Art

8 April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, Montreal Old Port

      These photos were captured in Montreal's Old Port during the total solar eclipse of April 8 of this year. Aiming to seize this riverside cityscape in the celestial wonder of the moment, the photos showcase a singular view of the event through shifting phases of the eclipse and a partial use of a neutral density filter. The photos do not contain any digital grading, remaining exactly as they were captured in the moment. With the spectacle of urban lights flickering on and off in the daytime, the elemental glow of the eclipse shining over the Old Port, the image of pigeons and gulls flying around in utter disorientation under the sun's interplay with the moon, and the curious sight of an aircraft streaking upward through a cluster of clouds in the waning stage of the eclipse, the photos strive to reflect an earthbound experience amidst this once-in-a-lifetime astronomical phenomenon.

Xavier Martinez

Xavier Martinez is a writer and filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada. His writing has been published in Offscreen, TheGamer, Scarlet Leaf Review and ZEAL; some of his latest work also appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Water Dragon Publishing's Dragon Gems anthology and in GameBound's GENERATIONS magazine. His photography has been published in The Sunlight Press and Scrivener Creative Review.

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