Well PARTS of the east coast got to finally experience this beauty last night, and I was one of the lucky parts!!! After watching the weather for over a week, checking it every day, then twice daily, and then pretty much about every hour once the weekend arrived, holding our breath, debating our spot, and eventually accepting that it was just going to be a crap shoot whether or not the clouds would part and give us a peek at the show, dh and I packed a picnic supper, a bottle of wine, chairs, camera gear, tripod, extra layers of warm clothing, a blanket, and hit the beach ... AND SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! She dodged the clouds for the first hour or so after rising, and just as the shadow began creeping across her face, the clouds disappeared and never came back! I swear I don't think I've ever seen the sky so clear! We had ringside seats to her entire performance! The Milky Way played along with her, and she even brought 3 shooting stars along to boot! Had we just remembered to pack some dessert, the evening would have been perfect! :-)
One of the things I worried about the most leading up to the big night was sand blowing all over my lens and how I was going to keep it clean since we had 20 - 30 mph winds predicted and we were planning to park ourselves right on the beach. As it turned out, we spent the evening on the bay side of Assateague where there was less wind and almost no blowing sand. So I parked the camera on the tripod and never worried about the lens again. Lots of work getting the settings right, and I really struggled with the focus once she got into full eclipse, but just went with the flow and got the best shots I could get. When the show was over and we were packing up, I happened to notice my lens for the first time all evening. It was completely covered in dew ... WHAT????? No wonder I was having so much trouble focusing! So, sadly, these aren't the most clear shots, but I got them anyway, and the show was once-in-a-lifetime!
And don't you know, Amanda Powell challenged me to get out after dark for this week's get pushed challenge! Haha! Here's what she said, "I challenge you to get out after dark with your camera. It can be long exposure, neighborhood lights, even the moon (I think there is supposed to be a blood moon tomorrow night)!! Have fun!!" Woohoo! Does this count Amanda??? :-)
To see another shot:
http://365project.org/shesnapped/365/2015-09-28
This one wasn't visible here as it was day time in Australia when it occurred.
But I'm still smiling today because I still got to witness it FINALLY!!!!