Photoshop Evangelist Julianne Kost published a book called Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking back in 2006. It’s one of my favorite books to go back and reread. This article and iPhone photography are an homage to the lessons learned from her during my flights to and from Professional Photographers of America at ImagingUSA.

iPhone 15 Pro

New phone meant no excuse not to do iPhone photography during my flights. I’m only just beginning to use the phone as a photo tool. The technology keeps advancing at an incredible pace. Now that I’ve accepted the idea, I’m beginning to embrace the fact that I have e solid enough capture device in a small form at my fingertips. As the quote I have often heard attributed to Chase Jarvis, “The best camera is the one you have with you.”

Looking at the rock formations in front of an evening sunset on the way to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.

Clouds

Obviously, to capture the images you’ll need to be in the window seat. Being able to observe the clouds from above is a treat to me. This view is one of which I never tire. The sky is more blue as there is no pollution to lessen it. Forms change with the amount of wind and disturbance below but often feel calm and serene. Due to the speed of the aircraft, you often only have moments to capture a specific formation that has caught your eye. Keeping watch for the ever-changing panoramic passing in your view helps move time forward as well.

Having a cloud base with cloud formations above the ‘horizon’ is a wee bit different from when we are on Terra-firma.

Land when the clouds part

It’s not always the beauty of clouds as your subject. The landscape from 36,000 feet or closer as you take off and land can be an interesting subject as well. You really have to ready and anticipate when your get closer to the ground as that magnifies the changes. I get lots of ‘Oh darn! Missed it!’ moments during those times.

A portion of Tempe Town Lake in front of the skyline.

Make images

I guess the real purpose of this article is to remind you as a photographer that making images, no matter the tool used, is paramount to seeing and learning to record more of our world. Make images. Share them and don’t forget to visually take in as much as you can.And, Julianne, thank you for this inspiration and all the support you bring photographers through your teaching! Always appreciated.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob