Summary

Anne Bonfert reflects on her week as a photographer and skydiver, capturing the beauty of nature and the simplicity of aviation amidst a busy schedule.

Abstract

Anne Bonfert is nearing the completion of a year-long photography challenge, documenting her daily life which currently involves capturing the ephemeral beauty of butterflies and blooming flowers against the backdrop of summer skies. Despite being preoccupied with her activities from dawn till dusk, she acknowledges the concerns of friends regarding the recent floods in Germany, assuring them of her safety. Her week is filled with capturing a fleeting butterfly, the mystical countryside after rain, and the long-awaited blue skies that finally appeared on a Saturday. She shares the excitement and challenges of skydiving, including a broken fuel pump that delayed jumps, and the poetic description of an airplane as a "flying bus." Her work week concludes with serene images of dusk, wildflower landing areas, and the picturesque Black Forest region. Anne encourages others to join the photography challenge, emphasizing that it's open to anyone, and shares her appreciation for the diverse landscapes she encounters in her line of work.

Opinions

Anne Bonfert views her photography challenge as a way to capture life's fleeting moments, such as a butterfly's brief perch or the transient mist after a rainstorm.
She expresses a sense of exhaustion from her non-stop schedule but also satisfaction from her photographic achievements.
Anne appreciates the concerns of friends during the recent floods and is grateful for not being affected.
She finds beauty in the simplicity of an airplane, likening it to a "flying bus," which reflects her passion for aviation.
Despite the unpredictability of weather and mechanical issues affecting skydiving operations, Anne maintains a positive outlook on her work.
Anne values the freedom and exploration that her job offers, as it allows her to witness and capture diverse landscapes from the air.
She sees her work as more than a job; the stunning sunsets and natural scenes make her work feel less like labor and more like a privilege.

PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

Between Butterflies and Airplanes in the Sky

Week 50 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

I am getting close to a year of taking part in the photography challenge. And as summer is progressing I am getting busier and busier. My days are evolving around flying through the sky and capturing butterflies and blooming flowers on the meadows.

I have been rather absent on Medium the last 10 days. I just didn’t have the time to write, read, and comment. I’ve been out and about from sunrise to sunset. My body is a little exhausted and I am taking one week off now. One week's time for lots of writing and reading all your amazing articles I missed.

I’ve received several comments and messages from friends asking if I’m fine due to the disastrous floods that happened in Germany. I appreciate your concerns. The floods happened more West of where I live and we did not get affected. Luckily.

It had just stopped raining and I took out my camera to capture the fog rising from the forest when this butterfly sat down on the lavender right in front of my eyes. I had only one shot. Then the butterfly flew away. But this one shot was enough.

Talking about the mist. This is how magical our countryside looks when it stops raining. After a heavy downpour, the forest collected lots of moisture that starts escaping.

It’s Saturday and once again a cloudy day. The weather hasn’t been on our side this season so far. Skydivers spent too much time on the ground waiting for the clouds to pass or the rain to stop. This summer at least. Today we were waiting all day long for this blue sky that appeared only towards the afternoon.

Sunday then started all bright and sunny. It couldn’t have been better for jumping. Just when the fuel pump of the plane decided to break and we had to wait on the ground for three hours for the spare part to arrive. But then we could do another 3 loads and finish the weekend semi-successful.

One of my passengers was sitting with me on the plane when he mentioned how simple an airplane is built. It is like a bus. But it is a flying bus. I liked that description.

Monday. For some, it’s a new week. For us just another day in the week. Our weeks don’t have a beginning or an end at the moment. But with such a closing of the day, work does not feel like work.

Tuesday I left for a different airport I would be working for the week. The landing area was a beautiful meadow covered in wildflowers. Padded for soft landings.

© Bonfert — 21/07/2021 — **BLACK FOREST**

This is a picture I took on the plane ride up to altitude. Lots of forest and farmers' land. The foothills of the Black Forest in southern Germany. A beautiful region with stunning countryside.

I love going around the country to different dropzones and exploring nature and landscapes from above.

This has been my week in photographs. 7 days. 7 photographs. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett was the one starting this photography challenge sometime last year and many have participated ever since.

Erika Burkhalter / Eileen Vorbach Collins / Sasha Meyer / Tracy Aston/ Lisa Bolin / Juan O. Aguilera / David Wade Chambers / Mia Verita / Susan Alison / LensAfield / Barbara Radisavljevic / Diana Lotti / Barbara Dalton / Kim Zuch

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Cloudy Skies and Spectacular Sunsets

Week 49 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

medium.com

Summer Rains and Floral Beauty

Week 48 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

medium.com