The first time he saw it – experienced it – was in 2017. To see the total eclipse again, Russell Cooper was willing to travel more than three thousand miles across the country to Russellville, Arkansas. This time, he would have his camera ready for the perfect shot. He took many shots, a composite series of photographs that show the eclipse before and during totality, over a time span of four minutes, ten seconds. The composite photo, titled “Totally,” was on exhibit at ArtPrize, the Grand Rapids citywide exhibition.
“My first eclipse was in 2017, and I enjoyed it so much that I had to go to the next one,” Cooper says. “I had to be better prepared with a camera.”
Cooper realized he had to learn more about using camera filters and taking a succession of photos to capture that next eclipse. When April 8, 2024, arrived, Cooper was ready and set out to view totality in Hill Country, Texas. Weather had different plans, and he had to quickly revise his route to Russellville, Arkansas, for the best view.
“The day before, watching the weather religiously, I realized this is not going to be good,” Cooper says. “I did not drive all this way to miss this. I started looking along the path the eclipse would take and what was going to be clear. That got me into Arkansas.”
Cooper set up his camera and spent crucial minutes, snapping photographs before, during, and after the eclipse. The resulting composite photo became his submission to ArtPrize in Grand Rapids.
The Kalamazoo College alumnus and information services employee has participated in ArtPrize nine times. Many of his prior submissions now line the hallways of his home, favorite themes being photographs of his children and capturing his love of roller coasters. He may also chase more eclipses.
“I don’t think I’ll chase these around the world, but the next two that are coming to the U.S., in 20 and 21 years, in 2045, from California to Florida, that’s the one I’m hoping to be around for.”
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