Shot from nearly a mile away with two stacked 600mm lenses, the photographer had just 84 seconds to nail this eclipse shot after nine months of planning
This photograph of a Red Bull wingsuit crossing in front of the solar eclipse in Spain took two lenses, nine months of planning, and 600 hours of practice runs
Solar eclipses are rare, but when combined with extreme sports, they present photographers with a unique challenge - capturing a fleeting moment in just seconds. Photographer Noah Wetzel attempted to photograph wingsuit flyer Mike Brewer crossing the total eclipse in a wingsuit near Madrid, Spain, on August 12, 2026. The shot required extreme telephoto optics and forced perspective due to the sun and moon appearing larger near the horizon.
To achieve the desired effect, Wetzel used two Canon 600mm f/4 L IS USM lenses connected to his Canon EOS R5 Mark II camera, setting up nearly a mile away from the wingsuit flight path. The lenses would magnify the eclipse, but the low light conditions posed another challenge. Wetzel employed a complex wireless flash system to illuminate the wingsuits and prevent silhouettes.
The process involved nine months of planning and 600 hours of practice. Wetzel and his team also conducted a test run at dawn in Utah, requiring rafting and hiking to reach the remote location. Dani Román, a local wingsuiter, assisted with the test run and the actual shoot.
Wetzel described the experience as "insanely challenging" and the result as "the most complex, precise, and pressure-saturated photographs ever captured." He noted that the shot required everything he had in him and doubted he would attempt another photograph of such level in his career.
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