Would you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Do you like having to get up every time the person next to you goes to the bathroom or do you prefer to sleep undisturbed with an extra wall to rest your head on? Do you enjoy the beverage cart periodically running over your foot or do you prefer having a rare aerial view of the planet you call home? You may be able to tell by my sarcasm that I am a window person.
I love my window seat. Each time I fly I have the opportunity to see our home, Planet Earth, from the unique vantage point of 39,000 feet above ground. I get to see how the mountains rise up from the plains, how rivers slither through the landscape, how the ocean greets the land and how minute that we, meaning Earthlings, actually are.
I've always believed that astronaut William Anders' photograph, taken in orbit, of the Earth rising over the Moon, has to be one of the most influential photos ever taken. The frame represents the first time that we, the human race, saw our blue planet in brilliant 70 mm color film. It was the first time that we saw, in color, how small and fragile we look in the scope of the universe. In terms of appreciating and treasuring our vulnerable environment, this has to be one of the most prominent photographs ever taken.
Astronaut William Anders photo, titled "Earthrise", taken on Christmas Eve in 1968.
Commuting via 747 from Vancouver to Chicago isn't exactly orbiting the moon, but it does provide an opportunity to see something unique. With the ease and frequency that we utilize air travel, we tend to take for granted the portraits of our planet breezing by the window. The Earth is an evolving creature, a constantly changing organism, and every time I fly I am given a unique perspective to photograph our precious home. Here are some examples of photographs of our Planet Earth, all have caught my eye from a comfortable cruising altitude.
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