This article was taken from the February 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
So you want to document controlled explosions like award-winning photographer Dan Winters does? You'd better start young. The wired contributor was setting up shots of homespun model rockets decades before covering shuttle launches. His new book, Road to Seeing, details his transformation from tinkerer to master via celebrity shoots, a study of the honeybee and, of course, rockets. wired asked him for a breakdown of how he captures liftoff. Photographing real rocketry is a science in itself, as wired veteran Dan Winters explains.
Visualise the story
Long before setting up, Winters storyboards the whole event. (The shuttle had a good side and a bad one. "I don't like her in profile," he says.)
Bring sandbags and augers
To curb vibration, Winters weighs down tripods with 40kg sandbags. "We also put augers in the ground and attach straps, like securing a load."
Arrive early
Winters arranges up to 11 cameras. His tightest shot is taken with a camera that's a mere 200m from the craft. Others are placed 400m away.
Automate the action
During launch, the closest non-astronaut is 5km away. So Winters's rigs operate on a timer, which is triggered by the sound of the rockets.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
