When I fly, I need a window seat. 1) It helps with the claustrophobia of squishy planes, unkind to tall people in particular, to be able to look outside; 2) it’s the best view on the planet outside of spending time on the ISS; 3) if you’re going to fly…enjoy it as much as possible – it’s a modern miracle to be able to soar not only at all, but higher than birds.
Most of these images were taken on the Air Canada YYZ-SFO route (Toronto-San Francisco). For those Americans who live in the “fly-over” states, your countryside looks so beautiful that sometime I would like to drive through. Those not on this route are from trips to British Columbia.
Shooting through plane windows is a challenge — there is a double panel of sometimes clean glass/plastic. There are usually areas of distortion somewhere that can be exacerbated by the angle at which the lens is pointed. Sometimes it’s easier to recognize where the areas of distortion are in the window so they can be avoided; sometimes not. Some windows get frosty. Some introduce colour variations and/or lens flare. Some are very awkwardly placed, especially for a tall person. Some are over or behind the wing, which will affect the usable field of view, so maybe this flight more vertical shots are taken to crop out the wing; that flight, there’s more flexibility. Sometimes it’s really difficult to avoid the corners of window. I find that Air Canada windows are usually better than any of the American airlines with which I’ve flown, though one of my favourite flights happened to have been on a United flight. The windows were crappy, but the pilot was amazing. As we flew over the California border, he began playing tour guide and even tilted the plane so that we could have a better view of Half Dome in Yosemite. It’s always a remarkable thing to be able to look out at the world below regardless of clouds or weather affecting the view. It’s even more of a treat when someone who does it so often that there would be a tendency to take it for granted shares the excitement.
I shoot with a 50mm or 24mm lens. I’ve tried shooting with my 70-300mm telephoto, but that only seems to maximize window distortion, though sometimes 70mm works fine.
As I’ve been sorting through some jpegs folders (which explains the different sizes of the images), I’ve been reacquainted with the wonders of flight. I hope that if you are someone who flies but forgets there’s a world under your feet, that maybe you’ll take a peek at it next time you’re in the air. It’s not something to take for granted. In fact, it’s downright beautiful.
I watched a tidal bore this summer! That particular area was monitored by an older gentleman who made sure times were posted and he even indicated the levels of the bores so folks uninitiated would know what to expect. When he could, he would come down to talk to folks who were around and is an amazing wealth of local information. One topic that came up was the curves in the river — it is very windy. Apparently there had been attempts through time to straighten the river. Each time, Mother Nature said, “no, no,” and would just reintroduce the winds and bends. Here, one can imagine that if one were to travel by river or as the crow flies, one might see quite a difference in the time to destination.
The green on the plane is de-icing fluid.
Even looking out at clouds is fascinating.
How’s this for a cloud front?
The different layers and types of clouds break to allow a peak at the Earth below.
This is dawn light on a frozen landscape.
Montreal!
This is a view of Half Dome in Yosemite! We had an amazing pilot on a United Airlines flight to San Francisco that day. Once we crossed the California state line, he talked about what we were flying over. For this, he even tilted the plane, allowing for this photograph.
This is an example of really bad colour distortion caused by a window. And of how visible those big plants are from the air.
This is a windmill farm in California – for this, I shot with my telephoto lens at 70mm, which allowed me to get closer without too much added distortion that I see when trying to get closer. Some yellow banding from the window can also be seen.
This is the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy project under construction outside of Las Vegas!
A river runs through it.
This is along the San Francisco approach on an Air Canada flight. First time I made the trip, I was amazed by the colours beneath me, but no one on the ground seemed to know what I was talking about. A little research and I discovered that these are salt ponds. They change colour depending on the salinity, which affects an algae and crustacean that will change the colours from tan to bright pink as salt is concentrated in the water. The colours you will see will depend on the time of year you fly over. Here, even through mist, the colours are vivid.
Flying over Lake Michigan. The ice looks like a work of art, doesn’t it?
A single puff of cloud sitting over snow-covered peaks — I couldn’t resist.