In the weeks leading up to the solar eclipse that was visible across a wide swath of the United States on August 21st, 2017, many warnings were given. “Don?t look at the sun with your naked eyes unless you want to permanently damage them and possibly go blind,” they said. “The viewfinder of your camera doesn?t count as a safe way to view the eclipsed sun,” they said. “Don?t point your camera at the sun unless you?re using a certified solar filter,” they said. Did people listen" Not always, and a company called Lensrentals has the receipts to prove it. They documented all of the damage sustained by the photography equipment they rented out that day, from melted sensors to damaged mirrors.

Perhaps you can imagine why some eager amateur photographers weren?t too concerned about all of these warnings. If you can take a photograph of the sky that includes the sun on a normal day, why wouldn?t you be able do so during the solar eclipse, as well" Of course, most of us aren?t focusing our cameras right at the sun on a regular basis. Specially designed solar filters dim the sunlight enough to protect both the photographer?s eyes and the equipment, and they also protect delicate components from non-visible IR and UV radiation.
Most professional photographers were aware of all these factors and practiced their techniques with the proper equipment prior to the eclipse. Unfortunately, not everyone is so well-prepared, and the Lensrentals t...