Homeland Security Alert...aborted: I was telling a friend that I was out this evening shooting jet planes... But wait, let me qualify before you call Homeland Security: It was exactly...

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

I was telling a friend that I was out this evening shooting jet planes... But wait, let me qualify before you call Homeland Security: It was exactly at sunset this evening. I was coming back toward Greenup from Fox Ridge when I said to myself, I said "STOP" and so I pulled off the road. I did a "Steve Bright", rolls down the window, grabs my SX40 and "shoots" the jet plane. This is the most unusual con-trail I've ever seen in the sky. Probably only a very few seconds for a shot like this when the sun was in the exact position below the horizon to make the con-trail burn like a rocket blast.

PS: It's a lot more impressive viewed full screen on a 25" 1080p computer monitor.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Very nice and very unusual. Can't say that I have ever seen anything exactly like that. Nice

busted_shutter

Right time...Right place. Great catch!! :thumbup:

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

I believe you caught this guy in what I call a "light tube". Dark, high clouds, but the sun is low on the horizon, and the sun is coming at the plane under the level of the clouds, and from a direction in which there are no clouds to absorb the light. Great catch!

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

ebrunner wrote:

Very nice and very unusual. Can't say that I have ever seen anything exactly like that. Nice

I'd never seen anything like it either. I took this one shot, grabbed a mono-pod, got out of the truck, walked around back to get a better angle... and it was gone!!! I mean, you could still see, but no color, no nothing but a faint trail and a speck of the plane. Totally weird!

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

busted_shutter wrote:

Right time...Right place. Great catch!! :thumbup:

Oh my God!!! Grisly Adams in the flesh!!! By Gum I'm honored to meet you sir! I've seen a lot of your old films, wrestling grisly's and such, but never thought I'd ever get a message from the real dude! Well, anyway, thanks and hope to see ya around more often.

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

Bob Yankle wrote:

I believe you caught this guy in what I call a "light tube". Dark, high clouds, but the sun is low on the horizon, and the sun is coming at the plane under the level of the clouds, and from a direction in which there are no clouds to absorb the light. Great catch!

That a great explanation, Bob. I wouldn't have thought to analyze the technical aspects as accurately as you just have -- and me a retired engineer. Go figure!

xphotog1 Loc: Lubbock, TX

I was telling a friend that I was out this evening shooting jet planes... But wait, let me qualify before you call Homeland Security: It was exactly at sunset this evening. I was coming back toward Greenup from Fox Ridge when I said to myself, I said "STOP" and so I pulled off the road. I did a "Steve Bright", rolls down the window, grabs my SX40 and "shoots" the jet plane. This is the most unusual con-trail I've ever seen in the sky. Probably only a very few seconds for a shot like this when the sun was in the exact position below the horizon to make the con-trail burn like a rocket blast.

PS: It's a lot more impressive viewed full screen on a 25" 1080p computer monitor.

Hey, j.erwin.brown. Great eye and reaction. You obeyed the number one and two rules in photography, have your camera with you and if you see something worth shooting, shoot it no matter what.. I learned that lesson the hard way many years ago.:XD: :XD: Haven't passed up a shot since then. :-D

Nice shot.

Al

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

xphotog1 wrote:

Hey, ebrunner. Great eye and reaction. You obeyed the number one and two rules in photography, have your camera with you and if you see something worth shooting, shoot it no matter what.. I learned that lesson the hard way many years ago.:XD: :XD: Haven't passed up a shot since then. :-D

Nice shot.

Al

You're absolutely correct. It pays to always have your camera at the ready. Shots like this don't wait for you to get your camera case out of the trunk, get the thing out of the case, fiddle-fart around with settings, tripod, la-tee-dah, dah, dah. You gotta be ready in an instant. Thanks for the comment.

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

j.erwin.brown wrote:

That a great explanation, Bob. I wouldn't have thought to analyze the technical aspects as accurately as you just have -- and me a retired engineer. Go figure!

I caught some photos under the same lighting conditions and posted them at UHH. You can check out my theory here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-159207-1.html

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

j.erwin.brown wrote:

I was telling a friend that I was out this evening... (show quote)

If only we could see it that size...can we see a download version please...
Ron. :thumbup:

JoeDesertrat Loc: Daytona Beach, FL

Nice catch. I've seen some orange contrails near sunset but nothing like that. Almost looks like the space shuttle.

A lot of times I complain about contrails in my landscapes but this is a reminder that they can be interesting in themselves.

j.erwin.brown Loc: Cumberland County, Illinois

SX2002 wrote:

If only we could see it that size...can we see a download version please...
Ron. :thumbup:

Here ya go, SX2002, the shot right out of the camera, into PhotoShop where Auto Contrast was applied, and Noise Reduction got a click to smooth out artifacts caused by the SX40s 2x digital multiplier. This image looks exactly as I first saw it out the truck window. Having once been a pilot, I'm a pretty good judge of distance--this plane was well over 10 miles distant, a pinprick dot to the naked eye. It was the con-trail that glowed like a Shuttle launch.
(I forgot who requested a download version, anyway, here it is. You can check the meta-data for particulars)

stsimmer

Happiness is never having to say, "Gee, I wish I had my camera."
Nice shot!

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

j.erwin.brown wrote:

Here ya go, SX2002, the shot right out of the came... (show quote)

Thank you... :thumbup: