Canon 1DX II
The sheer complexity of the math to figure out the exact location, angle and exposure is one thing, but not being destracted while it actually happens is another. I'd like to know how many frames they shot to get a few keepers...
Photopills you mean? A a bit of luck you mean? According to the photographers that is. From previous article: "Studer says they used the PhotoPills app to get a rough idea of the sun’s positioning. But Hesser points out that phone apps have limitations. “iPhone apps aren’t accurate enough for these things. I think I got just a little lucky.” The team decided to move off the projected axis of the sun, past a line of trees that was away from the throng of photographers."
The DJI Air 2S is exactly what many drone enthusiasts have been asking for: a consumerdrone with a 1"-type camera sensor that's budget-friendly. Does it live up to the hype? In our opinion, yes.
DxO has just released PureRaw, a simple, standalone program that can automatically apply its high-quality lens corrections and impressive noise-reduction algorithms to your Raw files, and then pass those Raw files off to your favorite editing app. We're pretty impressed by it – find out why in our review.
The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR is a very versatile, compact telephoto zoom lens. But how does it perform? Read our review to find out.
The X-E4 is going to make a lot of photographers happy, especially those craving a near-pocket-size X-mount body with Fujifilm's latest IQ performance.
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Colorcinch is a photo editor you can use inside your web browser. Many of the included tools, including all the photo editing tools, are available to use for free.
In addition to putitng its new M1 chipset inside both the 11" and 12.9" iPad Pros, Apple has also thrown in a Thunderbolt port and 5G connectivity. The 12.9" iPad also receives a new 'Liquid Retina XDR display' with a claimed 1,600-nits peak brightness for HDR content.
Apple has given its iMac lineup a design refresh for the first time in nearly a decade and tossed in its new M1 chipset first seen in its MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini computers late last year.
Sony has announced its latest G-Master lens: the ultra-wide 14mm F1.8 GM. At nearly a third the weight of its nearest peer for the system, it's an incredibly compact and lightweight prime for E-mount shooters. Read on for a closer look at what it offers, including a preliminary look at its optical performance.
In this episode of DPReview TV, Chris and Jordan get their hands on Sony's new compact, ultra-wide 14mm F1.8 G Master lens, and share how well it performs for both stills and video.
We've been shooting around with Sony's latest G Master lens and initial impressions are positive: the FE 14mm F1.8 GM is well-built, fast to focus, and plenty sharp, even wide open. Take a look.
Sony has introduced its FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens for its full-frame mirrorless body. This compact lens uses numerous special elements and has twin linear focus motors for speedy focusing.
Conservationist and photographer Donal Boyd and filmmaker Frank Nieuwenhuis visited the ongoing volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, where he captured beautiful visuals of the eruption.
We took the Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 to the Bay Area and put it in the hands of commercial and fashion photographer Robert Silver to see what it can do.
Cosina adds to its Voigtlander Vintage Line series with its new 28mm F2 Ultron lenses, which come in two models — Type I and Type II — with different focus ring styles.
Sony's latest FX3 has a lot in common with the a7S III on the inside, but we've got our hands on one to show just how different it is on the outside – take a look.
The DJI Air 2S is exactly what many drone enthusiasts have been asking for: a consumerdrone with a 1"-type camera sensor that's budget-friendly. Does it live up to the hype? In our opinion, yes.
The winners of the Professional, Open, Student and Youth categories of the Sony World Photography Awards have been announced, showing some exceptional projects and single images.
Canon has announced two new telephoto prime lenses for the RF mount: the RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM and 600mm F4L IS USM. Click through for a closer look at these two new telephoto options for RF.
From the stately twin-lens reflex to the timeless view camera, here are some of the less common film camera types still kicking around on the used market.
Micro Four Thirds users can now enjoy the Speedmaster 35mm F0.95 Mark II manual lens that was previously limited to Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X and Sony E mount camera systems.
Hasselblad Masters contest opens to professional photographers, with a dozen medium format mirrorless cameras up for grabs. And you don't need to shoot on a 'blad to enter!
Fujifilm's latest prime, the XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR, is a solidly built lens that we've really enjoyed shooting with. It's also a big departure from Fujifilm's previous 18mm F2 prime lens – get a sense of how it handles right here.
The new Fujifilm XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR provides a 27mm-equivalent focal length for Fujifilm's X-mount cameras. Find out why Chris and Jordan like this fast, sharp 18mm lens.
We've been shooting with a pre-production copy of Fujifilm's new XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR lens for a few days, which offers a 27mm full-frame equivalent field of view, and optically, we're impressed.
Fujifilm has announced its lightweight (370g/13oz) XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR wide-angle prime. This 27mm-equivalent lens offers numerous special elements and a linear focus motor, and is also weather-sealed.
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