Photographing low flying jets in their environment is a popular challenge. The Loop in Wales is a great hunting ground. I have driven through there a few times and flown through there once but I have never been on a photo expedition there. Once I got close to setting up a trip but things got in the way. In the US, Rainbow Canyon is a popular spot. This canyon is known by a variety of names but it is well known for having jets flying through below the rim of the canyon so you can get shots of them beneath you.
I arranged to head there a short while ago with a buddy of mine. The two of us were going to meet in LA and head up. Sadly, he was unable to make the trip at the last moment but I figured I would go anyway as winter is a more acceptable time to be in Death Valley National Park and the chances of finding the time again soon were limited. I did stay up in Palmdale to shorten the drive a bit.
The trip had mixed results. We did not have a busy day. Plenty of jets could be heard overhead or in the distance but the number coming through the canyon was low. I probably got nine passes that day. More disappointing was how some of them were quite high and not against the backdrop of the rocks. Things did improve though…