Northern Spain Trip & Eclipse Notes

Flight arrivals

Different airports were not in the plan but after Ryanair bumped their costs to over £650 return we were forced to make different arrangements. The outbound isn’t much of a problem as I have enough time to collect the car and drive to Santander airport to collect Pauline and Andy then continue as normal. However the return causes significant extra driving as I will need to drive Pauline and Andy to Santander (which was in the plan) but then drive back for my flight. The only issue is that we will have to leave earlier than planned on the return trip.

Area Map

The map shows most of our seascape shooting locations plus the hotels. The day before the Eclipse we will arrive at the Oca Villa de Avilés Hotel and stay for 3 nights. We can scout for specific shooting locations that day and the Eclipse day as well.If the weather is clear then We can look for coastal locations otherwise we may have to travel in land. The dark lines left and right are the edges of totality and the yellow line is the centre of totality.

The lower thin purple line on the map shows the direction of the Eclipse. See http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2026_GoogleMapFull.html For an interactive map.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 August 2026, the Moon will fully cover the Sun along a narrow band running across Iceland, the Atlantic and the north coast of Spain. It's the first total solar eclipse over mainland Spain since 1912.

What makes this particular eclipse unusual for photographers is its timing. Totality happens low in the western sky, less than an hour before sunset. That brings a set of opportunities and challenges you don't get with a midday eclipse, and this guide covers the timings, the technical approach and the safety points you need to get it right.

The shape of the day

The eclipse unfolds in five stages. First contact (C1) is when the Moon first starts to nibble into the Sun's edge, and from here the partial eclipse deepens slowly over about an hour. Second contact (C2) is the start of totality itself, when the Moon fully covers the Sun and it's safe to look and photograph without a filter. Maximum eclipse follows within a minute or so. Third contact (C3) marks the end of totality, and from there the partial eclipse continues in reverse until fourth contact (C4), when the Moon finally clears the Sun completely.

Because this eclipse sits so close to the horizon, C4 for most of the north coast happens only minutes before the Sun actually sets. You are essentially photographing an eclipse and a sunset as one continuous event.

Timings for the north coast

All times below are local (CEST, UTC+2). Times shift by a minute or two as you move along the coast, so treat this as a working guide rather than gospel for your exact spot.

Totality itself lasts around 1 minute 45 seconds to 1 minute 50 seconds across most of the Asturian and Cantabrian coast, among the longest durations anywhere on the eclipse track. At maximum, the Sun sits only 10 to 11 degrees above the west-north-west horizon. That's low. Lower than most people expect, and it has a direct effect on where you should stand and what gear you bring, covered below.

Choosing our spot

Because the Sun is so low throughout the entire event, an unobstructed view to the west matters more here than at almost any other total eclipse. A hill, headland or cliff edge with a clear run down to the sea horizon is far better than a valley floor or anywhere with buildings, trees or high ground to the west. Coastal viewpoints along this stretch of coast are genuinely well suited to this, since the Atlantic gives you a flat, uninterrupted horizon in exactly the direction you need.

Do think about cloud. Scout two or three possible spots the day beforehand, keep an eye on the short-range forecast on the morning of the 12th, and be prepared to move if a bank of cloud is sitting stubbornly over your first choice. A car with fifteen or twenty minutes of flexibility built into your schedule is worth more than the fanciest lens.

Technical guide

Solar filters, non-negotiable

For every part of the partial eclipse, both before and after totality, you need at least a 10 stop filter over your lens, and proper eclipse glasses over your eyes. The sun level and thus light level as the sun drops is reducing all the time, so a 20 stopper may not be needed. Its best to practice in the garden before and see how a 10 or 20 stop filter will work. You can of course multiply a 10 and 6 or 3 stop filter for varied effect. I will also have a spare 10 stop square filter system for use if needed. Look for the ISO 12312-2:2015 standard on both. Ordinary sunglasses, polarisers or exposed film do not offer adequate protection and should never be used as a substitute. The filter goes over the front of the lens, not behind it, and it stays on for the entire partial phase.

Most stopper filters will not block UV and IR light so if the lens is pointing at the sun, ensure the lens is covered when not in use.

The one exception is totality itself. Once the Moon fully covers the Sun's disc, between C2 and C3, it is safe to remove both your eclipse glasses and your camera's solar filter, and this is the only point in the whole event where you can photograph the corona directly. The moment totality ends at C3, the filter goes straight back on and the glasses go straight back on. Because this eclipse only gives you around 1 minute 45 seconds of totality, it's worth deciding in advance exactly how you'll manage that changeover so you're not fumbling with a filter while the light is changing in front of you.

Gear and lens choice

A mirrorless camera with full manual control is ideal. A sturdy tripod is essential, since you'll be working with longer exposures as the light fades and you don't want camera shake ruining a shot you only get once.

For a close, detailed view of the corona, something in the 400mm to 600mm range (full-frame equivalent) will fill more of the frame. If you're using a crop-sensor body you can get away with somewhat less focal length. For a wider view that takes in the landscape, the sea and the darkened sky together, a 16-35mm lens gives a very different but equally compelling result, particularly given how low the Sun sits here. If you can manage it, running two cameras, one long lens tracking the Sun tightly and one wide angle set up on a second tripod, gives you the best of both without having to choose on the day.

Dont get too close. When the in totality, there will be flares and the suns corona visible and a frame filled with the sun may crop some of those out.

A remote shutter release to cut down vibration further. Switch off image stabilisation when the camera is on a tripod, since it can occasionally introduce blur rather than remove it in this situation. Focus manually on the outer rim of the sun (typically  infinity) well before the event starts. Autofocus can hunt and fail on a small, high-contrast disc, and you won't have time to fix it once things are moving.

Settings through the partial phases

With the solar filter on, start around ISO 100, f/8, and 1/500 of a second, then adjust based on your histogram rather than the screen alone, since it's easy to misjudge brightness on a small display in daylight. Shoot in RAW so you have room to correct exposure afterwards. As the Sun gets lower and the light softens in the final stretch before totality, you'll likely need to open up slightly, so keep checking rather than setting and forgetting. Take the bracketed shots once every 4 or 5 minutes.

Auto bracket for 7 to 9 shots at 1 or 1.3 stop steps.

Setting for pre or semi totality

20 seconds before totality: Filter off. This is a brief period for Baily's beads, Diamond ring and cromosfera: 1/500s base bracketing.

Settings for totality

Quickly remove the filter only once totality has genuinely begun. The corona has an enormous range of brightness from the inner glow to the faint outer streamers, so the best approach is to bracket a run of exposures rather than rely on one setting. At ISO 100, try a braketed sequence from around 1/15s base  at a fixed aperture of f/8, capturing everything from the bright inner corona to the faintest outer wisps and any solar prominences visible at the edge.

It's worth deliberately building in a few seconds where you step back from the viewfinder and just look. People who spend the entire totality staring at a screen often say afterwards that they wish they'd looked up.

After totailty, reverse the order of settings mentioned above.

Composition, and making the most of a sunset eclipse

Most total eclipse photographs are taken with the Sun high overhead, a small dark disc against plain blue. This one is different. With the Sun only 10 degrees up and totality happening in the last hour of daylight, you get a warm, deepening sky, long shadows, and the chance to include the sea, the coastline and even other people watching in the same frame as the eclipsed Sun. A wide shot showing the horizon glow around the edges of totality, sometimes called the 360-degree sunset effect, is unique to low-altitude eclipses like this one and is well worth planning for alongside the traditional close-up.

Rehearse it

In the days before, run through the entire sequence at home or on location: attaching and removing the solar filter, switching from your partial-phase settings to your totality bracket, and back again. Time yourself. On the day, you'll have contact times to the second and very little room for improvisation.

Safety

Eye safety comes first, always. Never look at the Sun directly, through a viewfinder, or through an unfiltered camera lens at any point during the partial phases, before C2 or after C3. ISO 12312-2:2015 certified eclipse glasses are the standard to look for, and they should show no scratches, punctures or damage before use. Regular sunglasses, however dark, are not a substitute and offer no protection against the Sun's radiation.

The same applies to your camera. Pointing an unfiltered lens at the Sun for even a moment can damage a sensor, and looking through an unfiltered viewfinder at the Sun is exactly as dangerous as looking at it directly. Keep the filter on the front of the lens throughout the partial phases, and only remove it once you are certain totality has begun.

If you have a well-obstructed western horizon in mind but it involves a cliff edge, a headland or a coastal path, treat it with the same care you would on any normal day out. It'll be busy. A significant number of people are expected to travel to this stretch of coast for the eclipse, so paths, viewpoints and car parks may be considerably more crowded than usual, tides will still be tides regardless of what's happening in the sky, and light will be fading fast in the final minutes before and after totality. Get to your spot in good time, know your footing before the light starts to change, and keep an eye on anyone in your group, particularly children, near any drop.

Finally, plan for the roads afterwards. With totality ending close to sunset and a great many visitors converging on the same coastline, traffic in the immediate aftermath is likely to be slow. Building in extra time before you need to be anywhere that evening will save a lot of frustration.

A simple timeline to work from

This is a rare thing to witness, let alone photograph, so it's worth putting the planning in now while there's still time to rehearse and scout a location. Get the safety and the technical groundwork sorted in advance, and on the day itself you'll actually get to enjoy watching one of the more remarkable sights the sky has to offer.