This section of our website really should be entitled "How to Capture a Solar Eclipse in Photos and Videos While Not Forgetting to Look." Simply put, if the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse will be your first — especially your first total solar eclipse — then we advise you not to try to shoot photos or video. Just watch and enjoy (following our expert safety advice, of course). Millions of other people will be taking pictures, recording videos, and posting them online, so there will be plenty of mementos available to remind you what you saw (or missed, depending on where you were and how clear it was) on eclipse day.
That said, when it comes to shooting totality, almost any exposure with almost any camera — including your cell-phone camera — will capture something. And, of course, nobody else can take your photos or videos — only you can!
So, in this section you'll find basic instructions for capturing images and videos of the partial, annular, and/or total phases of a solar eclipse, along with links to more comprehensive instructions on other trusted websites.