Kiko Fairbairn Captures Total Solar Eclipse Over Spanish Sunflower Field
Kiko Fairbairn, an astrophotographer from Brazil, spent more than a year preparing for the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, set to take place in northern Spain. When he arrived near Burgos, he scouted the region and used apps to align the eclipse's path with interesting foreground elements, eventually discovering a sunflower field by Castrojeriz, nestled between a church and castle ruins. For his photos, he used a Canon EOS R6 Mark III with a 150-600mm lens and a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with a 24-70mm lens. He took almost 300 bracketed shots and experienced 106 seconds of totality, calling it a life highlight shared with his sister and fellow astronomy enthusiasts. Fairbairn, a seasoned astrophotographer, has been recognized by major organizations, including receiving an award in 2019.
Key facts
- Brazilian photographer Kiko Fairbairn planned his total solar eclipse trip to northern Spain for over a year.
- He photographed the eclipse near Castrojeriz, Spain, where totality lasted 106 seconds.
- Fairbairn used a Canon EOS R6 Mark III with a 150-600mm lens and 2x teleconverter for solar close-ups, and a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with a 24-70mm lens for landscape shots.
- He captured bracketed exposures at 1/50, 1/200, and 1/800s, shooting nearly 300 frames with a Haida ND 3.0 filter.
- Fairbairn's sister recorded behind-the-scenes footage, including the moment he looked up during totality.
- He has over 15 years of astrophotography experience and won the Sir Patrick Moore Prize in Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2019.
- His work has been published by NASA, National Geographic, BBC, and Scientific American.
- Fairbairn described sharing the 106 seconds of totality with his sister and close friends as 'one of the highlights of my life.'
Entities
Artists
- Kiko Fairbairn
Institutions
- NASA
- National Geographic
- BBC
- Scientific American
- Astronomy Photographer of the Year
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Brazil
- Spain
- Burgos
- Castrojeriz