Even though we were a few months away from the April 8th full solar eclipse, I was already anticipating and preparing for the best views and hopefully, some great photos! I had done my research and had figured out the best camera settings and schedule to capture all partial phases and some of the key moments, like baily's beads and the diamond ring.
As the big day got closer, I became a bit obsessed with weather patterns and different types of cloud cover. Even though I lived within the path of totality, I was ready to travel if needed for the clear skies. At 7pm on April 6, I decided that the forecast was too risky to stay in Ohio and I loaded up the Subaru for a north adventure. I car-camped and tent-camped my way to chilly Pittsburg, NH…the most northern town in the state that I had visited many years earlier to photograph moose.
I arrived in the small town by 9:30 on the 8th and the parking lots were already filling up with eclipse watchers. I went past the town and pulled over next to First Connecticut Lake and staked out a spot on this still frozen lake’s shore. This ended up being a perfect place to not only view the eclipse, but also meet friendly people and just enjoy the day as we all talked and waited for the big event!
When the time came, I was ready and managed to pull off all the photos I intended to, but not without a bit of drama! As I was firing away a sequence during baily’s beads, my camera locked up and I had to remove it from the tripod and pull the battery out. It was stressful and I had to take my eyes off the eclipse for 20-30 seconds, but I managed to get everything back working for the corona shots!
Later in the year we were treated to brilliant Aurora Borealis displays that reached all the way down to Ohio and beyond. Unfortunately, I missed the larger display on May 10, but managed this photo on May 11 from the Lake Erie shore.
It just so happens that I was up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on October 10 and was able to enjoy the Northern Lights near Marquette for more than 2 hours. I was with fellow photographer friends and feel so grateful that I was able to experience this incredible event with these people!
2025 is projected to be another impressive year for solar storms and the potential for strong Northern Lights, so lets hope for more to come!