Ron Leach

You may have read our recent article about 71-year-old photographer Edward French who was killed last month while photographing the sunrise from Twin Peaks—a popular landmark overlooking San Francisco. 

Have you ever noticed a yellow tint to the glass in a vintage lens? That may be because certain lenses in the 60s and 70s used a Thorium coating that yellows over time. Thorium has a high refractive index that improves light transmission, but it also turns out to be slightly radioactive.

Back in April we explained how to photograph the upcoming August 21 total solar eclipse that will be the first such event viewable from coast to coast in the U.S. since 1918. Because this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we thought we’d share the quick video below with more tips on capturing epic images of this rare phenomenon.

Many of us are far more accomplished at capturing a photograph than we are at processing images in Photoshop, Lightroom or other image-editing program. As a result, experienced photographers often lack the editing skills needed to take their results to the next level.