FORT WORTH, TEXAS (AP) — Photographer Mat Otero has been working at the AP in the Dallas bureau for nearly 30 years. In that time, he’s covered an annular and partial solar eclipse, so he was prepared for the challenge of making a photo of the only total solar eclipse on this scale he will likely cover in his career (the next coast-to-coast eclipse in the U.S. is expected in 21 years). This is what he said about making this extraordinary image.
My job is to create and curate eye catching images that will draw a viewer in, communicating from my lens to their eyes and brain. That’s part of the magic of AP — our work makes a truly massive journey every day, from the field to viewers around the world.
With millions interested in such a historic and widely photographed event as this eclipse, I knew that anything I produced would need to grab attention immediately and be dispatched ASAP after the moment. We joke at AP that every millisecond is our deadline.
Select list of nominees for 2024 Tony Awards
Journalist and commentator Rod Oram dies after cycling accident
Pence says he will not endorse former boss Trump in 2024 US election
Two in custody after armed police swarm Auckland suburb
G7 nations commit to phasing out coal by 2035 but give Japan some flexibility
Judge Denies Trump Relief From $83.3 Million Defamation Judgment
Truancy: Why it matters, what the law says and what is being done about it
Fashion designer Kate Sylvester to close the business after three decades
Italy's League party picks a provocative candidate for European Parliament election
Customs seize $20m meth and MDMA in two bags at Auckland Airport
Some North Carolina abortion pill restrictions are unlawful, federal judge says
Bill to Fund US Government Includes Money to Counter China in Pacific