I took these photographs a few days ago. There’s nothing special or unusual about them. I’ll always be fascinated with being above the clouds and I frequently take pictures out the plane window.
I often wonder if the people sitting around me think it’s my first flight.
These shots illustrate this week’s challenge nicely and obviously: on the ground, rising to altitude, at altitude, and another shot on our way back down.
Different perspectives from the same seat but from different altitudes.
What fascinates me more is the shift that happens not just visually but also figuratively. On the ground I easily see the flotsam and jetsam of life…the trash, the traffic, the tired people, the frustrations.
When the plane becomes airborne it all becomes abstract within minutes. City streets and buildings look like a child’s play set. Fields and streams create fascinating patterns. Cars move of their own accord and after sunset streetlights create a stitched effect throughout the city. It’s a world that appears unpopulated by people with all of their joys, sorrows, dreams and heartaches. If I’m lucky enough to fly on a cloudy day rising above the clouds catapults me into a fantasy world of dazzling beauty.
For the duration of my flight, if I gaze out the window, a different perspective takes over.
However, reality is never farther away than the announcement to turn off all portable devices and make sure the seat back is completely upright. Soon my feet will once again be on the ground and my thoughts firmly rooted in the business of life.
I doubt I will ever tire of the altered perspective I experience on planes. It helps me understand a bit more how much my husband misses the piloting part of his military career.
pauses&clicks 