Firstly, I located myself at the end of the dirt track from Father Crowley Vista as the early morning sun gives good light on anything turning into the Canyon.
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Then I relocated East to the canyon exit to try and capture approaching topsides and I liked all of the different coloured rock formations as a backdrop.
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Having already seen a harrier the day before, take the Panamint Valley route just to the south, I was delighted to see this VX-31 example make an appearance on this day.
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This was the fastest and most aggressive pass I have ever seen. Check out those shock waves!
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These were my logs from my days spent there. I would normally arrive at about 0830 from either Ridgecrest or the local Panamint Springs Resort, then leave around 1630 when the sun had pulled round too much. Equipment used was a Canon 5D MkIII and a 500mm F4 IS L.
Wednesday 16th - 5 passes.
Thursday 17th - 7 passes.
Friday 18th - 0 passes (0830-1130) Told LL was closed.
Monday 21st - 0 passes.
Tuesday 22nd - 2 passes.
Wednesday 23rd - 6 passes.
Thursday 24th - 8 passes (0830-1130).
Some very slow and quiet days, with even up to 7 hours of waiting on the 22nd. After 8 passes in 3 days, seeing 8 during just 3 hours on my last day was fantastic. There were a total of about 10 passes that overshot the Canyon and skimmed the top in the 6 days of activity. A different pilot or a different day might have changed that. Rainbow Canyon is about 2 miles long and I recommend changing locations each day to achieve different angles, perspectives and backdrops. Watch out for snakes too. I met a small sidewinder and he did not look very pleased to see me!
All in all, an experience so good that a return visit is already on the cards in Feb/March. Thanks to Alan Kenny for the company. Thanks to Lloyd Horgan and others for tweeting a link to my photos. More can be found on my website.
Cheers
Tim
http://www.timlaurencephotography.com
very impressive , congratulations and thank you !