These are all images taken at AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin – the annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association. These are long exposure images snapped during the night airshow. The above photo was a 32-second exposure, the image to the right was 8, the image below was 35.

How were these graceful forms created? An airplane flew an acrobatic routine with some kind of sparkly fireworks shooting from the wings. To capture the action, I had my camera on a tripod and positioned on the area of sky where I guessed the plane would be flying. These were my best guesses and even these have moments where the plane went beyond the camera’s view…and came back.

The long exposure captures the brightest light from the aircraft’s flight pattern. In the dark, the aircraft, itself, wasn’t bright enough or in one spot long enough to be registered by the camera’s sensor.

If you look closely, you’ll see stars that show up as little white dashes. The whisps, particularly noticeable in the bottom photo, are the smoke left behind from the fireworks.

You can view a larger version of any of these photos in its own browser tab by clicking on them.