Apparently I had never posted this final launch from my initial portfolio.
In 2020 when lightning struck the house and I had to live out of a hotel for a few months, i put my nose to the grindstone and built out a portfolio, editing photos from all the launches I'd seen since 2016. This was the last one from that timeframe.
As I mentioned in a recent ask, this was also the first launch that saw me go out on my bike all by myself to shoot it. It was the last Delta IV medium, and it produced one of the most unexpected photos I've ever been lucky enough to hit the shutter on.
Of course, all the final photos are in aspect ratios that don't want to play nice with each other. This will be post 1 of 3 as such.
My vantage point of choice was the Cocoa Beach Pier. I didn't realize they would be charging money for pier access that day specifically due to the launch, so despite riding there myself, I had to call my family and ask them to drive my way with some cash 'cause I didn't bring enough, and their ATM charged absurd fees.
I also packed tripods I wasn't allowed to use (the cocoa beach pier doesn't permit their use), so. This was a learning experience, I wasn't quite self-sufficient yet or able to do it on my own.
But having those ten or twenty feet of height to put your camera above the onlooking crowd was a treat.
