Sunrise at Gate 53

This is the start of another day at Gate 53.

You get two chances on Saturday to fly directly from SFO to DCA.  The first is an early morning flight on Virgin America.  An 8am departure means getting through security by 7.  If Mother Nature cooperates, at least there’s a seat with a view.

San Francisco isn’t known for its clear morning skies, but when you find one, find one from Terminal 2.  You’ll have a full view of the runways and skies, planes departing, workers starting their morning shift, and flyers eager to take off.  I took this shot around 7am, just as the sun rose.

Self-Critique

• I love the bokeh from the sun and the color of the light.  I shot this at f/2.5, wide enough to get a nice orange circle but still get most of the plane in focus.
• Contrast could be better on and under the plane.  More post-processing might help here.  I’d like to experiment more with using a white balance brush in some areas so that the effect of the sunlight isn’t so overwhelming.  Hard to have it both ways though, and the point is to capture the sun :)
• Standard rule-of-thirds type crop.  I might have tried putting the nose of the plane direct-center, but I couldn’t position myself physically in the terminal in order to make that shot work.

Getting the Shot

• Get through security at least 15 minutes before sunrise, and take a seat by the window of the gate.  Once the sun starts to rise, people group around the windows and you won’t have as much room to maneuver.
• Remember that you’ll be shooting through a window, and a wet napkin only cleans one side of it.  Fortunately, your subject will be sufficiently far away that dirt shouldn’t be an issue.  Reflections aren’t too bad, but you will get ceiling lights.
• Be prepared and take advantage.  You only have a few minutes of this kind of light.  Good luck!