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- Name
- Justice C. Bigler
- City/State
- Chouteau, Oklahoma
I've started planning for a trip to Australia in July of 2028 to photograph the solar eclipse on July 22 of 2028.
The eclipse path crosses the entire continent from the NW all the way down, to Sydney. Sydney is actually directly in the middle of the path of totality.
I have a friend in Australia still, I think, in Adelaide. So hopefully I can connect with him and get some local support. I'll be traveling with my wife and my daughter who will be 23 by then.
Travel: Flying from Tulsa, Oklahoma is about a 22 hour long trip, with ~15-16 hours in the air between the U.S. and Sydney, Australia. Obviously you can't book flights until a year out at most, and hopefully the global economy won't crash between now and then. Hopefully, Sydney is a big enough city that the extra tourists coming to see the eclipse won't make a significant impact on the local hotel availability (unlike the Iceland eclipse in August this year, where all 17 hotels room in the country are already booked). Also, this eclipse happens right in the middle of the LA Olympics in 2028, so hopefully that takes some of the tourist and airline brunt since we'll be flying in the opposite direction.
I have a specific prospective location just north of Sydney that should provide about 3:42 of totality. But I need to figure out a back up location in the event that weather spoils my plans.
Cameras: Definitely taking my my R6 mkII and my R6 mkIII and probably my RP for candid and people photography while the two R6's are shooting the eclipse. I'll also be bringing my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for video and vlogging.
Lenses: Definitely taking my RF 100-500 for the eclipse. And my RF24-70 and 70-200 for general photography during the rest of the trip.
I need to pick up an RF1.4x extender for the 100-500. I'm debating on either getting another 100-500, or a RF 200-800 possibly. I already have a KASE magnetic ND100000 16.5 stop solar filter for the 100-500 and will pick up another once I figure out what secondary lens I'll be using. I have battery grips for both the R6s so I'm not worried about running out of juice. But I do need to get another sturdy tripod. Right now I have a Magnus fluid head video tripod, and a Sirui lightweight carbon fiber travel tripod with a ball head. But I need a better sturdy tripod for the second camera.
Travel gear: I currently have two Pelican carry-on size cases: a Protector 1510, and an Air 1535. I also have two larger Pelicans: a 1560 and a 1650 for really large items. But I don't think I'll need to use the 1650. I'm planning to use the Air 1535 and/or the 1510 for carry on duties. But the airline regulations are changing these days, and carry-on restrictions are getting tighter. Need to avoid checking camera gear at all costs.
Some of the things, like tripods and cables can be packed in the checked baggage. Cameras, lenses and batteries will stay with us as we travel. Luckily, with three of us, I can assign a carry on camera gear case to everyone as needed in addition to our personal bags (backpacks).
If any of you guys have flown internationally with camera gear lately, please chime in with your experiences and suggestions.
Shooting: I'm going to use automation software to control the actual photography. Seems like the most most popular are Set'n'C for Windows and Solar Eclipse Maestro for Mac. I need to start working with these and figure out which one works better. They both will control multiple cameras. Leaning towards the Eclipse Maestro as I can run my MacBook Pro on an External USB-C power bank for an extra 2 or 3 hours.
Here's the two best photos I took from the eclipse on April 8, 2024 here in Oklahoma, at the Hugo Damn in Hugo, Oklahoma.
The eclipse path crosses the entire continent from the NW all the way down, to Sydney. Sydney is actually directly in the middle of the path of totality.
I have a friend in Australia still, I think, in Adelaide. So hopefully I can connect with him and get some local support. I'll be traveling with my wife and my daughter who will be 23 by then.
Travel: Flying from Tulsa, Oklahoma is about a 22 hour long trip, with ~15-16 hours in the air between the U.S. and Sydney, Australia. Obviously you can't book flights until a year out at most, and hopefully the global economy won't crash between now and then. Hopefully, Sydney is a big enough city that the extra tourists coming to see the eclipse won't make a significant impact on the local hotel availability (unlike the Iceland eclipse in August this year, where all 17 hotels room in the country are already booked). Also, this eclipse happens right in the middle of the LA Olympics in 2028, so hopefully that takes some of the tourist and airline brunt since we'll be flying in the opposite direction.
I have a specific prospective location just north of Sydney that should provide about 3:42 of totality. But I need to figure out a back up location in the event that weather spoils my plans.
Cameras: Definitely taking my my R6 mkII and my R6 mkIII and probably my RP for candid and people photography while the two R6's are shooting the eclipse. I'll also be bringing my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for video and vlogging.
Lenses: Definitely taking my RF 100-500 for the eclipse. And my RF24-70 and 70-200 for general photography during the rest of the trip.
I need to pick up an RF1.4x extender for the 100-500. I'm debating on either getting another 100-500, or a RF 200-800 possibly. I already have a KASE magnetic ND100000 16.5 stop solar filter for the 100-500 and will pick up another once I figure out what secondary lens I'll be using. I have battery grips for both the R6s so I'm not worried about running out of juice. But I do need to get another sturdy tripod. Right now I have a Magnus fluid head video tripod, and a Sirui lightweight carbon fiber travel tripod with a ball head. But I need a better sturdy tripod for the second camera.
Travel gear: I currently have two Pelican carry-on size cases: a Protector 1510, and an Air 1535. I also have two larger Pelicans: a 1560 and a 1650 for really large items. But I don't think I'll need to use the 1650. I'm planning to use the Air 1535 and/or the 1510 for carry on duties. But the airline regulations are changing these days, and carry-on restrictions are getting tighter. Need to avoid checking camera gear at all costs.
Some of the things, like tripods and cables can be packed in the checked baggage. Cameras, lenses and batteries will stay with us as we travel. Luckily, with three of us, I can assign a carry on camera gear case to everyone as needed in addition to our personal bags (backpacks).
If any of you guys have flown internationally with camera gear lately, please chime in with your experiences and suggestions.
Shooting: I'm going to use automation software to control the actual photography. Seems like the most most popular are Set'n'C for Windows and Solar Eclipse Maestro for Mac. I need to start working with these and figure out which one works better. They both will control multiple cameras. Leaning towards the Eclipse Maestro as I can run my MacBook Pro on an External USB-C power bank for an extra 2 or 3 hours.
Here's the two best photos I took from the eclipse on April 8, 2024 here in Oklahoma, at the Hugo Damn in Hugo, Oklahoma.
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