You don't need a fancy camera to photograph a total solar eclipse. Your smartphone can capture incredible images of the corona, the diamond ring, and the eerie eclipse sky. Here's how to do it right — and the one piece of advice that matters most.

The Most Important Advice

Spend most of totality looking with your own eyes.

Totality lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. That's it. If you spend the entire time staring at your phone screen, you'll miss one of the most extraordinary experiences of your life. The screen can't capture what your eyes will see.

Our recommendation: set your phone to record video before totality begins, hold it up, and forget about it. Watch with your eyes. Review the footage later.

Before the Eclipse: Partial Phases

During the partial phases (before and after totality), the Sun is still extremely bright. Without a filter:

Your photos will just show a blown-out white blob
You risk damaging your camera sensor
You won't capture the partially eclipsed Sun

What to do: Place a solar filter over your phone's camera lens. You can buy clip-on phone solar filters, or hold a piece of solar filter film (the same material used in eclipse glasses) over the lens. This lets you photograph the crescent Sun as the Moon gradually covers it.

During Totality: The Main Event

When totality begins — the corona appears and the diamond ring fades — remove any solar filter from your lens. The corona is roughly as bright as the full moon, and your phone can handle it without any filter.

Camera Settings

Modern smartphones handle eclipse photography surprisingly well on auto mode. But for the best results:

Lock exposure and focus before totality: tap and hold the screen on the area where the Sun is to lock both
Turn off flash — it won't help and will annoy people around you
Zoom: 2-3x optical zoom gives a nice balance of the eclipsed Sun and surrounding sky. Don't go beyond your phone's optical zoom — digital zoom just crops and reduces quality
HDR mode: Turn it off. HDR composites multiple exposures and can produce strange results with the fast-changing light of an eclipse

Video vs. Photos

We recommend video. Here's why:

You capture the entire sequence — diamond ring, corona, second diamond ring — without timing individual shots
You get the audio: the crowd's reaction during totality is extraordinary and part of the experience
You can extract individual frames later if you want still photos
You don't have to look at your phone — press record, point at the Sun, and watch with your eyes

If you prefer photos, take a few at the start of totality (corona and diamond ring), then put your phone down and watch.

What to Capture

The diamond ring — the last flash of sunlight before totality. Quick, so start recording before it happens
The corona — the ethereal white halo around the black Moon. This is the signature eclipse image
The landscape — turn your phone away from the Sun briefly. The 360° sunset glow on the horizon, the darkened sky, the city in twilight — these contextual shots are often more evocative than close-ups of the Sun
People's reactions — the faces around you during totality tell a powerful story

The Horizon Trick

One of the most stunning things about totality is the 360° sunset glow on the horizon. You're standing in the Moon's shadow, and the edges of the shadow — where the Sun is still shining — create warm colours all around the horizon. Take a panoramic photo of this. It's something most people don't think to capture, and it's beautiful.

After Totality

When the second diamond ring appears and sunlight returns, put your solar filter back on if you want to photograph the remaining partial phases.

Gear Checklist

Phone solar filter — for partial phase photography (clip-on or film held over the lens)
Fully charged battery — cold weather and hours of use will drain it fast
Portable charger — as backup
Small tripod or phone mount — useful but not essential. Steadier video and lets you go hands-free during totality
Storage space — clear at least 2-3 GB. Video at 4K uses about 350 MB per minute

Practice Before Eclipse Day

Practice locking exposure and focus on your phone
Try filming the full moon at night to get familiar with how your phone handles a bright object in a dark sky
Practice switching between video and photo modes quickly
Time yourself: 3 minutes 50 seconds goes fast. Know your plan

The Bottom Line

Your phone will take good eclipse photos almost automatically. The real skill is not in the camera settings — it's in the discipline to put the phone down and watch with your own eyes. Set it to video, point it at the Sun, and experience totality directly. Your eyes are the best camera you have.

How to Photograph a Total Solar Eclipse With Your Phone