In Oregon for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse - Cannon Beach and Turner
381 views · Published 26 August 2017 · 8:55 · Indexed 6 October 2026
Channel: Greg Scratchley · 2017 · Howto & Style
On August 18th, I travelled with David to Oregon to witness the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse - the 'Great American Eclipse'. We flew to Seattle, on to Portland, and spent an afternoon and late evening shooting at Cannon Beach. We then spent the following day making our way to overnight under the skies in Turner Oregon - where we had secured a place to watch the Eclipse on Craigslist. We arrived to find a great location, but a land owner whose warmth and generousity led us to an adjacent piece of land where we were able to set up at the top of a rise with a view of the Willamette Valley - from the I5 to the Cascade Range. We setup in solitude, but the land owner knew we were at the top of the hill, and he brought all of his guests to share our view - mindful to keep away from the cameras and prevent any interruption in our experience. Little did I know that this this was going to 'make' the event for me. We were excited to witness C1 - where the moon first crosses the path of the sun, forming the beginning of the crescent shape of a partial eclipse. We then spent 40 minutes setting additional camera postitions and observing the partial eclipse, when we started getting our timer notifications about the impending C2 - or the beginning of the total eclipse. At our location, we were anticipating a full 2 minutes of totality - and when C2 arrived - excitement was at a peak. We did our best to communicate to the growing crowd what elements to look for - including shadow bands, the stars, and a full 360 degree sunset at the peak of totality. Cameras fell to the wayside as we were wide eyed and awe struck during totality. We did our best, but allowed the experience to sink in for the short time we had. I've tried to put the experience of watching the sun disappear into words - but I'm simply unable to fully explain it. Suffice it to say - by totality - there were tears as I was simply overwhelmed by the sight of our sun's corona and the knowledge that the heavens and the ground on which I was sitting were perfectly aligned. To quote a line from one of my favourite movies, "They should have sent a poet." I hope you enjoy the video from my trip - and even if you don't feel the amazement we did - that you'll at least get a sense of how we experienced the eclipse. An unforgettable trip in great company. My deepest thanks to David for making this trip possible... and for sharing an amazing experience with me. Music by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Video and Photography by Greg Scratchley
