'The Albatros and the Eclipse'

Watching the solar eclipse last week was quite a magical experience. As the moon moved over the sun, covering almost the entirety of the sun's surface, the quay at Wells-Next-The-Sea fell eerily quiet. Dusk had briefly fallen and birds could be seen flying to roost. A calm fell over the little harbour, as the wind dropped and the water lay still.

I walked to the quay, mainly to witness the eclipse, not to photograph it. But somehow the conditions seemed right. The cloud, while thick in places, kept breaking, offering superb views of the moon as it travelled across the sun's surface. I decided to photography along the harbour wall, where the sailing ship 'Albatros' is moored. The eclipse was just above and to the right of the tall mast of the boat, and it made for a great composition. I set up my Fuji X100 on a tripod, and as the dynamic range was so great, bracketed five exposures at 1EV steps. This allowed me to capture the entire spectrum of light and shadow. The single images were then merged during the processing stage, once back on the computer, and saved as a single file.

I'm really pleased I took the time to capture this image, as it happened in just the right place, at just the right time. The position of the eclipse, just above the iconic sailing ship's mast, on such a calm, Spring morning, have made for a truly unique photograph, and one that won't be repeated again in my life time.   

The Albatros and the Eclipse