P. Howard Useche

🇬🇧 Same photo, one CL215T, two skies — dramatic (sky replaced) or original. Swipe and choose: which do you prefer? Please let me know. 🇪🇸 Misma foto, un CL215T, dos cielos — dramático (cielo reemplazado) o original. Desliza y decide: ¿cuál prefieres? Por favor dejame saber. 🇬🇧 @43grupo_ea , the elite aerial firefighting unit of the Spanish Air and Space Force, in full action over Valmayor. Every scoop, every drop, a perfect blend of skill, timing, and trust. 🇪🇸 @43grupo_ea , la unidad de élite de lucha contra incendios de la Fuerza Aérea y del Espacio de España, en plena acción sobre Valmayor. Cada carga, cada descarga, una combinación perfecta de habilidad, sincronización y confianza. 🇬🇧 Thanks to @miguelaraaspotter , and always a pleasure with @elena_delolmo_birds , @jollero_photography , and my cousin @amballesta13.spotter . 🇪🇸 Gracias a @miguelaraaspotter , y siempre un placer con @elena_delolmo_birds , @jollero_photography y mi primo @amballesta13.spotter . . . . . . #43grupo #canadaircl215 #ejercitodelaire #spanishairforce #corsarios

✈️ + 🌕 Airplane + Moon — WE FINALLY DID IT. After more than a year of planning, chasing, hoping, and several failed attempts, we captured the shot — not just once, but several times. Planes perfectly lined up with the full moon, framed just as we had imagined. This time, I was joined by Jessica (@byjessicarojas ) and Fernando (@fcontelc ). We missed Antonio (@antonio.m.ballesta ), who couldn’t join us, but he was with us in spirit. This has been a shared obsession from the start. The alignment lasted only minutes. As the moon kept rising and shifting, we had to run — literally — to keep up, adjusting position as each airplane approached. That is why some are slightly off-center, but in a way, it tells the story better. We relied on every tool we had: @photopills , @flightradar24 , Google Maps. But in the end, it took more than planning. It took patience, luck, and stubborn persistence. My inspiration from the beginning has been Rami (@pixtarami ), the master of these moon-frame shots. His work lit the spark that set us off on this long chase. Swipe through to see the results. At the bottom of this text, you will find a list with the flight numbers, aircraft, and photographers for each photo. Success, at last. The challenge continues, and the moon will keep tempting us to do it better next time. -•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-• All photos show airplanes landing at Madrid-Barajas Airport on August 6th, 2025. El Al 397 — Boeing 737-900ER Photo 1 by Howard Photo 2 by Jessica (@byjessicarojas ) Iberia 654 — Airbus A321 from Rome Photo 3 by Jessica Photo 4 by Howard Photo 5 by Howard Photo 6 by Jessica Iberia 1242 — Bombardier CRJ-1000 from Bologna Photo 7 by Fernando (@fcontelc ) Photo 8 by Howard Photo 9 by Howard Volotea 73615 — Airbus A320 from Olbia Photo 10 by Howard Photo 11 by Fernando W2FLY 5608 — Airbus A330 from Mauritius Photo 12 by Howard Photo 13 by Jessica Photo 14 by Jessica . . . #moonplane #moonairplane #moon #airplane #moonsilhouette #spotting #spotters #aviationphotos #aviationphotography #aviationdailyphoto #avgeek #b737 #a321 #crj1000 #a330 #photopills #flightradar24

🇪🇸 Sincronía y alineación perfectas. Una cigüeña en su nido, recortada contra la luna llena en Rivas Vaciamadrid. Mil gracias a mi amiga Jessica (@byjessicarojas ) por la excelente planificación con @photopills . Esta foto no habría sido posible sin ella. 🇺🇸 Perfect timing, perfect alignment. A stork standing proudly on its nest, framed by the full moon in Rivas Vaciamadrid. Huge thanks to my friend Jessica (@byjessicarojas ) for the brilliant planning using @photopills — this shot wouldn’t have been possible without her!

Three photos taken during late golden hour, just before sunset, with the low sun heavily filtered through clouds and an ND filter, forming layered silhouettes rather than color. Together with @byjessicarojas , we intended to capture the silhouette of an airplane, which we missed, but the sky itself became the subject instead.

Mount Kilimanjaro above the clouds, seen from Amboseli in Kenya, with a lone African fish eagle watching over the plain. Photographed in 1990 on Kodacolor Gold 100 with a Nikon F3 and manual-focus lens. Recently revisited from the original negative. . . . . . #amboseli #kenya #nikonf3 #filmisnotdead #mountkilimanjaro

A real-life Jonathan Livingston Seagull, staring down the edge of the endless blue. 🌊 #lesserblackbackedgull

Heat, dust, silence… and the stillness of a cheetah watching everything. Amboseli, Kenya, 1990. Resting across the open ground beneath the harsh light of the savanna, the animal pauses only briefly. The alert expression and poised posture hint at the speed and precision for which the species is known. In Amboseli, even moments of rest seem connected to the constant awareness demanded by the landscape. This image was captured with a Nikon F3, purchased in 1983, on Kodacolor negative film, and was recently scanned to bring it back into view.

500 feet. 160 knots. Flaps 30°. Final approach never gets old. The music was Air France's boarding music in the 00s. I chose it because despite no Air France planes in the sequence, it gives me the feeling of going somewhere, just like the people inside these aircraft. These photos were taken in April 2026. All except the first image, which was captured in Valencia, were taken in Madrid. A mix of familiar visitors and long lenses under spring light. Featured aircraft, in order, include the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, Boeing 777, Airbus A319, Airbus A321, Mitsubishi CRJ-1000, Airbus A320, and Embraer E195, each one carrying its own personality on short final. . . . . . . . #avgeek #planespotting #aviationphotography #aircraftphotography #travelphotography

Inspirado por el reciente post del amigo @jollero_photography decidí poner a prueba qué podía hacer con la IA usando una imagen relativamente simple. Tomé la segunda foto de este carrusel y le pedí algo muy concreto: un resultado “realista, épico y dramático”. El resultado está aquí. Y aunque lo épico y lo dramático están presentes, no estoy del todo seguro de que lo “realista” haya superado la prueba. La escena muestra uno de los Canadair CL-215T del 43 Grupo de Fuerzas Aéreas del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio de España. El Grupo 43 es una unidad de élite dedicada a una de las misiones más exigentes que existen: la lucha contra incendios forestales. ¿Qué opinan del resultado? ¿Puede la IA complementar la fotografía o es mejor mantenerla en el terreno de lo real?

🇪🇸 La semana pasada estuvimos en Valencia junto a @byjessicarojas , que me enseñó algunos de los mejores puntos para fotografiar aviones con sol y luna en el encuadre, y nos presentó a varios amigos fotógrafos con los que compartimos la jornada. Entre otros, estuvieron presentes @magarpa_fotografia , @peterlo1912 , @tonitrestres , @rgalonso59 y @silviagonzalez_escritora Este día el clima no ayudó. Las nubes se encargaron de tapar la luna y cambiar los planes sobre la marcha. Aun así, lo pasamos muy bien. Entre risas, conversaciones y cámaras en mano, nos quedamos en la aproximación final a la pista 12 del aeropuerto, viendo cómo los aviones iban entrando uno tras otro. En estas imágenes aparece el vuelo HT4925 de Air Horizont, un Boeing 737 procedente de Graz, Austria, justo en los últimos segundos antes de tocar tierra en Valencia, en medio de ese ritmo constante de aproximaciones que marcó esos momentos. ——————————————————————————— 🇬🇧 Last week I was in Valencia with @byjessicarojas , who showed me some of the best spots to photograph aircraft with the sun and moon in the frame, and introduced me to several photographer friends we shared the day with. That day, the weather didn’t help. The clouds covered the moon and changed the plans on the fly. Still, we had a great time. Between laughs, conversations, and cameras in hand, we stayed by runway 12’s final approach, watching aircraft come in one after another. These shots show HT4925, an Air Horizont Boeing 737 from Graz, Austria, just seconds before touching down in Valencia, in the middle of that steady rhythm of approaches that marked those moments.

Elephants of Amboseli and the Masai Mara, Kenya, 1990. In Amboseli, a lone bull moves across the open plains, his silhouette set against distant hills. Further north in the Masai Mara, a pair of elephants continues its march across the plain. Though captured in different regions, both moments reflect the steady pace of the savanna that defined this journey over thirty years ago. These images were captured with a Nikon F3, purchased in 1983, on Kodacolor negative film, and were recently scanned to bring them back into view. . . . . #masaimara #amboseli #kenya #nikonf3 #filmisnotdead

Lions, Masai Mara, Kenya, 1990. Partially concealed in the tall grass cover, a lioness rests between moments of action, her presence revealed more by form than by movement. In the following photo, a lion stands alongside her in the open savanna. The landscape unfolds quietly, yet with an underlying tension, the kind that defines the savanna, where stillness is never entirely at ease.