Photography Field Trip with Joe Webster
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Sculpture Trail gearing up for third year
Baytown’s Sculpture Trail has become a popular destination for locals and visitors. The pieces of art are varied in theme and medium – and all are eye-catching and thought-provoking.
Exhibit showcasing photography of Moneta Sleet Jr. coming to Kentucky State
A special photography exhibit called “A Witness to History” is coming to Kentucky State University’s campus. It’s all about the amazing photos taken by Moneta Sleet Jr.
Sleet was born on Feb. 14, 1926, in Owensboro, and he loved taking pictures ever since he was a kid. He got his first camera as a present and joined a photo club in high school. When he went to Kentucky State College, he took pictures of events and people on campus.
Moneta John Sleet Jr. (Photo courtesy Wikipedia)
Early sales at the Dallas Art Fair prove even a solar eclipse can’t overshadow Texas’s hot market
Dealers reported strong sales during the VIP preview of the Dallas Art Fair on Thursday (4 April) and were even more optimistic about making connections with collectors and institutions in Texas, as the art market in the region continues to grow.
The fair nearly overlaps with the “Great American Eclipse” taking place on Monday 8 April, with Dallas being the largest city in the eclipse’s path of totality. Some travelling attendees say they will stick around Dallas to take advantage of the just under four minutes of totality the city will see. More than one million tourists are estimated to be travelling to Texas and will add around $1.4bn to the state’s economy to see the last total solar eclipse that will be visible in the contiguous US until 2044.
The Austin-based gallery Martha’s sold out its stand of paintings by local artists Conner O’Leary and RF. Alvarez, with prices ranging from $5,000 to $9,000. Cris Worley, a longtime Dallas dealer, sold works by Erick Swenson including Seance (2019-23), along with pieces by Robert Sagerman, Raychael Stine and William Cannings. Pencil on Paper, a Dallas gallery taking part in the fair for the first time, sold work by Elyse Hradecky and Jessica Vollrath. Dallas gallery Keijsers Koning placed a piece by Kate Barbee, a Dallas native now working in Brooklyn, with a collector who flew in from California to see the work, a gallery representative said.
The Los Angeles-, Bucharest- and New York-based gallery Nicodim sold Sjambokland (2022) by Thania Petersen to the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) for $60,000 through the Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program, which places works from the fair into the DMA’s collection thanks to an annual gift from the Dallas Art Fair Foundation. The gallery also sold four works by the Montreal-based artist Chantal Khoury priced between $15,000 and $25,000 each, four works by the Polish artist Agnieszka Nienartowicz ranging from $20,000 to $30,000, and a painting by the Spanish artist Ángeles Agrela for $55,000.
Seance (2019-23) by Erick Swenson at Cris Worley’s stand, with views of work by Paul Manes and Kelli Vance in the background. Courtesy Cris Worley
Inman Gallery sold The Table of Love (2022) by JooYoung Choi to the DMA through the Dallas Art Fair Acquisition Program, and placed Lost (2023) by Houston-based artist Alexis Pye with a private collection. The New York-based gallery Management sold Pim (2024) by Tim Brawner for $14,000 during the fair’s VIP preview day. McClain Gallery sold three paintings by the Modernist artist Dorothy Hood (1919-2000) for prices ranging from $30,000 to $76,000.
Piero Atchugarry Gallery from Miami reported selling five works, totalling $65,300. Luis de Jesus Los Angeles sold Montgomery Flag (2024) by June Edmonds for $40,000 to a local collector; two papier-mâché sculptures by Jean Lowe in the range of $4,000 to $5,000 to a Houston-based collector and Evita Tezeno’s collage painting No one else makes me feel the colors that you bring me (2024) will be going through the acquisition process of a major Texas museum for approximately $30,000, a gallery representative said.
Mrs. Gallery from Queens, New York, sold an $8,000 Chris Bogia bonsai sculpture and an $80,000 Carolyn Salas sculpture. The Boston-area gallery Praise Shadows, which is showing a solo stand dedicated to works by Crystalle Lacouture, sold six drawings that address the 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, along with four woodblock prints.
Conner O’Leary’s Reclining Nude (2024) Courtesy of Martha’s
There’s a new fair in town
At the Dallas Invitational, held across the street from the Dallas Art Fair in the Fairmont Hotel, Los Angeles-based Night Gallery sold three paintings by Japanese artist Keita Morimoto: Out the Window (2024) and Calling you (2024) for $18,000 each, and Nightfall (2024) for $26,000.
In the Invitational’s second edition after it was founded in 2023 by local dealer James Cope from And Now gallery, the hotel fair saw more foot traffic thanks to increased media attention, word-of-mouth, social media presence and a longer run. Opening the same day as the Dallas Art Fair’s VIP preview, the satellite fair on the Fairmont’s 17th floor was busy well into the afternoon, Cope says. Many of the Dallas Invitational participants took advantage of the hotel setting to display smaller art works and invite collectors into the quiet spaces for more intimate conversations, according to participating dealers.
“I think people really like the smaller, curated, more thoughtful approach,” Cope says. “I think that’s what the collectors like, that it’s manageable. It’s not overwhelming. People will come in, sit on the bed and kind of let their guard down a little bit more, and you can show them work in a more relaxed setting.”
Dallas gallery And Now’s room at the Fairmont Hotel during the Dallas Invitational. Carlie Porterfield
This year’s Invitational has 14 galleries participating, including a handful that previously took part in the Dallas Art Fair across the street, like Various Small Fires, Night Gallery and James Fuentes. Cope says he did not set out to “poach” dealers from the larger, more established fair, and that he was approached by those galleries to take part in the Invitational.
“There’s some talk within the community about the Dallas Invitational being in competition with the Dallas Art Fair, but I’m not trying to disrupt anything, I’m just trying to add more to the Dallas scene,” Cope says. “Competition is good, right? It creates growth. I saw an opportunity to do something different that people will be interested in. Dallas is big enough for two.”
The Dallas Art Fair’s director, Kelly Cornell, agrees. “More is more,” she says. “I don’t think [the Dallas Invitational] is concerning. There’s a big market here.”
Both Cope and Cornell say their respective fairs receive a lot of demand from gallerists hoping to take part and gain access to Dallas’s large collector base plus the region’s museums and other institutions. Even dealers at the Dallas Invitational who did not have any finalised sales to report at press time say they are happy with the introductions they made during the fair’s first day.
“It’s not a conventional fair framework, so we weren’t really pushing pre-sales. We’re more excited about what possibilities might emerge from having a presentation here,” says the New York-based gallerist James Fuentes. “It’s guaranteed this is going to be very good for business and for our artists, especially with a couple of museum conversations that we’ve had—not only museums in Dallas, but also San Antonio. It’s not a heavy lift, but it’s high-impact for us.”
Dallas (art) buyers club
Major Dallas collector Howard Rachofsky during the Dallas Art Fair VIP preview. Exploredinary
Dallas collectors run the gamut in terms of taste, art education and budget, dealers at this week’s fairs in the city say. Their ranks include trendsetters like Kenny Goss and Howard and Cindy Rachofsky (who may be looking to fund an acquisitions spree with their consignment of an eight-figure Lucio Fontana to Sotheby’s this week) as well as more recent transplants to the booming Sunbelt metropolis. It has one of the more established and active art markets among Texas’s half-dozen major cities.
“They’re at all levels of appreciation. Some people have art history backgrounds and they’ve been going to museums for years and they’re collectors. And other people just want to find something beautiful for their home, or keep up to date with what’s going on in the world,” says Cheryl Vogel, the vice president and curator of Valley House Gallery and Sculpture Garden, the oldest modern art gallery in Dallas.
This year, the gallery will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Valley House Gallery’s stand at the Dallas Art Fair features works that range in price from $165,000 to $800,000, and includes a set of 18 Eclipse paintings by Emily LaCour, inspired by the birth of the artist’s son.
One thing almost everyone in Dallas agrees on is that the art scene in the city has grown exponentially over the years. The city is home to an emerging, younger generation of collectors and dealers. One of the city’s newer galleries is Pencil on Paper, opened by Valerie Gillespie just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This is the gallery’s first time showing at the Dallas Art Fair, and Gillespie has filled its relatively small stand with works by Abi Salami, Elyse Hradecky and Jessica Vollrath, three women artists with connections to the Dallas area.
“Womanhood was a big theme, but more so human experience. Almost every artist that I work with talks about the woman experience, the Black experience, the human condition, social issues in the world and cultural commentary,” Gillespite says. “I’ve noticed that I seem to gravitate towards artists that have that narrative.”
Born and raised in Dallas, Gillespie says the city’s art scene has also grown more inclusive over the years. Pencil on Paper is one of four Black-owned galleries now operating in Dallas, she says, and works by more Bipoc (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) artists are appearing in local galleries and institutions.
“I can walk into galleries here and feel welcomed. It wasn’t always like that when I was in my teens,” Gillespie says. “We’re all just sharing the love and, slowly, mindsets are changing.”
- Dallas Art Fair, until 7 April, Fashion Industry Gallery, Dallas
Gay photographer who captured epic 2017 eclipse image will take to the sky to outdo himself Monday
Pittsburgh photographer shares tips for protecting your camera lens during the eclipse
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The solar eclipse is just around the corner, and just like the sun’s rays will damage your eyes if you stare directly at it, photography experts warn those same rays can damage your phone’s camera lens.
KDKA-TV’s Meghan Schiller is explaining how to not need a new phone by Tuesday.
With a long lens and a photo in about every Pittsburgher’s basement, Dave DiCello’s ready to point his camera to the sun. He captured amazing shots during the last eclipse in 2017. Cloud cover around here, however, might ruin his shot this year, so he’s headed for clearer skies.
“Right now, the forecast is saying Vermont or New England and then tentatively the Midwest, so Indiana, Illinois,” DiCello said.
All he needs is his tripod, camera, lens, plus he’ll need to screw on an additional solar lens.
“Newer cameras, they don’t have that shutter so the sensor is always visible, so if you were to point that at the sun without a solar filter, it would just fry the sensor, you would end up with a dark spot on the sensor and then it would be ruined, you’d have to get a new camera,” said DiCello.
KDKA-TV asked him about amateur photographers using their cell phones and DiCello said the same thing goes. KDKA-TV found solar filters for sale on Amazon and even some big box stores like Walmart.
“If you can get a solar filter, you can still put it in front of the lens, with an iPhone you’re not going to be able to really zoom in probably enough to really see what it’s going to look like.”
So, since it might look lackluster on your phone, just wear your glasses. DiCello recommends looking around and taking it all in as soon as the sun goes away.
“It looked like twilight around, it gets a couple degrees cooler — I just got goosebumps thinking about it. It’s crazy to see and it’s amazing to experience,” DiCello said.
The Healing Power of Art— Actor & Cancer Survivor Jeff Bridges, 74, Opens Up About His ‘Love-Affair’ With Photography and It’s ‘Element of Surprise’
Jeff Bridges, 74, took to social media this week to let fans know about an interview he did regarding his “decades-long love affair with photography.”
Bridges, who is likely best known for his iconic role in “The Big Lebowski,” was interviewed last month by A Rabbit’s Foot (magazine and digital platform offering readers a look into the world of film, art and culture) about his favorite camera, the Widelux F8 and “the crossroads between photography and cinema.”
According to The Rabbit’s Foot, the dad of three, who bravely battled cancer and Covid-19 in recent years, “is as obsessed with the still image as he is with the moving one.” “Bridges first fell in love with the act of taking photos when his wife gifted him an analogue camera which he would use to shoot on the set of Starman. It was a Widelux F8: an all-time favorite of Bridges.” RELATED: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Overview: Overview
Speaking to the art news outlet’s Creative Director Fatima Khan, Bridges explained what attracted him to photographing with a “wide-formate lens,” saying, “Well, my particular Widelux does use 35 mm. I first started taking pictures in high school with my father’s Nikon—I turned my bathroom into a darkroom. I enjoyed shooting my friends and being in the darkroom developing and enlarging.
“But my interest in the Widelux started on my wedding day when the photographer, Mark Hanauer, came to photograph our wedding using a Widelux camera. When I saw the results I was knocked out by the movement and the excitement and the format itself, which reminded me of 70mm cinema. As a wedding gift my wife gave me my first Widelux camera.”
As for how much his art means to him, Bridges said, “As I look through my photographs—it’s that corny thing that actors say when they’re asked about their favorite movie. They’re like children. And I feel the same way about my photographs.
“There are certain photographs that stand out in the small books that I make for each movie. Each of the books and photographs are like children. They represent movies and lifetimes that I can revisit by looking at these pictures. It’s really impossible for me to pick a favorite one.”
Regarding the special features the Widelux camera offers, Bridges said, “I shoot with Kodak or Ilford 3200 ASA. Since I work mainly on the set where there is very low lighting, I’m able to shoot with the Widelux, at F11 @ 1/15th of a second. I can handhold my camera and most cameras you just can’t do that.
“I like to get close to my subjects. I do some landscape photography but primarily I like to get as close to my subjects as possible and the film and the Widelux allows me to do that.”
When asked fulfillment photography brings him that no other form of art, like cinema, can offer him, Bridges told Khan, “The word that comes to my mind is surprise. And all the things I do creatively have that element of surprise. I suppose one of the things that photography brings that movies can’t is that you can immediately pick up a picture and look at it and it brings you back to that moment in your life.
“That’s something wonderful about the books I’ve created. I can look at these books and photographs and immediately return to those lifetimes. But basically, most creative endeavors have that element of surprise. You never know what you’re going to get. And I love that.”
A Rabbit’s Foot featured a handful of photographs taken by Jeff Bridges, like images taken during the filming of “Crazy Heart” in 2009 and “Bown Away” in 1994.
Referring to the photos selected and featured from tee publication, Bridges said, “These pictures are a bit like home movies, but quicker. In a glance, I can be transported back to when they were taken. They serve as, almost, a drug that takes me back to other lifetime. I say “lifetime,” because I consider each movie as one—each character I played, each of the weeks, months, I spent with these folks were lifetimes.
“When we make a movie, we do it with a bunch of people who are very different, with loads of different opinions, ideas of what’s right and wrong, good and bad.”
He concluded, “The common denominator is that we all want to make something beautiful, something relatable, something we can look at and say, ‘Shit…yeah man, that turned out even better than I thought.’ We cash in on the law that 1 + 1 = 3. All our intentions come together to produce…well, magic…turning water into wine, lead into gold. It’s an alchemy of sorts.”
Art Through Cancer
As an established actor, Jeff Bridges understands the healing power of art intimately. Alongside treatment or after beating cancer some people may turn to various artistic outlets (i.e. singing, dancing, painting, crafting) to help them cope with their cancer journey.
RELATED: How I Made It Through Cancer: Painting & Dreaming
Some people also use art to handle feelings of grief after suffering a cancer-related loss. Whenever and however you turn to art, its healing benefits in terms of mental health are well-documented and substantiated.
In fact, Very Well Mind reports that a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association says that less than an hour of creative activity can reduce stress and have a positive effect on your mental health. And that’s true regardless of artistic experience or talent, the author notes.
Meanwhile, Marianne Cuozzo, a three-time cancer survivor, can also attest to the power of art. And despite the fact that cancer has essentially been her whole life, Cuozzo has recognized herself as a lot more than a diagnosis by focusing on her life as a mother and an artist.
Three-Time Cancer survivor Marianna Cuozzo On How Art Helps Her Express Herself
Cuozzo was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 28. In 1997, she had a recurrence, and then she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. She had a double mastectomy and originally got implants with reconstruction.
But after years of infections, she decided to remove her implants and “go flat.” Her artwork reflects a deeply personal exploration of body image and sexuality. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Cuozzo tells us how she found comfort expressing herself through her work.
RELATED: Watch this Inspiring Film About the Impact Art & Music Can Have on the Cancer Journey
“My artwork is very reflective of my cancer journey,” Cuozzo says. “I’m doing the best I can to feel beautiful in this new body.”
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis
Jeff Bridges’ Cancer Battle
Jeff Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020 and started chemotherapy treatment right away. Although Bridges hasn’t personally specified which type of lymphoma he was diagnosed with, AARP noted that his cancer was, in fact, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, cancer of a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system.
While cancer treatment was going well, he was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in January 2021, and due to his cancer treatment having weakened his immune system, Bridges wound up spending months in the hospital.
Expert Resources On Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
According to AARP, Bridges’ cancer went into remission quickly after he was put through chemotherapy infusion, which was followed by an oral chemo protocol.
He dubbed his wife as being his “absolute champion” as she stayed by Bridges’ side as he recovered from covid in the hospital. “She really fought to keep me off a ventilator. I didn’t want to be on it, and the doctors didn’t necessarily want that. But Sue was adamant,” he told the news outlet.
He was ultimately treated with a blood plasma called “convalescent plasma,” which consists of viral antibodies.
Despite his struggle, like so many cancer survivors, Bridges was left with a renewed appreciation for life.
“I’ll be honest. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he told Esquire in an earlier interview. “I was on death’s door there for a while in the hospital. When I finally went back to work, after a two-year hiatus, it was the most bizarre kind of thing. It felt like a dream.”
“I came back after all that time, and saw the same faces [while shooting ‘The Old Man’], the same cast and crew,” he added. “It was like we had a long weekend. I gathered everyone and I said, ‘I had the most bizarre dream, you guys.’ I was sick and out, but all that feels like a gray mush now.”
Understanding Lymphoma
Jeff Bridge’s battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the two most common types of lymphoma.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.
Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis
“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.
“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”
Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.
There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55, like Jeff Bridges. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.
It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.
These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.
Do What You Love During & After Cancer
During cancer treatment, and also after, it can be hard to focus on anything except your treatment or the challenges that follow a cancer battle. However, Bridges is a wonderful example that it’s important to take a moment and focus on something that makes you genuinely happy.
Experts recommend you try to take some time out of your day a few times a week and really enjoy those special pockets of joy.
“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, previously told SurvivorNet.
“So working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival. If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”
Dr. Dana Chase Encourages Those Facing Cancer to Find Moments of Joy During Treatment
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet’s rigorous medical review process.
5 Ways Boudoir Photography Made Matt Mathews A Better Comedian
Comedian Matt Mathews wears a lot of hats. He went to school for nursing but ditched that path after realizing “I do not want to wipe asses for the rest of my life.” He devotes a lot of time to chores on his Alabama farm, the setting for a number of comedy Tiktoks with views in the millions.
He’s also a successful boudoir photographer, a side hustle that few comedians can claim. The best part of the job is “just being able to see people feel good about themselves,” a description that works for his stand-up as well. I recently talked to Mathews, currently on his “When That Thang Get To Thang’n” comedy tour, about some tastefully naked truths that boudoir photography taught him about the business of getting laughs.
Put People at Ease
People who show up for their first boudoir shoots feel extremely vulnerable, and a huge part of Mathews’s job was to put them at ease. If that sounds like what comedians do with crowd work, you’re not far off.
“I’ve seen people comment, ‘I’m sitting in the nosebleed section so that he doesn’t talk to me.’ You know, because they’re so scared that I’m going to roast them,” he says. “I literally say on stage, ‘Look, we’re all best friends here. We’re in a room together, and we’re just talking shit.’ I just want us to feel like we’re all having a conversation and laughing together. And I think that makes people feel more comfortable.”
@matt_mathews
And Then Push Them Out of Their Comfort Zones
No one ultimately comes to a boudoir photography session to hide behind their clothes. So once safety and trust are established, it’s time to venture into new territory.
After establishing rapport, either in the studio or on stage, Mathews knows when to go further. “When you start to call out an audience member, of course, they’re always terrified. Like, ‘Oh God, he is going to eat me alive.’ But by the time that I do roast them at the end of it, they love it. ‘That was great, it made me laugh.’ I think there’s a line between being funny and roasting somebody and just being outright mean.”
@matt_mathews
Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Growing up, Mathews says he “never loved my body, never felt comfortable in my skin. I was always a chunky kid and I never really saw people that were body positive.” As a boudoir photographer, he encourages his subjects to relax and be themselves because that’s where the inner beauty shines through.
He’s carried that message into his comedy. “My show is very much about being inspired to be who you are and to love who you are and to be comfortable in your skin,” he says. “I talk about that a lot in my show and I’ve been able to reach a larger audience with that.”
Get It on Your Calendar
On Mathews’s website, he has a blog about how to run a successful boudoir business. His first tip? Get everything on the calendar. Miss a session and you’ve got trouble.
“My calendar is insane,” Mathews says about balancing his multiple aspirations. (Somehow, the guy also owns a retail store and his own line of candles.) That’s why he runs his comedy career like a business, getting everything into a schedule so he doesn’t get nuts remembering what to manage.
Work Your Ass Off
It’s only been recently that Mathews has pulled back on his photography schedule to focus on his comedy tour. “It’s a lot of work,” he says. “I was performing every single weekend and I had sessions that I already booked, so I was shooting Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and then I would leave Thursday, perform Friday and Saturday, fly home Sunday and then do it all again.”
But success in any individual endeavor requires similar dedication. No problem for Mathews. “I love to be busy,” he says. “I don’t like days off. My vacation is just being home for a day so that I can still work.”
Popular sculpture at National Harbor undergoing restoration this summer
While the statue has only been at National Harbor since 2008, it’s 43 years old and is in need of a bit of a makeover.
Use these tips to photograph the eclipse with your phone and camera
The last time the United States saw a total solar eclipse was in 2017, and many of us didn’t have the newest iPhones to capture it.
The 2024 solar eclipse will take place on April 8, and another total solar eclipse is not expected to be seen in the United States again until 2044.
The eclipse will pass through several time zones and have a totality path of 115 miles on average. Some locations will experience totality for about four minutes, so use these tips to capture the moment.
Protect your eyes and your phone
Eclipse glasses should be worn to safely view the event with your own eyes. Using solar film or holding your glasses over the lens can protect your phone and eyes from damage.
Ashlee Rezin, acting Sun-Times Photo Desk editor, will be wearing glasses to photograph the eclipse.
“We rely on our eyes and cameras to do our jobs, and more,” Rezin said. “It’s too important and there’s too much at stake to risk not taking protective measures. It was a no-brainer.”
NASA experts recommend that you visit the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page to find a verified list of eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers.
Approved AAS eyewear contains darker filters than normal sunglasses, which blocks almost all light, providing the best protection.
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Purchase a zoom lens attachment
A zoom lens attachment will protect your camera and phone while also providing zoom. If you try to zoom in on your phone, it will appear hazy; however, with the attachment, the total solar eclipse will appear much clearer.
NASA recommends a “zoom lens attachment that will give you 12x to 18x.”
Practice taking your eclipse shot
Practice never hurts. Photographing the moon to get a sense of how large the sun-in-eclipse will appear through your smartphone’s lens or a lens attachment is a good start.
Most phone cameras automatically adjust exposure, making eclipse photography difficult with only 4 minutes to work with. The more test shots you take in the days before the eclipse, the less time you’ll waste.
Look around you
Although it sounds like the only photos you should capture are of the eclipse, there are many more photographic opportunities.
Brian Ernst, Sun-Times Director of Digital Operations, suggests photographing the scene.
“Depending on weather conditions, the surrounding area could look like a sunrise/sunset in every direction, Ernst said.
Photographing the eclipse is one of the best ways to preserve the memory, but pointing your camera at friends and family as they enjoy the experience or photographing the landscape as it changes during the eclipse is another great way to savor the moment.
The Chicago area will experience a partial eclipse on April 8. Downstate, Carbondale will be in the path of totality, in which the view of the moon completely blocks the sun, for the second time in 10 years.
Most phone cameras automatically adjust exposure, making eclipse photography difficult with only 4 minutes. Taking more test shots in the days before the eclipse will save time.
The doughnut maker will partner with Oreo on an eclipse-themed product. Delta and Southwest airlines are offering flights in the path of totality, and a special MoonPie will be on shelves.
An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people are expected to descend on southern Illinois, where the eclipse’s path of totality will pass early Monday afternoon. Southern Illinois University is holding a four-day party.
The glasses will be available at all Warby Parker locations while supplies last starting Monday until the day of the eclipse April 8.
Doctors say looking at the April 8 eclipse without approved solar glasses — which are many times darker than sunglasses — can lead to retinal burns and can result in blind spots and permanent vision loss.
The White Sox are the Cleveland Guardians’ guests for their home opener at Progressive Field on April 8, which means the visitors will have front-row seats for a rare phenomenon — a total solar eclipse.
