150327-F-NL936-001

by SSgt Andrew Lee

150327-F-NL936-001

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile accelerates toward a test range near Guam March 27 after launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The ICBM was the second fired for testing and evaluation purposes in the course of a week, with both Malmstrom and F. E. Warren AFBs sending crews and randomly selected missiles to Vandenberg AFB to launch the missiles in conjunction with the 30th Space Wing and 576th Flight Test Squadron which oversee the launch facilities and operational tests, respectively. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)

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Photographer's Narrative

 

I went TDY to cover a couple of stories at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to cover a launch. This Minuteman III launch was early in the morning when it was still pitch-black. I wanted to get two different versions of this launch so I set up two cameras, one for a long-exposure photo and the other for multiple frames. I set the shutter speed on bulb and hit the button once the launch started. I judged where I wanted arch in the launch and I wanted it to be a little brighter so you could see the path, so I held the shutter for 127 seconds.