Final edit and ready for the printer. This is a 2 hour and 10 minute composite time-lapse. First photo (upper left) was shot at 4:56 am and the final piece (lower right) was shot at 7:05 am. Sunrise was at 7:03. There are 39 separate exposures included here, taken at intervals of 3min 25sec. While the final result looks simple and elegant, the assembly takes some serious heavy lifting in Photoshop. The camera was on a fixed tripod for the entire duration as I carefully tweaked (and guessed) at correct exposure times and apertures.

Unlike many "scissors and paste" composites you'll find scattered around the internet, this photo - though a composite of 39 separate shots - retains photographic integrity because nothing was created, moved or modified in any way. This photo is a time lapse of the progression of the eclipse over a 130 minute period, encompassing all of totality and a bit of the partial phases on both ends.

When the series of photos began, it was fully dark. By the end, the sun was coming up and sky was as bright as day. Likewise, the partially eclipsed moon is very bright, and the totally eclipsed moon is much dimmer. Compensating for this tremendous variation in illumination levels is one of the biggest challenges a composite photographer faces, and it took quite a bit of fine tuning to get all of the images of the moon to blend smoothly onto the chosen dark blue background. The background shot was selected from one of the twilight images between 6:30 and 6:45 AM when the sky was slowly transitioning from night to daylight.

I plan to print this on canvas in 20x20 inches and 24x24 inches. It will be stretched over 1 inch wood frame, a very fine product for your wall. Prices will be approximately $150 and $175. Delivered free in the Madison area.