By Ted Grussing
… 6 AM, wake up, discover you are breathing … open your eyes and look at the beauty around you … head to the kitchen and brew the first five shots of espresso … check email, does anyone like what you sent out a few hours ago? Yes!!! Smiles form, espresso begins to take effect, exercises, text Sus and Jogi that I am still breathing, brush and feed One, clean up and out the door for an early morning flight. Free Mariah from her shade, preflight the ship, grab the cameras from the car, in the cockpit, canopy closed, start the engine and down the taxiway to R21 … mag check, clear traffic and out onto the runway while slowly giving it full power … 400’down the runway I’m airborne, accelerate down the runway in ground effect, 90 kts indicated and initiate a 50 degree climbing bank at 1500 fpm or better … one minute into flight, crossing over the north end of the field at 6,000’+ and all smiles!
So that was how today began and tomorrow morning too. It’s raining now, but by 5AM it is supposed to be clearing. The rest of today went well too and much work on photos. This is a shot I took this morning when returning to the Sedona area from up north. The view is looking to the WSW from 10,500’ a few miles up on the plateau. The near canyon on the left is Jacks Canyon and following over to the right side of the image you have Oak Creek Canyon coming down. Wilson Mountain is on the far side of oak Creek Canyon. Just to the right of jacks Canyon are the Mittens, beyond them Ship Rock, Coffee Pot, Thunder Mountain and Long Canyon behind it. The airport is middle left and out beyond it is Black Mountain, Mingus on the left horizon and far right, Munds Canyon coming off Oak Creek Canyon. Uptown, West Sedona and the Chapel area are also in the image and Oak Creek is visible via the green ribbon that comes down from the canyon and flows on the east side of Airport Mesa.
Have a beautiful day … I’m going to catch this storm to go to sleep with … love it!
Smile … make someone’s day
Ted
Learn the music of a summer night by the restless wave of the sea, or surrender to the sunlight of an
open country where the illimitable sky at last meets to kiss the sweet, green earth, and stay till the
crimson shafts burn the western world.
And something will rise in you that is not connected with the tiring routine of your trade – something strange and calm.
— Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
More about Ted Grussing …