Chesapeake Bay from 35,000 feet

These two photos were taken during a recent flight home from southeastern Florida north to Boston.  We took off through low clouds and most of the flight was above the clouds.  I was disappointed, having brought my Nikon with great hopes for a interesting shot of something.  We were heading N-NE and from my left side window seat, I could see the setting sun just off my left shoulder, once we got above the clouds. 

After about two thirds of the flight, a bright red light caught my eye from the window and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were flying over a break in the clouds.  The setting sun, still directly to my left, was casting a golden red light on the water below, and cleanly defining the terrain.  I hurriedly put away my novel and set my Nikon D50 to a fast shutter speed (1/2000 in one picture, 1/3200 in the other) due to the very bright sunlight and in order to be free of any effects the vibrations of the plane might have.  I also set the white balance to cloudy, not because of any clouds but because I know that that setting tends to warm the picture a bit, which would enhance the golden colors.  I was using the very versatile Nikon 18-200 VR zoom lens, so I was able to compose the shots without any part of a wing or window frame getting into the scene.  My first few snaps were too bright (you have to love digital cameras for the instant feedback), so I set the exposure bias down by one stop. 

Later on the computer, I could see some unwanted haze in the pictures due to the sunlight reflecting off the plastic (double) windows.  I would have backed away further from the window and then zoomed out a bit more, but I doubt the woman in the seat next to me would have appreciated me in her lap, even if it meant a great picture!  I used Paint Shop Pro X2's brightness and contrast curves to clear up the photo and enhance the contrast. 

Thanks to the TV screen in the back of the seat in front of me, which was set at the Live Map channel, I was able to see that we were roughly over Salisbury, MD at an altitude of 35,000 feet when I took these shots.  West of Salisbury is the Chesapeake Bay. 

 

 

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