Last Shuttle Launch

[Art Photographers]

1. Taken from 9 miles away in Titusville, FL on the Indian River. Canon 1D Mark IV with 600mm F4 IS L and a 2XE Teleconnecter

2. Fairwell STS-135

 

[Destin]

Not bad for how far away you were. Obviously a little hazy due to the distance, and the amount of crap in the air around the shuttle, but it's as good as you could have hoped for from that distance.

 

[JClishe]

That's actually pretty damn impressive for 9 miles away. You should have rented an 800mm

How loud is the launch from that distance?

 

[Kolia]

Forget the picture quality ! Just being there for the launch is awesome !

Have you tried to clear them up a bit ?

 

[480sparky41 40]

How loud is the launch from that distance?

 

[Art Photographers]

AWESOME VIDEO!!

 

[rokclmb]

Here's one of my shots of the launch. I was about 17 miles away at Cape Canaveral Hospital. It would have been great to be closer but at least I was there.

Final Space Shuttle launch by rokclmb, on Flickr

 

[PhotoSteve]

It's a real let-down that the shuttles are now history. I've photographed many shuttle and rocket launches and have done so from various locations around Titusville and the Cape. Haze is almost always an issue during mid-day and afternoon launches; at least it usually is from April to October. A polarizing filter or simple UV filter will help remove some of it, but obviously the closer you can get to a launch the less haze you have to shoot through. (Even if you are using a big boy 800mm lens, don't forget that it, too, has to look through increasing amounts of stuff in the air as you get farther from the launch pad, so closer is always better.)

I recently posted a new article with 10 tips for successful rocket launch photography. Even though the shuttles are gone, there are still plenty of exciting opportunities with Delta, Atlas and Falcon rockets. Knowing the closest and best place to go in order to photograph a particular rocket is half of the battle. My article also lists the top spots for viewing, along with distance-to-pads. I've also posted some shots of the recent Atlas V Juno mission launch. Here's the article:

Space Launch Photography Tips - Free Photography Course, DSLR Lessons & Tips


Enjoy, fellow space launch fans!