Path of totality aka the party path

Today in central New York, I witnessed the total solar eclipse from within the path of totality surrounded by friends and family. We prepared for this months in advance, building a plan but hoping for weather that allowed us to see the event. All the planning was worth the effort, despite some clouds obscuring the view, we were able to spend the day together at the park near the water and enjoy an outdoor adventure together.

Composite of the automatic captures I took that day.

Sometime around November, a calendar reminder popped up telling me to prepare. I set these reminders because life gets hectic, and I didn’t want to scramble at the last minute. When a semi-mild winter day hit with a clear sky, I was able to drive to a few open parks around my area and scope out the sky, and I chose a spot with parking and space for the kids to play while we waited for the eclipse.

Celestron EclipSmart 10x25 Binoculars

In preparation I purchased a pair of Celestron 10x25 solar binoculars, and 25 pairs of the paper solar eclipse glasses. I had 21 people on my list and I wanted to ensure they could look at this rare event safely. Around March, I mailed all the glasses out to my friends and family so their families could be ready. I assumed all the kids would get some from school as well but this was a way to plant the seed that something amazing is going to happen and be visible to us.  I also built a solar eclipse viewer out of a cereal box and tinfoil with one of the kids, and tested it outside before the big day. 

We set up a time to meet our friends and their family at the park, early enough to grab the spot I had chosen and up went two canopies, we unloaded the coolers and a small grill, tables, and food. The kids all went off to play and ride bikes while the adults enjoyed some downtime with a warm sun. I spent a few minutes setting up a viewing area for myself where my tripod and camera, binoculars and other things would not be disturbed or blocked. 

The time arrived and I had set most things to automatic, snap some photos and capture the moment to the best of my capability - however I wanted to take in the eerie dimming of daylight with my own eyes, rather than just behind the lens. The clouds had rolled in slightly anyway obscuring things but not totally.

Playing with camera settings

Clouds rolling through.

It was such a special day for me, and turning the event into a party in the park on a beautiful day and spending time with everyone really made this something I'll never forget. 

As the light had almost fully dimmed, I took a few moments to take some photos with my girlfriend, and help the kids safely look through the binoculars and answer any questions they had. My dad and our friend's parents had shown up as well so around a dozen people passed glasses, binoculars and we all watched the event together. It was really important that I capture some photos but also to watch it live and not through my phone screen. I had spent so much time planning the day, and part of that planning was making sure I truly experienced the eclipse—live, in the moment, with the people around me.