Shuttle Discovery launches

BPCooper

Well I am finally back. First I did the shuttle, and then went to Virginia for another launch...and on the way there my laptop keyboard malfunctioned. But I have it working again and am back in Florida. Here are some of the digital shots I did.

The main engines ignite in a one-second time lapse from about 2000 feet:



This is about what it looks like. From Orlando and Daytona and around Central Florida, the sky suddenly lit up. If you have never seen one, it is just THAT bright:





Several photographers including me reported that their cameras located in this area did not fire soon enough:



I have more shots but some are film ;-)
http://www.launchphotography.com/STS-116.html

Skippy

BPCooper wrote:

Well I am finally back. First I did the shuttle, and then went to Virginia for another launch...and on the way there my laptop keyboard malfunctioned. But I have it working again and am back in Florida. Here are some of the digital shots I did.
The main engines ignite in a one-second time lapse from about 2000 feet:
This is about what it looks like. From Orlando and Daytona and around Central Florida, the sky suddenly lit up. If you have never seen one, it is just THAT bright:
Several photographers including me reported that their cameras located in this area did not fire soon enough:
I have more shots but some are film ;-)
http://www.launchphotography.com/STS-116.html

Awwwwww wow, you got to see the launch with your very own eyes ya lucky person you.

Geezz that is one thing I would really love to see for real.
Gosh what a sight that must be and to see and hear and feel too
....... good job .... Skippy (Australia)

DJ-S1

I was hoping you would post some shots! The first shot on your page - the long exposure showing the trail - is just great, as are all of them. Thanks for putting them up.

DoctorIt

Wow - awesome stuff, thanks for posting, Ben!

controld

Love that first shot... the amount of energy about to be expended is astounding...

- Mike

Awais Yaqub

wow thanks for sharing
Great photos

BPCooper

Thanks for the comments, it's good to be back on here.

Skippy...try to make the trip! I know it's hard, especially with delays, but it is VERY much worth it.

ziggy53

Ben,

So you're using the Canon 10D for close stuff and the Nikon D200 for the "safe distance" images?

How to you trigger the cameras?

How do you manage exposure?

Thanks for sharing,

ziggy53

BPCooper

I use a mix of 10D, 20D (and film) for the remotes (the closeups) and my D200 is my hand camera. For this launch I had three "hand" cameras where the other two were film.

The remotes are sound activated. We place them there the day before launch, in this case about 30 hours before.

Check out this write-up I did earlier this year, it explain a lot about it:
http://forums.popphoto.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=363208

ziggy53

Ben,

Great information and wonderful images. My son, Sam, 18yo, is going to get a kick out of seeing these.

ziggy53

ian408

Whoa! Cool shots!

I just read the mini-howto. I never realized how close you were to the
actual launch pad. I can see how you'd get sandblasted.

Do your sound triggers have an adjustable delay? How do you decide
when to trigger? Is it a burst?

BPCooper

ian408 wrote:

Whoa! Cool shots!

I just read the mini-howto. I never realized how close you were to the
actual launch pad. I can see how you'd get sandblasted.

Do your sound triggers have an adjustable delay? How do you decide
when to trigger? Is it a burst?

They can be adjusted for sensitivity, and when they turn on if they are the type that use timers. Some of them are 'listening' all the time while others turn on a few minutes before launch. They have different uses. Using a timer and a more sensitive adjustment means you can place the camera much further from the launch pad (say a mile if you want) and still get the shot.

The cameras are all set on continuous mode.

ian408

BPCooper wrote:

They can be adjusted for sensitivity, and when they turn on if they are the type that use timers. Some of them are 'listening' all the time while others turn on a few minutes before launch. They have different uses. Using a timer and a more sensitive adjustment means you can place the camera much further from the launch pad (say a mile if you want) and still get the shot.

The cameras are all set on continuous mode.

Thanks!