Being a photographer isn’t just looking at things and snapping pictures. Depending on one’s focus, there could also be a lot of exploring and traveling involved. Oh, and don’t forget about all of the exciting adventures that may also happen in a photographer’s path.
Several days ago, on September 22nd, Enad-al-Otaibi, a Saudi journalist, posted on his Twitter a very unique glimpse into how exciting photography can actually be—more specifically, it was a video of what happens behind the scenes of a mid-air airplane photoshoot.
Photography's never boring if you're taking photos of jets mid-flight from an open military transport plane
So, the Royal Saudi Air Force had organized a photoshoot of one of its rehearsals for the 90th National Day of Saudi Arabia. Celebrated annually on September 23rd, the day commemorates the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It is celebrated with folk dancing, songs, and traditional festivals amidst appropriately decorated buildings and streets, as well as people wearing green and white. And, this year, there was also a jet fighter plane performance by the Saudi Air Forces.
Journalist Enad-al-Otaibi shared behind-the-scenes videos of how military jet fighters are photographed
Photographer Ahmed Hader is seen directing and photographing the Saudi Air Force's jet fighters
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
In the videos, well-known Saudi aviation photographer Ahmed Hader was seen directing and photographing a group of jet fighters of the Royal Saudi Air Forces.
It is reported that Ahmed is photographing from a C-130 military transport aircraft. The models flying right behind him are recognized as F-15 Eagles, a Eurofighter Typhoon, and a Panavia Tornado.
The jet fighters in the photos are recognized as two F-15 Eagles, a Eurofighter Typhoon, and a Panavia Tornado
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
Throughout the videos, the jets are seen assuming various formations and performing a number of mid-air maneuvers. These include flying one after the other, beside each other (seemingly in a four-finger formation), and flying off sideways to the right of the main plane, among many other maneuvers.
As it turns out, military pilots were rehearsing their performance for Saudi National Day
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
Image credits: ENAD_Alotaibi
Ahmed himself is seen fastened by a harness that’s hooked up to the inside of the plane so as to ensure his safety during the flight.
The photographer was strapped up and sitting in the open Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane
Image credits: MhS_h0
Image credits: MhS_h0
The original videos went viral immediately. While accumulating a modest amount of likes and retweets, the first video alone actually received over 108,000 views. The remaining 4 videos added another 16,000 views. The video was also seen going viral on Reddit and Imgur.
The footage went viral soon after posting it on Twitter, getting over 120,000 views
Image credits: MhS_h0
Image credits: MhS_h0
Other photographers who were involved in similar projects also shared their own stories, while the rest of the internet marveled at how badass photography really is if working in a specific niche of the industry.
Image credits: MhS_h0
Image credits: MhS_h0
Here are the remaining videos of the jets posing for the camera lens
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