Totality Photobombed

A photographer got a once-in-a-lifetime shot during the spring solar eclipse

June 3, 2024

Black-and-white image of the 2024 solar eclipse with the silhouette of a frigate bird flying in front of the sun

Photo by Liron Gertsman

Award-winning nature photographer Liron Gertsman began dreaming up the idea of photographing birds during a total solar eclipse in 2022, but he knew it would be hard to pull off. After a year of research and a week of in-person scouting, he hired a boat to take him near a seabird colony off the shore of Mazatlán, Mexico, on the morning of April 8. Just as the moon began to uncover the sun, this magnificent frigate bird flew in front of his lens.