A Red Bull Air Race Photo Framed by the Crowd
This Red Bull Air Race photo catches the instant when a small aerobatic plane cuts across the sky with a white smoke trail behind it. The railings and blurred heads in the foreground make the scene feel almost secret, as if the aircraft has slipped into a narrow window between one breath and the next. Parked airliners below add another layer: ordinary machines on the ground, extraordinary movement above them.
I took this photograph in September 2019, during Teknofest. For me, it was one of the most impressive events Turkey had organised. I had already attended both Istanbul editions, and both left me with the feeling that there was always one more aircraft to follow and one more sound arriving from the sky.
The 2020 festival was planned to take place in Gaziantep without spectators. That was disappointing, because an event built around noise, motion, and shared amazement feels strangely incomplete when no one can stand together and look up. At the time, postponing it seemed more understandable than carrying on without an audience.
I hope Teknofest keeps growing into something larger, more ambitious and more open to participants from other countries. The best part of an air show is not only the aircraft. It is the moment a crowd becomes quiet for half a second, follows one line through the sky and then remembers to breathe.
More Teknofest in Motion
More Teknofest footage and travel videos live on the Hadi Gezelim BE YouTube channel. This Red Bull Air Race photo is only one frame, but the smoke trail suggests speed, noise, surprise and a little bit of wonder. 🥰
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