Impressions
March 23, 2026
When I take pictures, I try to stay away from traditional plane porn (of the sort that dominates on Instagram). I like to think my shots — the better of them, at any rate — are a little more offbeat or impressionistic. Case in point, these three, which rate among my favorites.
Top and bottom: A psychedelic flood of blur and color, here’s the world as seen through an airplane window cascaded by de-icing fluid. Those red and white pinpoints in the first one are, believe it or not, the distant lights of New York City.
Center: Two Skies. The underside of a jetliner tail juxtaposed with an afternoon sky above Somerville, Massachusetts.
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5 Responses to “Impressions”
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The following was written by the great photograper/teacher Guy Tal. His web site is well worth a visit.
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“Knowing what I wanted to express, and trusting that at least some people share my aesthetic sensibilities and emotional triggers, I can answer for myself whether the image expresses what I wanted it to. Beyond that, I just accept that some people will “get it,” and hopefully appreciate it as good art, and others may not.
Art may be the most subjective thing there is, both to the artist and to those viewing the work. There is no such thing as a universal objective judgment for what makes art, let alone good art. If an image is good by my subjective judgment, I’m satisfied.”
Guy Tal
That first picture reminds me of my Navy days when we were at sea after a previous night of wine, women and song (and not necessarily in that order). I can state with some authority that being aboard a rolling and pitching destroyer on the North Atlantic after said night was something best heard about, not experienced. 🙁
Don’t retire.
I agree with Matt D that art appreciation is highly subjective.
That said: I really like these!
I encounter plenty of technically competent & “precise” (for lack of a better word) aviation photography. Nothing the matter with that, it has its place in the photographic pantheon.
But your photos (especially that rainy shot) evoke a *mood,* and at day’s end that’s of much greater interest to me personally. I say keep shooting more photos like this, and don’t hesitate to keep posting them for your readers.
Well they are…..different. I’ll give you that.
Anything creative-and photography definitely is an artform-is of course highly subjective and personal.
So if that style of pictures is what gratifies you, then more power to you.
But I definitely prefer the more conventional style. I post them pretty much daily in various Facebook groups. Both old pictures (from the 1990’s) as well as current.