When the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse was announced, my original plan was to travel to Spain and photograph totality. Unfortunately, the trip wasn't financially possible, so I began looking for the best location closer to home. I chose The Wrekin in Shropshire due to the open landscape stretching out for miles to the west which offered a clear, uninterrupted view of the afternoon sky.
This image is a composite of 11 individual photographs taken throughout the eclipse using a Sony A7R II and a 70–200mm lens at 200mm. Working with a 200mm focal length and an ND1000 filter rather than a dedicated solar filter meant I knew I wasn't chasing an ultra-detailed close-up of the Sun. Instead, I wanted to tell the story of the eclipse as it unfolded across the sky.
The most tense moment came at peak coverage. Just as the Moon reached around 92% coverage in the UK, a bank of cloud drifted towards the Sun. I managed to capture only a single frame before it became obscured, leaving me hoping that one image would complete the sequence.
I hope this progression helps people appreciate not just the beauty of the eclipse, but the remarkable way our celestial neighbours interact, and perhaps inspires someone to look up at the next one.
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Available for photography and content commissions covering astronomy, travel, events and destination experiences
Available for photography and content commissions covering astronomy, travel, events and destination experiences