How to photograph April 8's solar eclipse with a camera or a smartphone

What you need to know about taking pictures of solar eclipsePhotographer Stan Honda shared his best tips for taking pictures of the total solar eclipse on April 8, either with a camera or a smartphone.Courtesy of Stan Honda

"Eclipse Across America," will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.

The historic total solar eclipse on April 8 is set to be one of the most photographed events this year.

In the U.S., 31 million people already live inside the path of totality and millions are likely to travel to cities within that path, watching the moon pass over and then completely block the face of the sun for a short period.

It's a phenomenon that almost every viewer will want to capture in a photograph, but it may be difficult to figure out what's the best gear to use or how to set up.

Photographer Stan Honda, who is based in New York City, has photographed three total solar eclipses and at least 10 partial solar eclipses. He gave his tips to ABC News on the best ways to capture this rare celestial event.

Before you start taking pictures, wear eclipse glasses

One of the most important things, before and as you are setting up equipment, is to never look up at phases of the partial eclipse -- when the moon is partly obscuring the sun -- without wearing eclipse glasses.

Looking up with the naked eye or regular sunglasses can burn the retina, leading to long-lasting -- even permanent -- damage. The glasses can only be removed during the totality period, when the sun is completely blocked by the moon.

Make sure the glasses are certified ISO 12312-2, which is the international safety standard for products designed for direct viewing of the sun.

This standard does not apply to solar filters that fit in the front of devices such as camera lenses, so make sure you're purchasing a proper solar filter to fit when photographing the partial phases of the eclipse.

Keep the setup simple

If you'll be taking photographs with a professional or digital camera, Honda recommends keeping the set-up as simple as possible.

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The type of lens you use will depend on what kind of photographs you would like to capture, but Honda says he tries to use two types of lenses for his photographs.

The first is a long telephoto lens to get a close view of the sun during the eclipse and the second is a wider angle lens to capture both the eclipse and the landscape around you.

"To me, that's almost a more interesting picture because it places the eclipse in a location," he said of the wider-angle photographs. "When you zoom in and when you do close-ups of the sun, it isolates it up in space, and you're not really sure where you are. The wide-angle ones really show the location where you are, and often can show people, things like that."

For amateur photographers, or those experiencing their first total solar eclipse, Honda recommends using just one camera, one lens and a tripod.

"I always tell people, especially if this is your first total eclipse, try not to think too much about the photography because you really want to see it with your own eyes," he said. "If you're spending all the time trying to fiddle around with your cameras, then it's sort of a lost opportunity to experience this just unbelievable event."

What if I'm using a smartphone?

With the majority of Americans owning smartphones, millions will likely capture the event with an iPhone or Android camera.