Planning a major astrophotography project across an ocean requires meticulous preparation, digital mapping, and endless visualization. But for acclaimed Brazilian photographer Kiko Fairbairn, the true journey toward capturing one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles began the moment his feet touched the soil of northern Spain.
After more than a year of digital scouting, weather forecasting, and logistical mapping for the total solar eclipse, Fairbairn’s dedication culminated in a stunning series of images featuring a vibrant field of sunflowers, ancient stone architecture, and the celestial alignment of the Sun and Moon.
While Fairbairn had previously photographed an annular solar eclipse in his home country of Brazil a couple of years prior, he approached the Spanish total solar eclipse with the understanding that a full totality is an entirely different caliber of astronomical event.
"Spain became the culmination of more than a year of planning, scouting, and imagining — followed by those final decisions in the field that no app or map can make for you," Fairbairn tells PetaPixel.
Upon arriving in the region near Burgos, Fairbairn utilized augmented reality planning apps to fine-tune how the projected path of the eclipse would intersect with the local terrain. It was during this boots-on-the-ground scouting phase that he discovered a sweeping field of sunflowers near the historic town of Castrojeriz, complete with an old church and crumbling castle ruins rising dramatically in the background.
For Fairbairn, the visual connection between sunflowers and the Sun was immediately apparent, but his artistic vision required more than a clever thematic gimmick. The composition had to function as a genuine landscape photograph, balancing expressive foreground elements with a layered sense of depth and historical context.
A Multi-Camera Approach
To successfully document the fleeting moments of the astronomical event without compromising his creative vision, Fairbairn deployed a multi-camera strategy. This setup allowed him to simultaneously capture close-up scientific detail of the solar corona while maintaining a wide, storytelling perspective on the surrounding Spanish landscape.
His first camera, a modern mirrorless Canon EOS R6 Mark III, was dedicated exclusively to recording close-up sequences of the Sun. Equipped with a 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens paired with a 2x teleconverter, the camera was mounted on a dedicated star tracker and secured with a specialized solar filter. By automating this system to continuously track and record the solar progression, Fairbairn freed himself to focus entirely on his second camera setup.
For his landscape and storytelling images, Fairbairn relied on a tried-and-true DSLR: the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Despite being a veteran piece of equipment in his kit, the camera proved to be a reliable workhorse for the demanding environment.
After initially experimenting with a wider 16-35mm lens, Fairbairn noted that distant architectural elements felt too small within the frame. He ultimately switched to a 24-70mm lens, settling on a focal length of 38mm. This precise adjustment brought the entire composition into harmony, capturing the expressive sunflowers in the foreground, the distant church, the hilltop castle ruins, and the diagonal arc of the eclipse tracking across the sky toward totality.
Technical Decisions in the Field
Managing exposure during a total solar eclipse presents unique technical hurdles, as ambient light plummets dramatically within a matter of minutes. To safeguard against these volatile lighting conditions without being forced to constantly fiddle with camera settings during the event, Fairbairn implemented an aggressive bracketing strategy.
For every single frame in his sequence, the photographer captured three bracketed exposures: a base exposure, a shot two stops darker, and another two stops brighter. Utilizing RAW file sequences shot at shutter speeds like 1/50, 1/200, and 1/800 of a second, Fairbairn ensured he had a generous safety margin of exposure data to work with during post-processing. In total, he captured nearly 300 frames using a Haida ND 3.0 filter, powering his DSLR through a dummy battery connected to an external power bank to ensure uninterrupted operation.
"For the sunflower image, I wanted the technical side to become almost invisible once everything was running," Fairbairn explains. "I had spent so much time preparing the composition, exposure strategy and automation precisely so that, when totality finally arrived, I wouldn’t have to spend those extraordinary seconds looking at the back of a camera."
The Precious Moments of Totality
In Castrojeriz, the duration of totality lasted a mere 1 minute and 46 seconds—an ephemeral window where meticulous planning collided with the raw emotional power of the cosmos. For Fairbairn, maintaining a balance between operating his gear and simply witnessing the spectacle with his own eyes was paramount.
"One of the biggest mistakes we can make as photographers during an eclipse is becoming so focused on capturing it we forget to actually experience it," he notes.
Traveling alongside his sister, who doubled as a behind-the-scenes documentarian, Fairbairn experienced a moment captured on video that revealed his genuine shock and awe. His sister recorded the exact moment the photographer stepped away from his viewfinders to gaze up at the sky unassisted.
The emotional impact of witnessing the corona, the sudden drop in temperature, and the surreal transformation of a familiar star left a lasting impression. Beyond the artistic triumph of securing the shot, Fairbairn emphasizes that the true highlight of the expedition was sharing the experience with close friends from the Brazilian astronomy and astrophotography community who had traveled great distances to witness the alignment.
The Astrophotography Connection
As a veteran astrophotographer with over 15 years of experience in deep-sky imaging, tracked landscapes, and panoramas, Fairbairn approaches celestial events with a deep appreciation for the underlying physics. His portfolio has previously earned international recognition, including winning the Sir Patrick Moore Prize in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition in 2019, alongside publications by NASA, National Geographic, the BBC, and Scientific American.
Reflecting on the geometry of a total solar eclipse, Fairbairn notes the remarkable cosmic coincidence that makes such a phenomenon possible. Because the Sun is roughly 400 times larger than the Moon, yet also sits approximately 400 times farther away from Earth, the two bodies appear nearly identical in size from our perspective. This precise angular alignment is what permits the Moon to occlude the solar disk entirely, revealing the ethereal glow of the corona.
Unlike his typical deep-sky astrophotography projects, which often unfold over leisurely, extended nocturnal hours, the fleeting nature of a total solar eclipse offers no margin for error. Months of anxious anticipation, digital mapping, and financial investment boil down to less than two minutes of action.
Standing in the Spanish countryside alongside peers who understood the profound weight of the moment, Fairbairn experienced a profound sense of relief as the solar path aligned precisely with his envisioned composition. Ultimately, the resulting images serve not only as a technical triumph of modern astrophotography, but as a permanent record of a rare cosmic dance witnessed in the company of family and friends.
