A look back at my day on August 12th, 2026, spent on the beach at Carnsore Point. A last‑minute destination choice to escape the clouds and enjoy the partial solar eclipse.
Once I settled in, all that was missing was a good meal before the show began.
My setup for the day included:
— Nikon D850 for the timelapse • Nikon 200–500mm f/5.6 • Nikon 1.4× teleconverter (bringing the focal length to 700mm) • Star Adventurer GTI mount for solar tracking • K&F 20‑stop solar filter Settings: 700mm, f/9, 1/30s, ISO 200
— Nikon D750 for the eclipse sequence • Nikon 24–70mm f/2.8 • K&F 20‑stop solar filter • Manfrotto tripod Settings: 50mm, f/8, 1/40s, ISO 100
— Partially‑modified Nikon D850 for the landscape at maximum eclipse • Nikon 24–70mm f/2.8 • Nisi ND1000 filter • Manfrotto tripod Settings: 70mm, f/16, 1/20s, ISO 100
Then came the time to configure everything, attach the filters, and wait.
The moment finally arrived.
The cameras started shooting a little early to capture the entire event. The Moon began nibbling at the Sun from the right, and almost instantly the temperature dropped—a welcome coolness after a full day under clear skies. The light dimmed, and the landscape shifted into warm sunset tones.
As we approached the peak of the eclipse (magnitude 0.953), the birds—so loud all day—fell completely silent. Only my D750 broke the calm, firing every three minutes.
Then, as the light slowly returned, the silence was replaced by the gentle songs of birds waking up from this very short “night.”
The warmth came back as well, and within an hour the eclipse was over.
But the day wasn’t finished.
Time to pack up most of the gear, keeping only the partially‑modified D850 to capture the sunset from the edge of the waves, feet in the water.
Finally, a bit of rest. We ate, talked about this extraordinary moment, and waited for nightfall to enjoy the clear southern sky—perfect for photographing the Milky Way and hopefully catching a few Perseids.
After that, it was time to head home, with two hours of driving ahead.
I’ll keep a wonderful memory of this day.
It wasn’t a total eclipse like the one lucky people in Spain, but the show was still magnificent. It was also the perfect opportunity to push my new partially‑modified D850 and see what it could really do—and it didn’t disappoint.
