Aviation photography is a growing hobby along the Wasatch Front.

In the last few years Audrey Lee, who recently got into the hobby herself, said the interest has spiked following the movie release of “Top Gun Maverick.”

“It's a pretty big community,” Lee said. “I didn't realize that at first, and when I got here, you know, for me, it was just the way that I could connect with the mission and that I could connect with the aircraft that I was supporting at my day job.”

Lee moved from Connecticut four years ago and works on Hill Air Force Base as a non-uniformed general service member who writes procurement documents for the base.

She considers herself a mentor or “fly on the wall” for kids who come to the base, interested in aviation photography.

“​​Plane spotting is a pretty big hobby, and we're really lucky to be at a base that's more accessible than others,” she said. “But there are definitely still rules to keep in mind.”

She noted that she instructs other spotters that photographing any structures on the base is strictly prohibited as it can leak sensitive information. 

Lee’s philosophy is that once the plane passes the fence line, spotters can snap pictures. And they do.

Jackson Wilson

Jackson Wilson dreams of becoming a pilot for the United States Air Force, but if that goal doesn’t take off, he’s ready to pursue his growing passion for aviation photography.

A USAF KC-135 departure. (Courtesy of Jackson Wilson)

Two years ago Jackson, a Cottonwood Heights resident, bought his first professional camera, a Canon EOS R10 and fell in love with aviation photography at an airshow since he “liked planes quite a bit.”

But until that point he had only looked at pictures and “scrolled Instagram looking at photos of planes.” 

It was the speed aspect that caught his attention.

“I used to really be into cars because they go really fast, I'm a fan of going fast,” Jackson said. “The first time I really went to the airport, I saw a lot of really rare planes there, and I saw a bunch of F-16s taking off, and I thought it was really cool. And then from there… I guess it's just something about it that I can't explain.”

At 14 years old he’s building quite the aviation photograph portfolio by waking up early and spending up to six days a week capturing the rarest planes with his camera. He frequents Salt Lake International Airport and various facilities across the state known to have planes nearby.

Jackson said that the appeal of spotting is the excitement and adrenaline of capturing the perfect photo of a speeding aircraft and feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes with it.

“I can't wait to get home and really look at it because usually the screen on these cameras isn't too great,” he said. “Maybe it's something you've wanted, been wanting to see for a while now, and you just did, and you got a really good photo of it.”

A USAF T-38C aircraft landing. (Courtesy of Jackson Wilson)

Since Jackson attends online school in Canyons School District and both of his parents work from home, even though he doesn’t have a license he has a ride and the time and flexibility to cultivate his photography skills.

“We're very free to do stuff most of the time, especially throughout the middle of the week, where they're most active flying,” he said.

His dream is to take pictures of European and Asian planes and to visit the Royal International Air Tattoo in the United Kingdom usually in June or July.

Amden Olsen

A new group known as the Wasatch Wingmen was started. It currently has 12 or 13 members—mostly kids Jackson’s age— including his new friend 15-year-old Amden Olsen. Together, they go spotting to capture sought-after aircraft and exchange photography tips and techniques.

A400M “Atlas” on final into KSLC. (Courtesy of Amden Olsen)

 Amden, a Riverton resident, in addition to his time with the Wasatch Wingmen, is part of a non-government military program through the U.S. Airforce for high school students at the South Valley Regional Airport.

He has been into aviation photography for about two years, the same amount of time as Jackson, and recently started his own photography business.

Amden participates in the Civil Air Patrol to expand his aviation knowledge and plans to become a commercial pilot.

“I just recently decided that I wanted to start preparing myself to get my private pilot's license, so I joined [the program] to help gain a little more knowledge on aviation,” he said. “I want to go be a commercial pilot for Delta.”

He said the hardest part of spotting and getting the perfect shot is tracking. 

“I've gotten a lot of practice in tracking the aircraft with my camera and keeping it in frame,” Amden said. “In my viewfinder on my camera has little focal points, which I use to help. I either try to keep it on the middle one or keep it in between the circle of them.”

At the end of the day, when the spotting is all said and done, it’s really only one good shot that you need.

"Honestly, it feels great,” Amden said. “It's probably one of the reasons I continue to do it because when you get it… it's all about getting the good shot, right? So when you get a good shot, most people have physical excitement expressed on their bodies in some way, shape or form."

F-35a Ripping it through the skies. (Courtesy of Amden Olsen)

But the beauty of photography, he said, is that you don’t have to have a nice camera to take pictures. He started out with his phone before he upgraded to his professional camera.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about photography in general, especially aviation photography, is that you need a camera,” he said. “Even if you have a phone, you can still edit your photos and they can come out almost as good as a cheaper quality camera.”

Aviation photography awaits recognition

While it’s true a phone can snap a picture or video, Lee said the best pictures require specialized equipment.

Lee said that camera gear doesn’t exist specifically for the hobby.

“In the photography world, aviation photography is not really recognized as a type of photography—there's transportation, like cars, and then there's sports photography, which is very fast,” she said. “But, aviation photography just isn't something that's on a lot of camera companies' radar.”

But she hopes that changes.

“As the community gets bigger, I feel like, they can't ignore us forever,” Lee said.