The missed moment #7: A Lightning Storm Through the Airplane Window

 

Being on a plane flying alongside a lightning storm is something most people would avoid at all costs. For me, it would be an opportunity to finally make a good nighttime photo of lightning, something I’ve been trying to do for quite some time. This one would be even more special, as I had a privileged view of the heavy clouds, shaped by the intense flashes of electrical discharges, contrasting with the darkness of the ground below, dotted with the mosaic of urban islands of light pollution.

 

Photographing through airplane windows is quite a challenge, especially at night. They’re usually dirty and reflect all the cabin lighting, from the most subtle (like the no-smoking signs) to the worst offender: the bright screen of the person next to you, who’s binge-watching movies while enjoying their nap. That’s why there are several sophisticated techniques for photographing through airplane windows, the most important being the ability to cover the entire acrylic surface with some opaque material to darken the immediate surroundings. These materials depend on availability and creativity at the moment, ranging from blankets, sweaters, and bags to your own shirt or even your camera backpack.

 

But on a recent flight from Belém to Campinas, my challenge to photograph lightning through the airplane window came even before setting up an improvised studio in the cabin to prevent reflections of a Mad Max scene. First of all, I needed to wake up the people next to me so I could stand up and retrieve my camera from the overhead compartment.

 

Watching from my window seat as the plane approached the storm, I grew increasingly anxious to get up. I judged myself for not having kept the camera on my lap and being ready for that unexpected moment I had been waiting for for years. I also criticized myself for not having the courage to wake two people who had nothing to do with my expectations, just so I could photograph something that was terrifying the crew. Then, the Universe sent a clear sign that this would be the moment to take a great photo. The turbulence caused by the storm kindly woke up my neighbors, and I seized the courage to stand.

 

But what seemed like the most elegant solution to my problem with sleepy seatmates ended up being the reason for this text. As I stood up, the seatbelt signs lit up, and a flight attendant was already quickly moving down the aisle, forcing everyone to sit. I didn’t even have time to beg him to let me rummage through my backpack to find the camera, buried under the rubble of a week’s worth of dirty clothes. The attendant sat down as quickly as a lightning strike, fastened his seatbelt, the cabin lights dimmed, my neighbor turned off the bright Mad Max screen and I was left there, frustrated, watching the spectacle of the storm with no reflections on the window to ruin the photo I missed forever.