Behind my 2026 solar eclipse photos

I spent most of yesterday morning (12th August 2026), debating where to go and shoot the partial solar eclipse here in the UK.

I had a few places in mind, but what sparked my final decision was the opportunity to shoot something a bit different.

As with all events like this, it can be hard coming up with something unique and out of the ordinary. 

The plan

So with the help of my friend Alex, we loosely planned a shot of getting him flaying his paramotor/powered paraglider silhouetted in front of the eclipse.

I also wanted to get some regular shots of the sun during each phase.

The plan was I'd situate myself on top of the viaduct over the River Nidd at Nidd Gorge in Harrogate. It offers unobstructed views of the horizon and overlooks a decent open area where Alex could fly.

We roughly worked out where Alex would need to be based on the position showed SunCalc and in the PhotoPills app. 

I got set up on the viaduct and took some test shots of the sun, mainly to check focus.

My full set up was:

• Nikon Z8
• Nikon Z 180-600mm lens
• DIY solar filter
• Benro tripod and geared head
• Remote trigger 
• Nikon Z6iii for a time lapse with a Z 14-30mm 

I also double-checked the sun's position at totality (well the most covered we'd see) using AR view in PhotoPills which allows you to overview the path of the sun with your camera's view.

Shooting and the flying

I started shooting just before the start of the eclipse.

I was in manual mode, ISO 500, f/11 and was taking three bracketed shots for a bit of peace of mind. My base shutter speed was 1/1250.

Throughout the eclipse, I took photos in intervals whilst manually slewing my tripod head to keep the sun in centre frame.

About 15 mins before the peak, Alex set off from the other side of Harrogate and I tracked his position on an app so I knew he was coming.

Once Alex was overhead we spoke on the phone and I directed him into position whilst juggling the camera and getting ready to remove the solar filter during the peak.

Alex flew just above the sun from my view and spiralled down, I removed the filter quickly, put my shutter speed as fast as it would go, enabled high-speed burst shooting and we just about managed to pull off this shot: 

It was pretty difficult to keep an eye on him whilst squinting and managing the camera, but I'm happy I managed to capture him.

It was a really fun shot to get and I had a great time speaking to the other who had gathered during the eclipse to watch.

Alex flew back over us on the way back and I managed to have a quick look with my own eyes with the aid on an ND1000 filter. 

I wouldn't recommend that, but the sun was dim enough to safely look through that filter at that point I think.

The final piece of the puzzle was shooting the remainder of the eclipse which lasted until about 8pm so I could shoot a sequence of it.

In typical British weather fashion, cloud rolled in during the last moments, but I'm still really happy with how my sequence composition turned out: