Everything about this shot is, well, everything you’d want in a Photo of the Week — full of color and movement; landscape that shouts Florida, a streak in the sky that’s undeniably Space Coast and a story behind the pic, too.
FLORIDA TODAY senior photographer Malcolm Denemark brought this beauty home June 18 with the 1:55 a.m. launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission 12-18, launching Starlink satellites into orbit.
Years ago, Denemark said, he shot his first “streak shot,” a time exposure of a night rocket launch. His supervisor at the time was … not so impressed.
“It was just a white streak on a black sky. My boss and mentor, Robert McDonald, took me in the studio, shut the lights off and did a streak with his Bic lighter.,” Denemark said.
““That’s what you gave me — just a streak,’ he said. ‘I want to see a foreground, a sense of place, a building, trees something!’ he told me.”
So, for 45 years, Denemark said, “I have been looking for new and unique foregrounds for the numerous night launches that have happened.”
And a memorable one happened here, in a shot that brings to mind Paul Simon singing of “nice bright colors” and “the greens of summer.”
“The lighted palm trees at Cape Crossing Resort and Marina added a colorful foreground to the launch,” Denemark said.
“And the colorful clouds added to the photo, making for a Kodachrome shot, as one person commented.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: No everyday launch shot here: Color, movement leap off page in this Photo of the Week
Reporting by Britt Kennerly, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
