How does it work. Aircraft have always fascinated me. My first flight was as an 11 year old flying from Belfast (Nutts Corner for the aircraft fans) to New York via Gander (Newfoundland - to re-fuel the Super Constellation). It was a 4 engined turbo-propped plane that flew at about 12,000 feet above the North Atlantic, for a long 13 hours to Gander. I can’t remember how much longer to the Big Apple, I think about a further 6 hours. I was in all likelihood brain-damaged by this stage. How things have changed.

On occasion I like to take images of the planes taking off or landing at Coolangatta airport on the Gold Coast. Depending on the weather conditions I discovered that I was getting some interesting shots with the “mirage” effect of the heat on the runway and the air turbulence from the aircraft itself. Now I am sure John at my local camera club will be disappointed by my lack of a technical understanding and explanation above as to what is really going on here. Help me out, John.

Then I wondered if there is a sweet spot, a decisive moment when the aircraft would emerge from the watery veil and enter the reality that shows clarity, sharpness and all the other attributes that I would expect to capture with good camera equipment and appropriate camera settings. I am thinking that I doubt if Cartier-Bresson was philosophically bothered by this particular point in time and space.

I see a Pelican taking off in an image like this. You probably have one you could montage over mine but I don’t think I have one at this angle. I like how this type of shot allows your brain to fill in the blanks as to how it really should be.

And aren’t Pelicans so clever how they can tuck their legs under their body to minimise wind resistance.

But back to that decisive moment. I didn’t nail it after a number of take-offs. There is no obvious tear in the veil or change of colour to aim for. I have left it for you to try.

This is about the nearest I got, I probably needed a bit more depth of field and a higher shutter speed. Maybe I will try again someday soon (or better still, take John with me to explain what I am doing wrong!)

And as for the title, the smoke was from a small grass fire to camera right on the boundary fence of the airport and the mirrors was the reflections caused by the whatever John tells me it is.

Smoke and mirrors

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