Once you have tasted flight
A wise man once said, “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” That wise man was Leonardo Da Vinci.
I’ve always had a thirst for flight. I have several aviation themed qualifications that are of no use to me as a photographer, however my photography is useful in aviation. Another wise man once said, “Flying is always better with friends.” This wise man is Haraldur Diego, and he was my pilot for an unforgettable flight over the stunning landscape of Iceland.
Before I go on I must thank Adobe and, in particular, Russell Brown. Russell recognised my thirst for adventure and for creativity, particularly when it comes to using Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro to document my travels, so extended an offer to use a special budget deep within Adobe to sponsor this amazing flight. Adobe is always happy to support creatives and recognise talent, so keep working on your photography and this could be you!
The first time I met Haraldur, known as VolcanoPilot on Instagram, we had a very Icelandic weather window to work with. A bank of cloud (with ice) was rolling in, but it arrived far earlier than the forecasts suggested. We got airborne for long enough to assess the situation, and long enough to shoot one frame.
I feel like the sparsity represents an Icelandic mountain winter quite aptly.
The whole time we flew I felt Haraldur’s tension as he wished we could go on, but knew the weather was closing in too fast and the risk just wasn’t worth taking. We headed back to Reykjavík and touched down with just a few moments to spare before the skies became grey with a demonstration of both the night of a sub-polar oceanic climate, and the Icelandic saying, ‘if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.’
We shared coffee for the afternoon and got acquainted better, and we made a plan to reconvene in a couple of days with a close watch on the forecast in the meantime.
And here’s why Haraldur says that flying is better with friends…
We met up with Bergur somewhere outside Selfoss as we flew down the coast. I know Haraldur wanted to keep it a surprise for me, but I also now know that he’s no good with secrets and couldn’t help but tell me before we got in the air!
A synchronised ballet in the sky ensued and we found backdrop after backdrop to shoot against with the other aircraft stepping up as a perfect relatable figure in each shot, offering scale and interest against the scenery of an incredible array of landscapes.
Flying is better with friends….
Much love
Dave