Photo: Dustin Snipes and Mason Mashon
There are many memorable photos of the 2024 eclipse coming out, but two photographers really pushed themselves to the limit to create a unique take on the event. Dustin Snipes and Mason Mashon teamed up with Red Bull aerobatic pilots Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod to create their vision of two planes flying under the eclipse during totality.
To make their dream come true, a team worked for months on all of the details. Given that the totality only lasts for about four minutes, there was no margin for error. Leading up to eclipse day, Snipes and Mashon conducted numerous rehearsals, shot dozens of flyovers, tested numerous illumination solutions, and built a capture plan through months of preparation. Even the wings of the planes were wrapped with special reflective material to ensure they would be visible.
All of the hard work came together as the crew gathered in Sulphur Springs, Texas, on April 8. At around 1:40 pm local time, totality began, and that’s when everything was set into motion.
The pilots had to fly in a tight formation, flying at 1,500 feet in elevation and only 4 feet apart, in order to line up the Sun, the Moon, and both the planes within the same frame. On the ground, Red Bull Air Force team member Luke Aikins received instructions from the photographers that he then translated directly to the pilots to create a series of epic imagery.
Pilots Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod (Photo: Dustin Snipes)
“Normally, this would be a manageable maneuver, but when you have the darkness from the eclipse, a flight angle that needs to be perfectly lined up with the Sun, and only four minutes to take the shot while moving 180 mph, it makes it incredibly challenging,” confessed Coleman.
Coleman and McLeod were able to perform three passes across the eclipse before totality ended, giving Snipes and Mashon a good chance to get the images they were after. In the end, the photographers couldn’t have been more pleased.
“I loved being able to solve these ‘impossible shots’ with our team and create something that no one has seen before,” shared Snipes. “To get the planes, the Sun, the Moon, and the lights all within one exposure was an extreme challenge, one I haven’t faced yet.”
“This is one of the hardest photos that I’ve ever tried to capture,” added Mashon. “There are known settings to capture an eclipse, but when you need to figure out the height of the planes above ground level to frame and scale them perfectly with the eclipse, during totality, it’s a totally different game.”
Scroll down to see more of their shots from the 2024 Great North American Eclipse, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the setup.
Photographers Dustin Snipes and Mason Mashon teamed up with Red Bull aerobatic pilots Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod to create an epic eclipse photo.
Photo: Dustin Snipes, Mason Mashon, and Peter McKinnon
Photo: Dustin Snipes and Mason Mashon
Photo: Dustin Snipes and Mason Mashon
It took months of research and days of practice to ensure they’d get the flyover at totality just right.
Photographers Mason Mashon and Dustin Snipes work with Luke Aikins map out their plan for the Eclipse in Sulphur Springs, Texas, USA on April 7, 2024. (Photo: Colin Kerrigan)
Luke Aikins uses his homemade sundial to line up the planes during practice in Sulpher Springs, Texas, USA on April 6, 2024. (Photo: Colin Kerrigan)
Pete McLeod sits in the cockpit before a flight in Sulphur Springs, Texas, USA on April 7, 2024. (Photo: Mason Mashon)
Photographers Mason Mashon and Dustin Snipes focus during practice in Sulpher Springs, Texas, USA on April 6, 2024. (Photo: Colin Kerrigan)
It’s a tribute to hard work and dedication that everyone involved was able to help pull off the incredible photo.
Dustin Snipes photographs Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod flying during the Total Solar Eclipse. (Photo: Colin Kerrigan)
Mason Mashon photographs Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod flying during the Total Solar Eclipse. (Photo: Colin Kerrigan)