The International Space Station over London reflects in the Thames
The International Space Station over London - with reflection. Taken with Sony A7iii & FE 24-105mm lens at 24mm, f6.3, three exposures of 30s
A good photo can be the result of hours of research, preparation and planning, but sometimes you just see an opportunity and have to improvise.
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest spacecraft in orbit and has been permanently occupied since November 2000 - nearly twenty years. It can clearly be seen by the naked eye as it travels overhead and its position is well known so you can be ready and watching - of, if you have a camera, you could take a photo.
There are a number of resources I use that can help plan the perfect shot, including:
Get an overview of the passes coming up using SpotTheStation
Predict if the sky will be clear with ClearOutside
Get a more detailed plot of its track in the sky: either my own software or Heavens-Above
Get a feel for suitable foregrounds with Google Earth Pro
But sometimes you just have to wing it, like the example above.
I had wandered out around sunset with camera and tripod in my rucksack, conditions looking good for photography in the gold and blue hours. The idea was to go back home to do some research before the ISS pass but I got caught up in the lovely light and spotting not just Venus and Mercury but also the reflections of Venus and Mercury in the still waters by Putney Bridge, as posted earlier.
When I checked the time I realised the ISS pass was coming up and I had to improvise. I’d left the camera’s remote at home so would be limited to 30 second exposures, but could later stack them in post, though it would leave gaps in the track between images. The idea was to take a shot with some trees as foreground, and I ended up taking the following:
ISS Pass over London Planes
I was above to head home when I realised the framing in the easterly direction was lovely, so quickly set up the camera to take a set of images. I could clearly see the reflection of the ISS in the still waters of the Thames. The photo also shows a passing boat and barges for roosting birds.
Then I realised my feet were getting wet: the water level was rising as the tide had changed and was now incoming. It was time to retreat to safety of dry land and call it a night.
But what a night!
