This image was taken with a sound-activated camera placed outside Launch Complex 39A roughly one day before the inaugural liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.
Media photographers typically are able to place cameras at and around the Cape Canaveral launchpads to capture up-close views of rocket launches. For Falcon Heavy’s debut, I worked under Observer.com to create on-site coverage at Kennedy Space Center. As photographers cannot attend to their cameras during liftoff, we must utilize other methods to trigger our cameras. At this distance, the sound of the rocket would likely be very harmful to humans, and a catastrophic anomaly could harm anyone near the launch site.
A Nikon D7000 and 80-200mm lens were mounted atop a staked-down tripod, with the 80-200mm lens zoomed all the way in toward the top of the rocket. A sound-trigger plugged into the camera body activated the camera at liftoff, capturing a few frames of the rocket’s plume as it cleared the tower. To protect the camera and lens, a plastic grocery bag was was wrapped and taped around the setup.
djellison on February 11st, 2018 at 19:53 UTC »
What's so cool about this is that you can tell the center core is throttled down.
Great work John.
mataz987 on February 11st, 2018 at 21:05 UTC »
Anyone else notice the scull face in the middle flame?
johnkphotos on February 11st, 2018 at 22:11 UTC »
This image was taken with a sound-activated camera placed outside Launch Complex 39A roughly one day before the inaugural liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.
Media photographers typically are able to place cameras at and around the Cape Canaveral launchpads to capture up-close views of rocket launches. For Falcon Heavy’s debut, I worked under Observer.com to create on-site coverage at Kennedy Space Center. As photographers cannot attend to their cameras during liftoff, we must utilize other methods to trigger our cameras. At this distance, the sound of the rocket would likely be very harmful to humans, and a catastrophic anomaly could harm anyone near the launch site.
A Nikon D7000 and 80-200mm lens were mounted atop a staked-down tripod, with the 80-200mm lens zoomed all the way in toward the top of the rocket. A sound-trigger plugged into the camera body activated the camera at liftoff, capturing a few frames of the rocket’s plume as it cleared the tower. To protect the camera and lens, a plastic grocery bag was was wrapped and taped around the setup.
Feel free to check out my extensive Falcon Heavy gallery on my website.
You can follow me on Instagram, @johnkrausphotos as well.