Photo credit: Jon Carmichael
On August 21, 2017, “The Great American Eclipse” occurred and photographer Jon Carmichael wanted to capture the best image possible, which meant on a commercial airliner at 39,000 feet. After not winning a contest held by Alaska Airlines for a chance at a seat on a plane flying directly through the eclipse’s viewing path, he discovered that Southwest Airlines flight 1368 from Portland, Oregon would offer him a similar opportunity, and the rest is history. Continue reading for a full video of his story and more information.
“But the New York-based photographer couldn’t guarantee himself the perfect seat…so he brought $600 to the airport to pay off another passenger for their seat. Luckily for Carmichael, the Southwest flight crew that day decided to help him out in his mission: in addition to helping him snag seat 1A, the captain of the flight cleaned the outside of Carmichael’s window to help him shoot clear images. During the flight, the captain even performed a series of five 180-degree turns during the eclipse to provide everyone with a great view,” reports Peta Pixel.
