🚀 Pressing the Shutter Is Easy; Getting the Shot Is Hard

Hey everyone, how’s it going? Some of you might already know this, but back in February this year, I had the chance to photograph a rocket launch. Getting that shot wasn’t easy at all, and that’s exactly why these photos mean so much to me.

Even though I usually focus on street photography, I sometimes take on project-based shoots like this one. Starting with this edition, I’m going to break down how I approached photographing the rocket launch over the next 4 episodes.

Table of Contents

• 🚀 February 17th, 2024 (Sunday), 9:22:55 AM

• 🛌 The Hotel Battle Began Right After the Launch D …

• ☔ Launch Date Changed Due to Bad Weather

• 🚗 Next Up: The Battle for a Rental Car

• ⏰ Coming Up Next

🚀 February 17th, 2024 (Sunday), 9:22:55 AM

On March 7th, 2023, Japan’s first attempt at launching the new heavy-lift rocket "H3" in 22 years didn’t go as planned. The second-stage engine failed to ignite, and the rocket had to be destroyed by a ground signal. As a result, the advanced optical Earth observation satellite "Daichi-3," which cost 28 billion yen (approximately 184 million USD) to develop, was lost.

The H3 project was a massive one, with a budget of billions of USD. So, the failure of the first H3 rocket was a huge setback for Japan’s space program. I can only imagine the intense pressure the development team must’ve felt, knowing they absolutely couldn’t afford to fail again.

Then, 11 months later, on February 17th, 2024, at 9:22:55 AM, the second H3 rocket launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima. With everyone holding their breath, watching and hoping for success, the rocket safely took off and soared into space.

🛌 The Hotel Battle Began Right After the Launch Date Was Announced

To be honest, a ton of challenges awaited me before I could actually photograph this rocket.

First off, I set up a few Google Alerts with related keywords to make sure I wouldn’t miss the announcement of the launch date. I was always on standby, ready to move as soon as the news dropped.

Eventually, I got an email from Google Alerts with articles about the scheduled launch. It said that the H3 rocket was set to take off on February 15th, 2024.

But... Unfortunately I checked my email too late. About 5 hours after getting the alert, I tried booking a rental car and a place to stay near the launch site. By then, all the hotels were already fully booked.

Tanegashima, the island where the rocket launches take place, depends on tourists who come to see these events. But with the pandemic, several accommodations had shut down, and there weren’t many to begin with. So, I lost the hotel booking battle.

Well, I figured if I couldn’t get a hotel, I’d have to make do and sleep in the car.

To get to Tanegashima, you can either take a small plane from Kagoshima or go by ferry. To save on travel costs, I decided to rent a car in Kagoshima and take the ferry. I called up a rental car shop in Kagoshima and managed to secure a car. With the car sorted out, I thought, "Alright, I can make this work. I’ll just camp out in the car if I have to."

☔ Launch Date Changed Due to Bad Weather

But of course, the troubles didn’t stop there.

Rocket launches can get postponed because of weather or other factors, and 2 days before the planned launch—on February 13th—an announcement was made: the launch was delayed due to worsening weather conditions. No new date was given; all we knew was that it would happen sometime between February 16th and March 31st, as previously outlined.

So, with the delay confirmed, I canceled the rental car, the ferry, and my flight to Kagoshima. Then, with a nervous feeling of uncertainty about when the new date would be, I tried to get some sleep.

The next day, February 14th, I kept refreshing the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) website over and over, hoping for updates. I even searched X (Twitter) with different keywords, thinking maybe the latest info would pop up there.

By the afternoon, the new date was finally announced: the launch had been rescheduled for 3 days later, on February 17th. Immediately, I scrambled to rebook everything—the rental car, the ferry, and the flight. And yet another booking battle began.

As expected, all the hotels were fully booked. I figured I’d stick to my plan of renting a car in Kagoshima and taking the ferry with it to Tanegashima, but this time the ferry was sold out too. Over the phone, they told me, “Due to the change in the rocket launch date, all the ferry seats are already booked.”

With no choice but to spend more money, I decided to fly from Kagoshima to Tanegashima instead. I quickly booked a flight, and at least, with that, I knew I’d be able to get to the island.

🚗 Next Up: The Battle for a Rental Car

And the final problem was getting a car on the island.

With no hotel and February’s winter chill making it tough to camp outside, having a rental car was crucial.

I started calling every rental car shop in Tanegashima, hoping desperately to find a car. The first shop told me, “We have no available cars.” My heart sank. It felt like the end.

But time was ticking, so I called a second shop. This time, they said, “We don’t have anything available right now, but something might open up. Can you wait a bit?” So, I held on. 15 minutes later, my phone rang.

“Hello? Any luck?”
“Yes, we found an available car! We’ll hold it for you.”

The sense of relief and achievement was incredible. Now, I’d have a place to sleep in the car, and I could watch the rocket launch!

The next day, February 15th, I flew from Tokyo to Kagoshima, then switched to another flight straight to Tanegashima, the island where the rocket would launch.

To be continued.

⏰ Coming Up Next 

I wondered how I should capture the rocket launch from 3 km (1.86 miles) away.

What kind of image did I want, and what lens would I need for that? Plus, how would I photograph a rocket shooting into space in just a few seconds—all with a film camera?

Since I only had a few precious seconds to get the shot, I made sure to prepare thoroughly in advance.

See you next Tuesday.

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