Millions of people will get to experience — and film or photograph — a rare total solar eclipse set to sweep over parts of Europe next week. The event is expected to boost tourism to Spain as eclipse enthusiasts flock to a swath of the country’s north that will be in the path of total darkness on Aug. 12.

Photographing the Eclipse

To capture the best shot, find the best place to view and capture the eclipse. Location is key. If you’re travelling to view the eclipse, you’ll want to be as close as possible to the path of totality. The European Space Agency has posted a map of Spain on its website showing how many minutes of totality there will be for different parts of the country.

Use apps to help with advance planning. Weather conditions can change so consult forecast and cloud coverage apps like Astrospheric ahead of time to find locations with clearer skies. You can take a good photo even if you don’t have a manual camera. A digital SLR camera is your best bet for dramatic close-up photos of the moon passing in front of the sun. But you can still take a good photo with a smartphone.

Protecting Your Eyes and Lens

Protect your eyes and your lens. If you’re photographing the sun during the partial phases of the eclipse, the lens must be protected by a special-purpose solar filter. The group recommends the Solar Snap filter, the only one designed for smartphones that’s certified to the international ISO 12312-2 standard for solar filters. Or just use a pair of eclipse glasses, which are more widely available, over the lens.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.