Solar Eclipse Photo Contest Winners Celebrate North America’s Recent Total Eclipse

Millions turned out to watch April 8’s North American solar eclipse, and Kolari Vision helped photographers safely capture images of the total eclipse. To celebrate the big event, Kolari ran its inaugural Solar Eclipse Photography Contest. Now, they’ve announced the winners and several exceptional honorable mentions.

Ryan Spangenberg won the competition with his unique image of a plane hugging the side of the total eclipse. Two incredible moments of totality by Keith Double and Justin Castel took home second and third place, respectively. For the honorable mentions, two standouts are cool composite images by both Joe Luther and Jonathan Sullivan that clearly show all the phases of the eclipse.

Kolari, known for its infrared filters and camera conversions, used the photo contest to educate the public about documenting such an event. Its 15-stop and 20-stop ND filters allow photographers to safely take photos of the solar eclipse without ruining their camera equipment.

ND filters work by reducing the amount of light that enters the camera lens without compromising the color or hue of the image. This makes them perfect for photographing eclipses. However, just because these filters keep cameras safe, it doesn’t mean they are safe for the human eye.

“Do not look through the optical viewfinder on your DSLR camera when pointing it at the Sun, even when using an ND filter, and DO NOT look directly at the Sun through an ND filter,” Kolari warns. “These filters are not rated for your eyes, and your eyes will be damaged if you do this. However, it is perfectly safe to use live view or look through the EVF on a mirrorless camera.”

If you are looking for another eclipse opportunity, an annular eclipse will take place on October 2, 2024. It will be fully visible in South America and appear as a partial eclipse in North America.

Scroll down to see more winning solar eclipse photography and get ready to enter Kolari Vision’s next photo competition. Its fourth biannual Infrared Photo Contest is now open for submissions.