Planespotting in the desert before sunrise

In the shadow of the mountains
Las Vegas, NV
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's 6:15 a.m., and I've deliberately gotten to the airport early because I like to linger in these amazing spaces before things get busy. I've found a quiet spot to sit and take in the tarmac outside as it slowly comes alive with the day's flight schedule.

This particular airport, crammed into the side of Las Vegas's strip, carved out of the bare desert and sitting in the shadows of the mountains, is an especially resonant place to spent time. The sky turns multiple colors of the rainbow as the sun gradually, silently, brightens the landscape. The gentle burble of people finding their gates slowly rises behind me, a soundtrack to a day I hope ends with togetherness and smiles for everyone here.

I initially hesitate to shoot any of this because for once I just want to feel a moment without having to record it or otherwise tell its story. I'm beginning the long journey home today, and I want to close my eyes and remember what it feels like to be in this place, at this time, just before I put it behind me and set off for home.

Eventually, though, the storyteller inside me wins the argument and out comes the camera for a few quick captures. The planes themselves remain in the early-morning shadows, but the context around them, what makes this place different from other generic-looking airports, captures my eye.

As I survey the scene and try to come up with compositions that respect it in some way, I wonder who's on those planes, and think about how each and every passenger is on a unique journey. Perhaps they, too, are staring out their windows and thinking about how to keep this moment alive long after they've returned home.

We're not so different after all, then, are we?

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