A red, white, and blue U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet flies above an ocean dotted with boats, trailing white smoke beneath a clear sky.

A Line Through Blue

MG-0431

2024-07-30

About this piece

A Thunderbirds jet cuts across the upper frame, its bright markings set against broad bands of blue sky and sea. A thinning smoke trail and the scattered boats below bring contrasting measures of movement and scale to Mike Gedj’s photograph.

The story

I framed the jet against the horizon, where the blue of the sky met the deeper blue of the water. Below it, boats scattered across the sea seemed almost motionless. What drew my eye was the white trail stretching behind the aircraft: a loose, dissolving line following such a precise shape. In that brief passage, I saw two different rhythms sharing the same space, one swift and directed, the other open and unhurried.

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