The eclipse path crosses Spain at sunset, and one cinematographer has a plan to capture something dramatic.
A mockup of the hero shot Detienne and his team are going for.
\On August 12, a total solar eclipse will cross mainland Spain for the first time in over 120 years, with geometry unlike almost any eclipse that preceded it. The eclipsed sun will sit just above the horizon at totality, low enough that a person can share the same frame as the corona. Cinematographer Arthur Detienne and his crew are building an entire shoot around that fact, recording an hour-long DJ set on location during the eclipse, building up to the hero shot during totality.
Because they will only have a 36-second totality window at their chosen location, every decision, including filter mounts, exposure charts and composition, has been planned out to avoid missing a single shot. Detienne sat down with me ahead of the eclipse to walk me through how they developed their plan and the gear they'll be using the day of.
After deciding on the overall vision for the shoot, one of the first steps of the planning process was choosing where it should take place. Detienne's team chose its location northwest of Zaragoza, Spain, by balancing the eclipse's position, the landscape and the odds of clear skies. That's because of the specific vision for the hero shot, which needs the sun low and large at sunset, with a performer placed between it and the camera.
Detienne told me that they calculated they would need roughly 100–150 meters (328-429′) of distance between the camera and the subject, plus a specific elevation difference to align the silhouette with the eclipsed sun. Their current location allows for about 105 meters (344′) of separation and 6 meters (19.7′) of elevation.
Cloud risk also shaped the decision. The crew used The Eclipse App to compare historical cloud-cover probabilities along the path of totality, choosing an area Detienne said had a 5–10% chance of clouds rather than 60–70% in some alternatives.
They also considered atmospheric shimmer: because the eclipse occurs near sunset, the low sun's light will travel through a thicker layer of atmosphere, making a long-lens image more vulnerable to distortion. The selected area includes a large body of water beyond the setup, which the team hopes will provide more stable conditions. "There is no perfect choice," Detienne said. "It's always dealing with constraints."
While some creatives choose a location for aesthetic reasons, that was not the case here. "It was not a very creative choice," Detienne said. "We need very special conditions."
The entire video will be an hour long, but the moment at totality is the star of the show and the primary focus while deciding on composition and gear. During the planning process, Detienne's team used set.a.light 3D to model the planned eclipse composition. The software allowed the crew to enter the date, location, camera setup and predicted sun position, then preview how the performer's silhouette could align with the eclipsed sun.
That process helped the group refine its lens choice, camera placement and performer position before traveling to the site, helping to take as many variables out of the equation as possible. Engineers reviewed the team's calculations, but Detienne said the simulation remains a starting point rather than a guarantee. "It's still assumptions, we will need to verify that," he said, which is why the crew has set aside the day prior to the eclipse to verify the composition on location.
The crew can test its framing and filter workflow in Spain, but the exposure transition at totality remains an educated calculation. Before and after totality, solar filters will protect the cameras from direct sunlight. During totality, when the sun is roughly 100,000 times dimmer, the filters must come off to reveal the corona.
Detienne's team used Fred Espenak's eclipse exposure references as a starting point, then ran additional calculations for the sun's low altitude at sunset. At that angle, sunlight travels through more atmosphere than it would higher in the sky, changing the expected exposure. Engineers also reviewed the team's numbers, but Detienne said the final settings cannot be fully tested in advance. "The reality is, we cannot test that. So the biggest risk right now will be that one," he said.
Speed is critical. The team built custom filter mounts intended to come off almost instantly, preserving as much as possible of the 36-second totality window. They also need to reinstall the filters as direct sunlight returns: Detienne said their calculations suggested an unfiltered long-lens camera could suffer sensor damage in roughly seven seconds.
The hero camera will pair a Nikon Z8 with a 600mm lens and teleconverters, bringing the optical focal length to roughly 850mm. Recording in 8K will also give the crew room to crop to a 4K deliverable, producing a framing Detienne estimates as equivalent to about 1700mm. That reach is central to the composition, enlarging the eclipsed sun behind the performer.
The camera will sit on a weighted Sachtler 20 S1 tripod to limit vibration at that focal length. Detienne said the team will keep the hero camera locked off rather than track the sun: "We want it to be focused on the subject," he said. "The sun will just go behind them."
The crew will also test whether to disable in-body and lens stabilization, which can sometimes introduce movement when a camera is already on a highly stable support. Drones, wider-angle cameras and gimbal rigs will provide additional angles for the hour-long live session, but Detienne said, "What we want people to remember is this hero shot."
The day before the eclipse, Detienne's crew will gather at the location for a full rehearsal with the actual equipment. They will verify their calculated camera and performer positions, check whether the planned elevation needs adjustment and test the manual workflow for focus, white balance, exposure and stabilization.
Weather remains the variable no rehearsal can resolve. Detienne said the rapid temperature change around totality can produce clouds within minutes, potentially obscuring the sun just as the shot begins. Historical cloud-cover data helped the team choose its primary area, and it has identified backup locations, but none can guarantee an unobstructed view.
"There are a lot of unknowns. We cannot avoid them," Detienne said. "But we intend to minimize them."
By the time totality begins, the crew will have dialed in the location, the camera position, focal length, filters, exposure estimates and the sequence for removing and replacing those filters. Their preparation is meant to give them the best chance at getting the shot, but it cannot guarantee the sky will cooperate or that everything else will go according to plan.
For Detienne, that uncertainty is part of the appeal. "I think we can really bring art and nature more together," he said. "Nature is a very cool and good way to interact with art." We'll be eagerly waiting for the results and look forward to seeing all of the incredible photos and videos from this eclipse, including some from you, our readers.
About the Author: Abby Ferguson holds an MFA in photography and blends a fine-art background with extensive editorial and commercial experience. She built and led an in-house imaging program for a large vacation rental company and has served as an associate editor at Popular Photography. She also teaches at a local community college and serves on its Photographic Technology Program Advisory Board, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for the medium.
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