Google gives advice on using the Pixel camera for eclipse photos

NASA states that on April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It’s a rare event (this particular one won’t happen again for another 20 years) and the people belonging to the regions will likely take photographs of it. Most people don’t use a dedicated camera on a regular basis and many don’t even have access to one.

Keeping all these in mind, Google now offers tips on how to fully utilize the brief moments in capturing the total solar eclipse.

Google offers tips to make the most of the few minutes the eclipse will be visible

The company starts by noting that people living within the path of a total solar eclipse will only get a handful of minutes to view it. Google‘s Michael Specht, a photography expert, and a Pixel Camera Product Manager, recommended some tips to capture the total and partial solar eclipse successfully.

Whether you belong to a region of totality or you’re traveling to one of the places, it’s important to pack the essentials. Alongside safety glasses (“eclipse glasses”) and your Pixel or a camera, you should include your charger or a battery pack (if you’re traveling). “It’s a good thing to not be in a state of panic when you’re deciding whether to have your camera rolling or your phone shut off to save battery,” notes Michael Specht.

While phones these days do most of the things all by themselves thanks to the advancement in computational photography, you still need to play with your phone’s camera to get an idea of what it can do or how to utilize its capabilities in capturing the total solar eclipse. “Practice taking photos at different times of day, to mimic the descent into darkness that will happen at the time of the total eclipse itself,” tips Google’s blog post.

Michael suggests playing around with the Pro Controls of the Google Pixel 8 Pro before the day to get an idea of how the different parameters like exposure, ISO, focus, etc influence the photo you take. It will help you make the most of those couple of minutes of the beginning and end of the total solar eclipse.

And if you don’t want to manage all the different parameters all by yourself, there’s nothing to worry about. Computational photography is where a Pixel stands out.

You can use a tripod if you have access to one

You may prefer to use a tripod if you have access to one. It will help you and your camera/phone capture sharper images with relatively longer exposures during the dimly lit moments. As a last tip for capturing the solar eclipse, Google advises avoiding the astrophotography mode in Pixel as it may take as long as 4 minutes to capture a shot based on the light intensity. NASA predicts the totality will last around 4 minutes or less and you won’t be willing to lose all of it. And don’t forget to enjoy the rare moment.