Watching Wednesday’s Partial Solar Eclipse Safely: Turning an Astronomical Event into a Practical Science Experiment

On Wednesday 12 August 2026, the UK will be treated to an unusually deep partial eclipse of the Sun. Depending on where you are, roughly 90–96% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon at maximum eclipse. It will be the greatest solar eclipse coverage visible from the UK and Ireland since 1999.

For London and much of southern England, the eclipse begins at about 6.17 pm, reaches maximum at around 7.12 pm, and finishes at about 8.06 pm. Because the Sun will be quite low in the western sky, a clear western horizon will be particularly valuable.

But there is one subject that matters more than timings, photographs or even whether the weather cooperates:

How do we watch it safely?

And that presents an opportunity for some excellent practical science.

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First Rule: Never Look Directly at the Sun

This sounds obvious, but during an eclipse there is a temptation to think that because most of the Sun has disappeared behind the Moon, the remaining part must somehow be safe to look at.

It isn't.

Even with most of the solar disc obscured, the remaining crescent is intensely bright and can damage the retina. Ordinary sunglasses are not sufficient protection either. UK Health Security Agency guidance recommends either genuine solar viewers meeting ISO 12312-2:2015(E) or an indirect projection method.

That means:

Do not stare at the Sun.

Do not look at it through ordinary sunglasses.

Do not look through binoculars, a camera lens or a telescope unless the instrument has a correctly fitted, purpose-made solar filter over its front aperture.

An unfiltered telescope or pair of binoculars concentrates the Sun's energy and makes the danger considerably greater.

Fortunately, we do not actually have to look at the Sun to observe an eclipse.

We can let physics do the work for us.

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Project the Sun Instead

One of my favourite ways of observing solar phenomena is to project an image of the Sun onto a screen.

Instead of placing your eye where the image is formed, you allow the optical system to form its image on a piece of white card or paper.

You then watch the paper.

The result can be surprisingly impressive.

A bright circular image of the Sun appears on the screen. As the eclipse progresses, you can watch the dark silhouette of the Moon gradually move across it.

You are effectively turning the telescope into a solar projector.

The Royal Astronomical Society has described projection using a small telescope or binoculars as a method that can produce a sharp solar image, but stresses that it must be done with great care. The American Astronomical Society goes further and recommends optical projection only for experienced observers using their own equipment and supervising it continuously, because of both eye-safety and equipment-damage risks.

So this is very much an experienced-user experiment, rather than something I would suggest an unsupervised child tries with a pair of binoculars.

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My Eclipse Experiment

My plan is fairly simple.

I can set up a small telescope so that it points towards the Sun, but importantly I do not look through it to find the Sun.

Instead, the shadow of the telescope itself can be used for alignment. When the telescope is pointing directly towards the Sun, its shadow becomes small and symmetrical.

Behind the eyepiece I can position a sheet of stiff white card.

When everything is correctly aligned, a bright image of the solar disc should appear on the card.

By moving the screen backwards and forwards I can change the size of the projected image. The telescope can then be focused until the edge of the Sun becomes reasonably sharp.

And then the experiment becomes really interesting.

At the start, there should be an almost complete circle.

A small indentation will appear.

Then the indentation grows.

Eventually, close to maximum eclipse, only a thin curved portion of the Sun will remain visible from much of Britain.

Then the whole process reverses.

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A Very Important Warning About Telescope Projection

There is a second danger here that is easily overlooked.

The telescope itself can become damaged.

Sunlight is concentrated inside the optical system. If the solar image moves away from the correct position, concentrated sunlight can fall on internal components. Modern eyepieces frequently contain plastic parts that may overheat or be damaged.

Therefore, if I use projection, I will use a small, simple instrument, supervise it constantly and keep other people away from the eyepiece.

I would not leave a solar-projection telescope unattended even for a moment.

For a public demonstration, I would also physically arrange the equipment so that nobody can casually walk up and put their eye to the eyepiece.

That is particularly important when children are present.

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Binocular Projection Can Work Too — But With the Same Caution

Binoculars can also produce a projected solar image.

Again, nobody looks through them.

They are secured firmly, pointed towards the Sun using their shadow, and their projected image is allowed to fall onto a white screen.

For binoculars, only one optical tube would normally be used for projection while the other objective is completely covered.

However, because binoculars were designed for visual observation rather than prolonged solar projection, heat can damage internal components. There is also the obvious risk of somebody instinctively looking through them.

For those reasons, although the demonstration is fascinating, I would regard binocular or telescope projection as something for an experienced experimenter rather than the simplest method for a family watching the eclipse.

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The Simpler Alternative: Make a Pinhole Projector

There is a much easier experiment that almost anyone can try.

Take two pieces of card.

Make a small, clean hole in one.

Stand with your back towards the Sun.

Allow sunlight to pass through the hole onto the second card.

The bright spot you see isn't simply a blob of sunlight.

It is actually an image of the Sun.

During an eclipse it will gradually change from a circle into a crescent.

This is pinhole projection, and it requires no lenses at all. The American Astronomical Society specifically recommends keeping the Sun behind you and observing the projected image rather than looking through the hole.

It is a wonderfully simple demonstration of geometrical optics.

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Try a Colander

There is an even more entertaining version.

Take an ordinary kitchen colander outside.

Hold it so that sunlight passes through the holes and falls onto the ground or a large piece of white card.

Normally you see dozens of roughly circular bright spots.

During the partial eclipse those spots should become dozens of tiny crescents.

Every hole in the colander has effectively become a small pinhole camera.

UKHSA specifically lists a colander as one of the simple indirect ways of observing the eclipse safely.

This could make a particularly good photograph.

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Then Look Under a Tree

Nature may provide an even bigger pinhole projector.

Look at sunlight passing through the leaves of a tree.

Normally the patches of light beneath a tree are approximately circular.

That may seem strange. The gaps between the leaves aren't circular.

The explanation is that many of those tiny gaps are acting as pinhole projectors.

The circles on the ground are actually crude images of the Sun.

During Wednesday's eclipse, many of them should become crescents.

It is one of those occasions where something we normally walk past without thinking suddenly reveals a beautiful piece of physics.

I will certainly be looking at the shadows as well as at my projected telescope image.

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Why Does Projection Produce an Image?

The experiment illustrates one of the fundamental ideas in optics.

Light approximately travels in straight lines.

Imagine rays leaving the top, bottom, left and right sides of the Sun.

A small aperture restricts which rays can reach a particular point on the screen.

Consequently, an image is produced.

With a telescope, lenses gather and focus considerably more light, so the image can be much larger and sharper.

That makes the eclipse an excellent opportunity to connect several topics:

• straight-line propagation of light;
• lenses and focusing;
• image formation;
• angular size;
• shadows;
• the motion of the Moon;
• the scale of the Solar System.

It turns watching an eclipse into a genuine science investigation.

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Why Can the Moon Cover the Sun?

There is also an extraordinary coincidence of scale.

The Sun is enormously larger than the Moon.

The Sun's diameter is about 400 times greater than the Moon's.

But the Sun is also roughly 400 times farther away.

Consequently their angular sizes in our sky are surprisingly similar.

That is why the comparatively tiny Moon can appear large enough to cover the enormous Sun.

On Wednesday the alignment will be almost perfect from Britain, but not quite. We will remain outside the narrow path of totality, so a thin part of the Sun will remain visible.

Parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain lie within the path of totality; Britain and Ireland will experience the large partial eclipse instead.

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We Can Turn the Eclipse into a Measurement Experiment

Rather than simply watching, I want to record what happens.

For example, I could photograph the projected image every five minutes.

Then I could compare the photographs.

I could measure:

Time

Record the exact time of each photograph.

Percentage coverage

Estimate how much of the solar disc is obscured.

Solar image diameter

Measure the projected diameter on the paper.

Temperature

Record the air temperature before, during and after maximum eclipse.

Light level

A light sensor could record how illumination changes.

This would create a surprisingly useful dataset from something lasting less than two hours.

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Will It Actually Get Dark?

Not completely.

In southern Britain approximately 90% of the Sun will be obscured, but that still leaves part of the intensely bright solar surface exposed. Royal Observatory Greenwich says observers should notice a change in light and possibly temperature around maximum eclipse, but it will not become dark in the way it does during a total eclipse.

That itself makes an interesting observation.

Ask people beforehand:

How dark do you think it will become when 90% of the Sun is covered?

Then compare expectation with reality.

Human perception of brightness is not particularly good at making absolute measurements, which is another reason why using a light sensor could be revealing.

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Watch the Environment as Well as the Sun

One of the mistakes we can make with astronomical events is concentrating so hard on the telescope that we forget to look around us.

During the eclipse I want to observe:

the changing quality of the daylight;

the shadows;

the temperature;

cloud behaviour;

wildlife;

and, particularly, those crescent images beneath trees.

The eclipse isn't just happening on a piece of white card.

For a short period, the whole landscape is being illuminated by a very strangely shaped light source.

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Photography Needs the Same Safety Rules

There will naturally be a temptation to photograph the Sun directly.

A camera does not make an unfiltered view safe.

A long telephoto lens behaves rather like a small telescope and concentrates solar radiation. Cameras and optical equipment therefore require correctly designed solar filtration if they are going to be pointed directly at the Sun.

For most people, the easier photograph may actually be the better photograph:

photograph the projected eclipse image.

You can include the telescope, the white screen and the crescent Sun in the same frame.

That tells a much more interesting story than simply producing another picture of a crescent against a black sky.

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The Weather Is the One Thing We Cannot Control

Of course, after preparing telescopes, cameras, sensors, projection screens and experiments, British weather could reduce the entire exercise to:

"There appears to be a slightly darker patch of cloud."

Astronomy teaches patience.

The eclipse takes place during the early evening with the Sun getting progressively lower towards the western horizon, so trees, houses and hills may be as important as cloud cover. A location with a clear western view will be particularly useful.

But even if clouds interfere with some of the observation, preparing the experiment is worthwhile.

Science frequently involves getting everything ready and then discovering that nature has other plans.

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Conclusion: Don't Just Watch the Eclipse — Investigate It

Wednesday's eclipse is one of those occasions when a major astronomical event becomes accessible from our own gardens.

No observatory is necessary.

With something as simple as two pieces of card, we can observe the motion of the Moon across the face of a star approximately 150 million kilometres away.

With more carefully controlled equipment, we can project a larger image, photograph its progress, measure changes in illumination and temperature, and turn the evening into a real experiment.

I'll be particularly interested in seeing that first small "bite" appear in the projected image of the Sun and then watching it grow until only a narrow solar crescent remains.

But the most important message is also the simplest:

Never look directly at the Sun.

Project it.

Measure it.

Photograph the projection.

Look at the strange crescent shadows beneath the trees.

And use the eclipse as an opportunity to turn a spectacular astronomical event into practical science.

Wednesday evening could give us one of the best solar eclipses visible from Britain for decades.

Let's hope the clouds cooperate.

 

“Chemistry Finally Makes Sense!” – When Seeing It Happen Changes Everything

By Philip M Russell Ltd – GCSE and A-Level Chemistry Tuition

There is a particular moment I love as a teacher.

A student has spent weeks — sometimes months — looking at Chemistry as though it were written in another language.

There are equations, ions, moles, unfamiliar symbols, calculations, reaction conditions and strange words such as electrolysis, equilibrium and oxidation.

Then suddenly something changes.

“Oh! I understand it now.”

That is the moment we are looking for.

And after more than 40 years of teaching, it is still one of the most satisfying things to hear.

Chemistry Shouldn't Just Be Something You Memorise

One of the biggest problems students have with Chemistry is that they try to learn it as a collection of facts.

Learn this equation.

Remember this colour change.

Memorise this test.

Use this formula.

Write down these conditions.

That might work for a while, but it becomes much harder as students move through GCSE and especially into A-Level Chemistry.

Chemistry is much easier when students understand what is actually happening.

Why does magnesium react with acid?

Why does increasing concentration make some reactions faster?

What is really happening during electrolysis?

Why does equilibrium shift?

Where does the number in a mole calculation actually come from?

Why do we sometimes get a precipitate?

Once a student can answer the why, the facts become far easier to remember.

Sometimes You Need to See Chemistry Happen

This is where our Chemistry tuition can be rather different.

At Philip M Russell Ltd, we don't just have a desk, a textbook and a whiteboard.

We have our own teaching laboratory.

That means that, when appropriate, I can actually demonstrate the Chemistry we are discussing.

Instead of merely describing a titration, we can carry one out.

Instead of drawing electrolysis on a piece of paper, we can investigate it.

Instead of simply memorising reaction rates, we can change the conditions and observe what happens.

Instead of telling a student that a reaction produces a precipitate, they can actually see that precipitate appear.

That difference matters.

A diagram might be forgotten.

A paragraph in a revision guide might be forgotten.

But a student is much more likely to remember:

“That's the experiment we did when the solution suddenly changed colour.”

Or:

“That's what happened when we increased the concentration.”

Or:

“Now I understand why the burette reading matters.”

Experiments give abstract Chemistry something for the memory to attach itself to.

The Laboratory Is Not Just About Making Lessons More Interesting

Practical Chemistry certainly makes lessons more enjoyable, but there is a much more important reason for using experiments.

Practical work improves understanding.

Students can connect three things together:

What they see → the Chemistry behind it → the exam question

For example, imagine a student learning about reaction rates.

We could simply teach:

• higher temperature gives particles more kinetic energy;

• collisions happen more frequently;

• a greater proportion of collisions have sufficient energy to overcome the activation energy.

Those are exactly the ideas they may need in an examination.

But we can also carry out a reaction and change the temperature.

Now those words describe something the student has actually observed.

Suddenly collision theory is not just another paragraph to memorise.

It explains a real event.

That is a much stronger foundation for answering examination questions.

“I Can Do the Chemistry — But I Lose Marks in the Exam”

This is another comment I hear frequently.

Understanding the topic is only half of the job.

Students also need to know how the examination expects them to communicate that understanding.

Chemistry mark schemes can be very precise.

A student may understand an idea perfectly well but still lose marks because they:

• use the wrong scientific terminology;

• miss an important step in an explanation;

• fail to show enough working in a calculation;

• confuse atoms, molecules and ions;

• give an observation when the question asks for an explanation;

• forget state symbols;

• round an answer too early;

• misread a graph;

• fail to link their answer back to the question.

This is why my lessons combine subject understanding with examination technique.

We don't just ask:

“Do you understand equilibrium?”

We also ask:

“Can you turn that understanding into a four-mark examination answer?”

That is an important difference.

From Moles to Organic Chemistry: Breaking Difficult Ideas Down

Some Chemistry topics have a reputation for being difficult.

Moles and calculations

For many students, the mole feels like an unnecessarily complicated idea invented purely to make Chemistry harder.

It isn't.

Once students understand the relationship between particles, amount of substance, mass and concentration, many apparently different calculations become variations of the same underlying idea.

We break the calculation into logical stages rather than relying on memorised tricks.

Bonding and structure

Why does sodium chloride have a high melting point?

Why does graphite conduct electricity but diamond does not?

Why do simple molecular substances often have low boiling points?

These become much easier when students can visualise the particles and the forces involved.

Electrolysis

Electrolysis can initially appear to be a confusing collection of electrodes, ions and half-equations.

Using models, diagrams and practical demonstrations, we can follow the ions and understand why particular products form.

Equilibrium

At A-Level, equilibrium can seem very abstract.

But once students see it as a dynamic competition between forward and reverse reactions rather than something simply "stopping", Le Chatelier's principle becomes much more logical.

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry can look intimidating because of the number of reactions, reagents and conditions involved.

Instead of learning dozens of isolated reactions, we build connections between functional groups and reaction pathways.

That turns Organic Chemistry from a memory test into a map.

Over 40 Years of Teaching Experience Matters

There are plenty of people who know Chemistry.

Teaching Chemistry is something different.

I am a fully qualified teacher with more than 40 years of teaching experience.

Over those years I have seen many different ways in which students become confused.

That experience helps me recognise when a student needs:

• a different explanation;

• a diagram;

• a practical demonstration;

• a simpler example;

• a harder question;

• more calculation practice;

• examination technique;

• or simply the confidence to have another go.

The aim isn't to rush through a syllabus.

The aim is to find the explanation that makes the topic click for that particular student.

That is one of the great advantages of one-to-one and small-group teaching.

Not Every Student Needs the Same Lesson

In a large classroom, a teacher has to teach many students at once.

In one-to-one tuition, the lesson can change immediately.

If a student already understands atomic structure, we don't need to spend half the lesson revising it.

If they are completely stuck on moles, we can spend the time working through them carefully.

If an A-Level student has a test on electrode potentials next week, that can become the focus.

If a GCSE student is approaching mocks and continually loses marks on six-mark questions, we can concentrate on examination technique.

The lesson is built around the student rather than the student having to fit the lesson.

What About Online Chemistry Lessons?

Online tuition doesn't have to mean somebody talking into a laptop camera while sharing a worksheet.

We have built a full multi-camera teaching and TV studio, including facilities that allow lessons to be taught directly from our laboratory.

That means an online student can see:

• the teacher;

• detailed demonstrations;

• practical experiments;

• apparatus close-up;

• written calculations;

• diagrams;

• examination questions;

• computer simulations;

• and other teaching resources.

Different camera views can be used depending on what is being taught.

So although the student may be many miles away, they can still effectively be brought into the laboratory.

For Chemistry in particular, that can make online learning far more engaging than a conventional video call.

Chemistry — But Not Only Chemistry

Although Chemistry is a major part of what we teach, Philip M Russell Ltd also provides tuition in:

Chemistry – up to A-Level

Physics – up to A-Level

Biology – up to A-Level

Mathematics – up to A-Level

Further Mathematics – up to A-Level

This can be particularly useful for students studying several STEM subjects.

The subjects overlap far more than students sometimes realise.

The Mathematics used in Physics supports Chemistry calculations.

Ideas about energy appear across Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Graphs, proportional reasoning, logarithms and statistical thinking appear repeatedly.

Being able to make those connections can strengthen a student's understanding across several subjects.

Perhaps Your Child Doesn't Need “More Revision”

Sometimes the solution isn't another revision guide.

It isn't another set of flashcards.

And it isn't spending another evening reading the same textbook page.

Sometimes a student simply needs someone to sit beside them and say:

“Let's look at this another way.”

Perhaps they need to see the experiment.

Perhaps they need the equation explained differently.

Perhaps they need somebody to identify exactly where their calculation has gone wrong.

Perhaps they know the Chemistry but don't yet know how to answer the examination question.

And sometimes they simply need to experience that wonderful moment when something they thought was impossible suddenly becomes understandable.

The Sentence I Want to Hear

After more than four decades of teaching, examination results are obviously important.

But one of my favourite sentences remains very simple:

“I understand it now.”

Because confidence often begins there.

Once a student believes that Chemistry can make sense, they are much more willing to tackle the next difficult question.

And the next one.

Until eventually the subject that once seemed impossible becomes one they can approach with confidence.

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Looking for GCSE or A-Level Tuition?

Philip M Russell Ltd offers one-to-one and small-group tuition, with lessons available both in person and online.

Students benefit from:

✓ A fully qualified teacher

✓ More than 40 years of teaching experience

✓ One-to-one and small-group teaching

✓ A dedicated classroom

✓ Our own fully equipped teaching laboratory

✓ Practical experiments that turn theory into something memorable

✓ Examination-question practice and detailed exam technique

✓ Multi-camera professional online teaching from our classroom and laboratory

✓ Tuition in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics and Further Mathematics

If your child is finding Chemistry confusing, preparing for GCSEs or A-Levels, or simply wants to turn a good grade into an excellent one, an individual approach can make an enormous difference.

Perhaps the next words you hear after a lesson will be:

“Chemistry finally makes sense!”

Visit PhilipMRussell.co.uk to find out more or enquire about one-to-one and small-group tuition.

Philip M Russell Ltd – helping students understand the science, not simply memorise it.

 

Making the Best Use of a Long Lens

There is something rather magical about a long camera lens.

It allows us to photograph a bird on the far side of a field, isolate a sailing boat from a busy background, pick out details on a distant building, photograph wildlife without approaching too closely, or compress a landscape so that distant objects appear almost stacked together.

My own interest in long lenses goes back a very long way.

As a teenager, I started photography with a Zenit E — about the most sophisticated camera I could afford at the age of 13. Compared with modern digital cameras it was extraordinarily basic. There was no autofocus, no image stabilisation, no automatic ISO and certainly no ability to take twenty or thirty frames every second and decide afterwards which one was sharp.

But there was one considerable advantage.

Occasionally I could borrow my father's 300mm f/2.8 lens.

To a young photographer, that lens seemed enormous.

Sometimes I could even add a 2x teleconverter — or "doubler", as we tended to call it — effectively turning the combination into a 600mm f/5.6 lens.

Suddenly birds and other distant objects that had previously been little more than dots in the viewfinder became possible photographic subjects.

That experience taught me something that remains true today:

Having a long lens opens photographic opportunities — but owning the lens is only the beginning.

From a Zenit E to Modern Super-Telephoto Zooms

Photography equipment has changed enormously since those days.

Today I have a much more flexible collection of long lenses, including a fast 70-210mm f/2.8 and a Sigma 150-600mm.

Like many photographers, I have gradually moved away from relying heavily on fixed focal-length telephoto lenses towards zoom lenses.

There are still excellent reasons for using prime lenses. A high-quality 300mm, 400mm or 600mm prime can provide exceptional sharpness, wide maximum apertures and excellent autofocus performance.

But zoom lenses offer something incredibly useful in real-world photography:

flexibility.

With a 150-600mm zoom, for example, I can photograph a sailing boat approaching from some distance at 600mm, then zoom back towards 300mm or 200mm as it gets closer.

With wildlife, I can photograph a bird perched some distance away and then instantly change the framing if it takes off and flies towards me.

That is much harder when using a fixed focal-length lens.

For the sort of photography I do, that flexibility frequently matters more than achieving the absolute theoretical maximum image quality.

What Does a Long Lens Actually Do?

We often describe telephoto lenses as "magnifying" distant objects.

That is a useful everyday description, but technically the important change is the lens's angle of view.

A 600mm lens sees a much narrower angle than a 50mm lens.

Because the camera is recording a smaller section of the scene, distant objects occupy much more of the image.

This produces the impression that we have moved closer to the subject.

It is enormously useful for subjects such as:

• birds;

• wildlife;

• sailing;

• aircraft;

• motorsport;

• astronomy;

• distant landscapes;

• architectural details;

• sports;

• events where the photographer cannot physically approach the subject.

But the narrow field of view also creates challenges.

At 600mm, finding a flying bird in the viewfinder can be surprisingly difficult.

A tiny movement of the camera produces a much larger apparent movement of the subject in the image.

Long-lens photography therefore becomes partly about learning how to control the camera.

Does a Smaller Sensor Give More Magnification?

This is one area where photographic terminology can become confusing.

If I fit my 600mm lens to a smaller-sensor DSLR, the lens itself does not suddenly become optically more powerful.

A 600mm lens remains a 600mm lens.

However, the smaller sensor records a smaller central portion of the image produced by the lens.

The result is a narrower field of view.

For example, on a camera with a 1.6x crop factor:

600mm x 1.6 = 960mm

We would therefore describe the resulting field of view as being equivalent to approximately 960mm on a full-frame camera.

That can be extremely useful for bird and wildlife photography because the subject occupies a larger proportion of the recorded frame.

But it is worth making the distinction.

The crop sensor has not changed the focal length of the lens.

It has changed how much of the lens's image circle is being recorded.

Why Long Lenses Need Good Technique

A long lens magnifies something else as well as the subject:

camera movement.

This is why photographs taken with telephoto lenses can sometimes look slightly soft even when the lens itself is extremely sharp.

At short focal lengths, a small movement of the camera might barely be visible.

At 600mm, the same movement can ruin the photograph.

Traditionally, photographers used the reciprocal rule as a rough guide:

Minimum shutter speed = approximately 1 / focal length

So with a 500mm lens, we might start thinking about something around 1/500 second.

But this is only a starting point.

Modern high-resolution cameras, moving subjects and crop sensors often mean using considerably faster shutter speeds.

For birds in flight I might prefer something such as:

1/1000 second

1/1600 second

1/2000 second

or faster.

For very fast wing movement, even 1/3200 second may be useful.

Modern image stabilisation is excellent, but stabilisation cannot freeze a moving bird.

It compensates for camera movement.

Shutter speed still has to deal with subject movement.

A Fast Aperture Is Extremely Valuable

This is one reason that my father's old 300mm f/2.8 was such an impressive lens.

An aperture of f/2.8 on a 300mm lens allows a large amount of light into the camera.

That means faster shutter speeds are possible in poor light.

It can also produce beautifully blurred backgrounds.

The problem is that large-aperture telephoto lenses require very large pieces of precision optical glass.

That makes them:

• large;

• heavy;

• technically difficult to manufacture;

• and expensive.

There is a considerable physical difference between producing a 300mm f/2.8 lens and producing a much smaller-aperture 300mm lens.

The front element alone gives a clue to what is required.

A rough relationship is:

Aperture diameter = focal length / f-number

For a 300mm f/2.8 lens:

300 / 2.8 = approximately 107mm

That helps explain why fast professional telephoto lenses become so physically large.

Teleconverters: More Reach, But Not for Free

A teleconverter can still be extremely useful.

A 2x teleconverter doubles the effective focal length.

So:

300mm becomes 600mm

400mm becomes 800mm

600mm becomes 1200mm

But there is a price.

A 2x teleconverter normally costs about two stops of light.

So:

300mm f/2.8 becomes approximately 600mm f/5.6

The converter may also reduce autofocus performance and slightly reduce image quality.

Whether it is worthwhile therefore depends upon the lens, camera and subject.

With a high-quality fast prime lens, the result can be excellent.

Putting a teleconverter behind an already slow or relatively soft lens may be much less successful.

Why 150-600mm Zooms Are So Useful

For many photographers, the modern 150-600mm zoom occupies a very interesting position.

It gives enormous photographic reach without entering the cost, weight and specialist nature of the very large professional prime lenses.

At 150mm I can still frame a fairly large subject.

At 600mm I can photograph something much further away.

That range is particularly useful when photographing unpredictable subjects.

Imagine photographing sailing.

A boat might be hundreds of metres away as it approaches a mark.

At that point, 500mm or 600mm might produce the photograph I want.

A few moments later the same boat could pass fairly close to the camera.

Now perhaps 200mm is more appropriate.

With a zoom I can follow the action continuously.

That is one of the reasons zooms have become such practical working tools.

Do Not Automatically Use the Longest Focal Length

One of the easiest mistakes is assuming:

"If I have 600mm available, I should use 600mm."

Not necessarily.

Sometimes 400mm will produce the better photograph.

Sometimes 250mm will.

The important question is not:

"How much focal length have I got?"

It is:

"What composition am I trying to create?"

A bird completely filling the frame may make an excellent identification photograph.

But a smaller bird surrounded by reeds, branches or water may make a much more interesting environmental portrait.

Similarly, a photograph of a yacht filling almost the entire frame can be impressive.

But sometimes including the river, competing boats, spectators and surrounding landscape tells a better story.

The lens should serve the photograph rather than dominate it.

Long Lenses Change the Appearance of Perspective

Telephoto lenses can also create a very distinctive visual effect known as perspective compression.

Strictly speaking, perspective itself is determined by the photographer's position.

But because we normally stand much further away when using long lenses, objects at different distances can appear much closer together in the final image.

A row of sailing boats may appear tightly packed.

Hills behind a town may appear dramatically large.

The Moon near a building can appear enormous.

A distant bridge may seem surprisingly close to the subject in front of it.

This is not simply about photographing distant things.

It can be an important creative technique.

Atmospheric Conditions Become Part of the Optical System

There is another limitation that buying a more expensive lens cannot solve.

The atmosphere.

At very long distances, we are photographing through a considerable amount of air.

That air may contain:

• water vapour;

• dust;

• pollen;

• pollution;

• turbulence;

• heat gradients.

On a warm day, heat shimmer can destroy fine detail.

You may have an extraordinarily expensive lens perfectly focused on a distant subject and still obtain a slightly wobbly-looking photograph.

The problem is not the camera.

You are effectively photographing through moving layers of air with slightly different refractive properties.

Early mornings are often better for extreme long-distance photography because the atmosphere tends to be cooler and more stable.

This is particularly noticeable with wildlife, aircraft, landscape and astronomical photography.

Supporting the Lens Properly

A 150-600mm lens is not something I particularly want hanging unsupported from my hands all day.

There are several possibilities.

Handheld

Modern stabilisation makes handheld super-telephoto photography surprisingly practical.

It also provides enormous freedom for tracking birds and moving subjects.

Good posture makes a significant difference.

Keep the elbows relatively close to the body.

Support the lens under its centre of gravity.

Avoid holding your breath for long periods; instead, settle your breathing and release the shutter smoothly.

Monopod

A monopod is one of my favourite compromises.

It removes much of the weight while still allowing the camera to move quickly.

That can be ideal for sport, sailing and wildlife.

Tripod

For static subjects or very long periods in one location, a tripod becomes extremely useful.

Heavy long lenses benefit particularly from a gimbal-style head because the camera can remain balanced while still moving freely.

The key is not simply preventing movement.

It is making the entire camera-and-lens combination comfortable enough that I can concentrate on photography.

Finding the Subject at 600mm

Anyone who has tried photographing a bird in flight with a super-telephoto lens will know the problem.

You see the bird.

You raise the camera.

You look through the viewfinder.

Nothing.

At 600mm the field of view is so narrow that it is surprisingly easy to point the lens slightly to one side of the subject.

A good technique is to initially locate the bird at a shorter focal length.

Perhaps start around 200mm or 300mm.

Acquire the subject.

Then zoom towards 500mm or 600mm while continuing to track it.

With practice, locating subjects becomes much faster.

But it is a learned skill.

Autofocus Settings Matter

Modern cameras have transformed long-lens photography.

Subject recognition, animal-eye autofocus and sophisticated tracking systems can make photographs possible that would have been extremely difficult when I first started.

But the photographer still needs to understand what the autofocus system is doing.

For a perched bird, a relatively precise autofocus area may be appropriate.

For a bird in flight, continuous autofocus and subject tracking may work much better.

For sailing, I might use tracking autofocus to keep the boat or crew sharp while panning.

The important point is to experiment with the camera before the important event.

The middle of a sailing race is not the ideal moment to start discovering what an unfamiliar autofocus mode actually does.

Exposure Becomes a Balancing Act

Long-lens wildlife and sports photography often requires a compromise between three things:

• shutter speed;

• aperture;

• ISO.

Suppose I am photographing a bird in flight.

I might want:

1/2000 second

The lens might be at:

f/6.3

The camera then has to use whatever ISO is necessary to produce the correct exposure.

Years ago I would have worried considerably about raising ISO.

Modern cameras handle higher ISO settings remarkably well.

I would usually rather have:

a sharp photograph with some noise

than:

a beautifully noise-free photograph ruined by motion blur.

Noise can often be reduced afterwards.

Motion blur usually cannot.

Long Lenses Are Not Only for Wildlife

Wildlife is perhaps the obvious use, but long lenses have many applications.

Sailing photography

Long lenses allow me to photograph boats from the bank or another boat without needing to be immediately beside the action.

They are excellent for:

• starts;

• mark roundings;

• crew expressions;

• sail details;

• close racing;

• spray and water;

• isolated action photographs.

Landscape photography

Telephotos can extract small compositions from huge landscapes.

Instead of photographing the entire scene, I might pick out:

• a distant tree;

• layers of hills;

• a church tower;

• sunlight hitting one field;

• mist in a valley.

Garden photography

Long lenses can even be useful relatively close to home.

Photographing birds at a feeder from some distance away reduces disturbance.

A long focal length can also create beautifully soft backgrounds.

The Moon

The Moon is a wonderful long-lens subject.

Even 600mm will show a surprising amount of detail.

Using a crop-sensor camera can make the Moon fill even more of the frame.

Details We Normally Miss

Perhaps most interestingly, a long lens trains us to notice things.

A distant architectural feature.

An insect-eating bird on a television aerial.

A face in a crowd.

Rigging on a sailing boat.

Patterns on a distant hillside.

Photography becomes a form of observation.

The Temptation to Buy Ever Longer Lenses

There is always another lens.

If 600mm is useful, then surely 800mm must be better.

And if 800mm is useful, perhaps 1200mm would be even better.

Eventually the economics become rather uncomfortable.

Very long professional lenses can be extraordinarily expensive.

They can also be enormous and heavy.

Before purchasing specialist equipment, I think it is worth asking some very practical questions.

What will I photograph with it?

How often will I use it?

Could I hire one when necessary?

Would a teleconverter be sufficient?

Would a crop-sensor body give me the framing I need?

Could I simply move closer?

Would better fieldcraft produce a bigger improvement than another 200mm of focal length?

And, particularly for professional or company photography:

How will the equipment repay its investment?

Equipment Has to Earn Its Place

This becomes particularly important when photography forms part of a business.

It is very easy to admire an £8,000, £10,000 or even more expensive lens.

But an impressive specification does not automatically make it a sensible business purchase.

Suppose an expensive lens allows me to photograph a specialist event that produces commercial work.

Perhaps it contributes to:

• commissioned photography;

• stock photography;

• educational material;

• YouTube videos;

• promotional images;

• magazine work;

• sailing coverage;

• wildlife projects.

Then the investment may make sense.

But if it spends 360 days each year sitting in a cupboard, hiring it for the remaining five days might have been much more sensible.

Photography equipment should enable projects.

The project should not exist merely to justify buying the equipment.

Sometimes Better Technique Beats More Equipment

This is perhaps the most important lesson.

A photographer with a 600mm lens who understands light, movement, autofocus, composition and animal behaviour can produce extraordinary photographs.

Someone with an even more expensive 800mm lens who simply points it towards the subject may not.

Improving technique costs remarkably little.

Learn when the birds visit.

Learn where the sailing boats will round the mark.

Notice where the sunlight will come from.

Choose the background before the subject arrives.

Practise tracking.

Experiment with shutter speed.

Understand the autofocus system.

Find a stable shooting position.

Long-lens photography is partly about optics.

But it is equally about anticipation.

From Film Photography to Thousands of Digital Frames

When I think back to that Zenit E, the contrast with modern photography is extraordinary.

Every frame of film cost money.

There was no screen on the back of the camera.

I could not enlarge the photograph immediately to check the focus.

I could not simply increase the ISO for the next frame.

Autofocus did not find a bird's eye.

Image stabilisation did not compensate for camera shake.

Yet those limitations were also valuable.

They forced me to think carefully about each photograph.

Digital technology has made photography enormously more capable, but I still think there is something worth retaining from those early days:

Think before pressing the shutter.

What am I photographing?

Why am I photographing it?

Where is the light?

What is in the background?

What shutter speed do I need?

What will happen next?

Those questions matter more than whether the lens is 400mm, 600mm or 1200mm.

Conclusion: Reach Is Useful — Seeing Is More Important

Long lenses give photographers an extraordinary ability to explore parts of the world that would otherwise remain visually distant.

From borrowing my father's 300mm f/2.8 as a teenager with a Zenit E to using modern super-telephoto zoom lenses today, the technology has changed dramatically.

Modern cameras provide autofocus, stabilisation, huge usable ISO ranges, crop-sensor options and lenses such as the 150-600mm that offer a degree of flexibility I could scarcely have imagined when I started.

But the fundamental challenge remains remarkably similar.

The best long-lens photograph still depends upon being in the right place, understanding the subject, controlling movement, noticing the light and anticipating what is about to happen.

And perhaps that is why I still enjoy long-lens photography.

A telephoto lens does more than make distant subjects appear closer.

It encourages us to look more carefully at things that are normally too far away to notice.

 

Learning New Skills on the OAX Pergamon

It is easy to think of an organ simply as an instrument for playing music. However, a modern instrument such as the OAX Pergamon is much more than that. It is a complete creative workstation, capable of producing everything from traditional organ music to orchestral arrangements, atmospheric film soundtracks and entirely new synthesised sounds.

For Philip M Russell Ltd, the organ forms an important part of the company’s creative toolkit. It can support video production, educational content, sailing films, science demonstrations and other media projects. However, having access to a sophisticated instrument is only the beginning. The real challenge is learning how to use it effectively.

That means improving my playing technique, understanding registrations, arranging music, experimenting with sound design and gradually developing the confidence to turn musical ideas into finished recordings.

More Than Just Learning to Play Notes

When learning a new piece of music, it is tempting to concentrate entirely on playing the correct notes. That is certainly important, but it is only one part of making a performance sound convincing.

A successful performance also depends on:

• rhythm and timing;

• phrasing;

• dynamics;

• choice of sounds;

• balance between the keyboards;

• effective use of the pedals;

• and the emotional character of the music.

A piece can be technically correct and still sound rather lifeless. Equally, a relatively simple arrangement can become powerful when it is played with confidence and given an appropriate selection of sounds.

This is one of the reasons I find the OAX Pergamon so interesting. It encourages me to think not only as a keyboard player, but also as an arranger, sound designer and producer.

Developing Better Playing Technique

The first area I am continuing to develop is basic playing technique.

Even with electronic assistance, automatic accompaniment and carefully prepared registrations, there is no substitute for being able to play accurately and consistently. Improving technique makes it easier to concentrate on expression rather than worrying about where the next note is.

My practice includes working on several different skills.

Playing the Keyboards Independently

The Pergamon has multiple manuals, allowing different sounds and musical parts to be played at the same time.

For example:

• the lower keyboard might carry strings or a rhythmic accompaniment;

• the middle keyboard might contain piano, brass or orchestral sounds;

• the upper keyboard might provide a solo instrument;

• and the pedals might control the bass line.

Learning to use the keyboards independently requires coordination. It is rather like asking several musicians to perform together, except that one person is responsible for all of them.

I have found that it helps to practise each part separately before combining them. I might begin with the melody, then add the left-hand chords and finally introduce the pedals. Slowing the music down often reveals mistakes that can be hidden when attempting to play too quickly.

Improving Pedal Technique

The pedalboard adds another dimension to the instrument. It allows the player to create a strong bass line, but it also requires the feet to operate independently from the hands.

At first, it can be difficult to resist looking down at the pedals. The longer-term aim is to develop a physical awareness of where the notes are, just as a pianist learns to find keys without constantly watching their hands.

Short exercises are often more useful than repeatedly attempting an entire piece. Practising simple bass patterns, scales and chord roots helps to build accuracy and confidence.

Controlling Timing and Expression

Playing every note at exactly the same volume and length can make music sound mechanical. A musical performance needs shape.

This may involve:

• allowing a melody to breathe;

• emphasising important notes;

• slightly relaxing the tempo at the end of a phrase;

• building towards a climax;

• or making one musical line stand out from the others.

These details are difficult to achieve while still struggling with the notes. As technique improves, more attention can be given to the character of the performance.

Understanding Registrations

One of the most powerful features of the OAX system is its ability to combine and control a large range of sounds. The particular combination of sounds used for a piece is often described as a registration.

Choosing a registration is rather like selecting the instruments for an orchestra.

A melody might be played using:

• a trumpet;

• a violin;

• a saxophone;

• a traditional organ stop;

• a synthesiser lead;

• or a completely new layered sound.

Each choice changes the character of the music.

Matching Sounds to the Music

The registration needs to suit the style and purpose of the piece.

A traditional hymn might use pipe-organ sounds, while a cinematic arrangement could combine strings, French horns, percussion and a deep synthesised bass. A gentle nature video might require piano, flute and soft atmospheric pads. A sailing film might benefit from brass, strings and percussion to create a sense of movement and adventure.

The most impressive sound is not always the best choice. A large orchestral registration can overwhelm a quiet melody, while a simple piano or flute sound may communicate the idea far more effectively.

Learning to create registrations therefore involves restraint as well as imagination.

Balancing the Different Parts

When several sounds are layered together, balance becomes essential.

A solo instrument needs to be loud enough to carry the melody, but not so loud that it feels disconnected from the accompaniment. Bass sounds must provide weight without making the recording muddy. Strings can add warmth, but too many layers can hide the detail of the performance.

This is where the organ begins to overlap with music production. The player has to consider volume, frequency, stereo position, effects and the relationship between individual musical parts.

Sometimes the solution is not to add another sound, but to remove one.

Saving Registrations for Future Performances

A carefully designed registration can take considerable time to create. Once it is working well, it makes sense to save it.

This provides several advantages:

• the same arrangement can be recalled quickly;

• recordings can be repeated more consistently;

• changes can be compared;

• and successful sound combinations can be adapted for future projects.

Over time, this creates a personal library of musical starting points. Instead of beginning every project with a blank instrument, I can begin with a registration that already captures the general mood I want.

Arranging Music for Films and Videos

One of the most useful applications of the Pergamon is creating original music for video.

Music can completely change the way an audience responds to an image. The same sailing footage can feel peaceful, exciting, nostalgic or dramatic depending on the soundtrack.

For example, a film showing Champagne, our Thames A-Rater, moving slowly along the river might use gentle piano and strings. Footage from a fast race could use percussion, brass and rhythmic synthesiser sounds. A restoration video might begin quietly and gradually build as the work progresses.

The music does not merely sit behind the pictures. It helps tell the story.

Starting with the Mood

Before arranging music for a film, I need to decide what the audience should feel.

Is the scene:

• exciting;

• reflective;

• tense;

• humorous;

• mysterious;

• educational;

• or triumphant?

Once the mood is clear, it becomes easier to choose the tempo, key, instruments and structure.

A slow tempo with sustained chords may create calm or reflection. A faster pulse can suggest movement and energy. Repeated low notes can create tension, while rising harmonies can give a sense of progress or achievement.

Writing Music Around the Pictures

Music for film often needs to follow the timing of the video.

Important moments might include:

• a boat leaving the pontoon;

• the sails filling with wind;

• the start of a race;

• a science experiment producing a visible result;

• a laser cutter beginning its work;

• or a completed project being revealed.

The music can build towards these moments and then change when they occur.

This requires a different approach from simply playing a piece from beginning to end. The arrangement may need to be extended, shortened or reorganised to match the images.

Sometimes a musical phrase needs to last a few seconds longer. At other times, a dramatic chord needs to arrive at a precise point in the film.

This creates a close connection between the organ, the digital audio workstation and the video-editing process.

Connecting the Organ with a DAW

The OAX Pergamon can become even more versatile when it is linked to a digital audio workstation, or DAW.

The DAW can be used to:

• record MIDI performances;

• edit incorrect notes;

• adjust timing;

• add virtual instruments;

• create multiple tracks;

• apply effects;

• balance the final mix;

• and synchronise music with video.

This does not mean removing the human performance. Instead, it allows the performance to be refined.

For example, I can record the main keyboard part on the Pergamon, then add another layer using a virtual instrument. I might use the organ for the initial orchestral arrangement and then add percussion, sound effects or additional synthesiser textures in the DAW.

The organ provides the immediacy of live performance, while the DAW provides detailed control.

Experimenting with VST Instruments

Virtual Studio Technology instruments, usually known as VSTs, make it possible to extend the available range of sounds.

These may include:

• detailed pipe organs;

• concert pianos;

• orchestral instruments;

• synthesisers;

• choirs;

• cinematic percussion;

• and unusual experimental sounds.

Connecting these instruments to the Pergamon can sometimes be technically challenging. Software has to be installed correctly, MIDI routing must be configured and the computer must be able to run the instruments reliably.

There can be moments when the process feels more like computing than music. However, once everything is working, the creative possibilities increase enormously.

A single keyboard can control an instrument that has been sampled from a concert hall, cathedral, synthesiser studio or full orchestra.

Synthesising New Sounds

Not every sound has to imitate an existing musical instrument.

Sound synthesis makes it possible to create something entirely new.

A sound can be built by changing:

• the waveform;

• attack;

• decay;

• sustain;

• release;

• filters;

• modulation;

• pitch movement;

• reverb;

• delay;

• and many other parameters.

Even small adjustments can have a dramatic effect.

A sharp, fast attack might produce a plucked or percussive sound. A slow attack can create a soft pad that gradually appears behind the music. Filtering can turn a bright sound into something warmer and more distant. Modulation can add movement and prevent a sustained note from feeling static.

This is particularly useful for film music because an original sound can help give a project its own identity.

For a science video, I might create a precise electronic pulse. For a microscopic nature film, I could use delicate, shimmering tones. For a sailing sequence, I might design a broad, moving sound that suggests wind, water and open space.

Learning Through Experimentation

Not every experiment produces a useful result.

Some registrations become too complicated. Some sound combinations compete with each other. Some arrangements work well on the organ but become cluttered when recorded. A synthesised sound may be interesting on its own but unsuitable for the finished film.

However, these unsuccessful experiments are still valuable.

They help answer questions such as:

• Which sounds work well together?

• How many layers are really necessary?

• Why does a mix sound muddy?

• What makes a melody stand out?

• How much reverb is too much?

• When should a musical arrangement remain simple?

The more I experiment, the easier it becomes to recognise what is likely to work.

Building Musical Confidence

Musical confidence does not arrive suddenly. It develops through repeated small successes.

It grows when I can play a difficult passage more accurately than I could the week before. It grows when a registration begins to sound convincing. It grows when music fits a video and gives the images more emotional impact.

Recording performances can be uncomfortable because every hesitation and error becomes obvious. However, recording is also one of the best ways to improve.

Listening back reveals things that are difficult to notice while playing:

• uneven timing;

• notes that are too loud;

• awkward transitions;

• overcomplicated arrangements;

• or sections that need more expression.

The aim is not perfection. The aim is progress.

A Practical Learning Routine

A useful practice session does not need to involve playing for several hours. A focused routine can be more productive.

A typical session might include:

Ten minutes of technique

Scales, chords, pedal exercises or coordination between the manuals.

Fifteen minutes on a piece

Concentrating on one difficult section rather than repeatedly playing the entire arrangement.

Fifteen minutes on registrations

Testing instrument combinations, adjusting levels and saving useful settings.

Ten minutes of improvisation

Experimenting freely with melodies, chords and sounds.

Ten minutes of recording and review

Recording a short performance, listening back and identifying one or two areas for improvement.

This creates a balance between discipline and creativity.

Music as Part of the Company’s Wider Work

The OAX Pergamon is not an isolated hobby. It connects with many other areas of the company.

Original music can be created for:

• science experiment videos;

• educational introductions;

• YouTube programmes;

• sailing films;

• restoration projects;

• timelapse photography;

• promotional videos;

• and social media content.

Producing music internally also allows the soundtrack to be shaped specifically around the project. The music can reflect the pace, character and visual style of the film rather than relying on a generic track.

It also gives the company another opportunity to develop original intellectual and creative work.

The Value of Continuing to Learn

One of the most rewarding aspects of owning a sophisticated instrument is knowing that there is always something new to discover.

There are new techniques to practise, registrations to build, VST instruments to explore, sounds to design and arrangements to create.

At times, the amount of technology can feel overwhelming. It is possible to spend a great deal of time changing settings without actually making music. The challenge is to ensure that the technology supports the creative process rather than becoming the entire process.

I am learning that the best results often come from combining three things:

• a clear musical idea;

• a manageable selection of sounds;

• and enough technical knowledge to turn the idea into a finished recording.

Conclusion: Turning an Instrument into a Creative Workshop

Learning the OAX Pergamon is not simply about becoming a better organ player. It is about developing a broader range of creative skills.

It involves musicianship, arrangement, sound design, recording, computing and film production. Each new skill strengthens the others.

Improved playing technique makes arrangements more convincing. Better registrations make performances more expressive. Knowledge of the DAW makes recordings easier to refine. Sound synthesis creates new possibilities for films and videos.

Most importantly, the process builds confidence.

The Pergamon is capable of producing an extraordinary range of music, but its real potential is only revealed gradually, through practice, experimentation and a willingness to keep learning.

For Philip M Russell Ltd, it is becoming more than an organ. It is a musical workshop, a sound-design laboratory and an increasingly important part of the company’s creative production process.