A love letter to photos from planes

January 27, 2024

I've got a confession to make. I love photos taken from planes. I especially love taking photos from planes. That and the view is why I'll almost always choose the window seat over the aisle seat (legroom be damned, apparently). There's just something about being above (or in) the clouds that is endlessly magical to me-- and the view never gets old. How could it? Clouds change moment to moment, and we're zipping through the air so fast there's always variety. Clouds might be my favorite, but flying over mountainous terrain or coastlines is equally beautiful. I really like to think about how mere hundreds of years ago, no human could ever have the views enjoyed by millions each year today. These views are the ones reserved only for gods, yet I, a mere mortal, can glimpse it whenever I choose.

Anyway, I'm just using this article as a space to put all my favorite plane photos I've taken over the years. Feel free to send me your favorites, too.

Clouds

From above, they look very cotton candy-like

You can really see how tall some clouds are in this one

The Shard in London peaking through the clouds

A singular cloud sticking up, colored yellow by the setting sun

Land

A wind sock in the Galapagos airport. Technically I'm in a plane

At equal level with Mount Ranier (Tahoma)

Coast

Container ships somewhere between Mexico and Colombia

Container ships in the mist off the coast of Peru

Ecuador's coastline. I bet that secret little beach down there would be incredible

Some random island between Ecuador and the Galapagos

An island close to southern Italy. Which might actually be Vulcano?

Some pretty islands somewhere north of NYC

Sunset

I kind of like how it's focused on the wing

A wall of clouds forms with a sunset on the horizon

Night

Some city in America at night. I like the big orange road

Now I see where light pollution comes from

And that's all I got. Thanks for flying with me.