Planes, Propellers & a Rather Nice Bacon Bap: A Day at RAF Lakenheath
I don’t often photograph aircraft – as delightful and downright thrilling as it can be. Some photographers really live in that world, mastering the art of capturing propeller planes at low shutter speeds so you get those dreamy swirl trails from the spinning blades. Others position themselves halfway up a Welsh mountain to catch fast jets ripping through the Mach Loop or zooming past the Lakes like they’ve just nicked someone’s biscuits. And fair play to them – it takes patience, skill, and probably a flask of strong tea.
Now, I do like looking at aircraft. Living in Norfolk, we’re lucky to be near two very busy air bases: RAF Marham, which operates the F-35B Lightning (not to be confused with the classic English Electric Lightning of the Cold War – this one’s American, flashier, and can do a vertical take-off like a Harrier on energy drinks). Two squadrons are based there, both manned by the RAF and the Royal Navy, and you’ll often find them flying off from the decks of HMS Queen Elizabeth or HMS Prince of Wales.
Then, just across the Suffolk border, is RAF Lakenheath, home to the US Air Force. They fly the F-35A – the same basic stealthy beast, but this one prefers a good old-fashioned runway to leap into the skies. There’s also a third type, the F-35C, which is the US Navy’s carrier version, built like a brick outhouse and designed to survive being slammed onto a ship deck at full speed.
Now before I get accused of being a full-blown aviation geek, let me reassure you: this is about as far as my knowledge goes. Most of what I just said came from asking ChatGPT to "make me sound mildly clever but not unbearable at parties."
Truth be told, I don’t shoot many aircraft. You’ll find the odd airshow or hot air balloon in my photo archives, but I’m much more at home doing street and travel photography – usually with my trusty Leica Q3 . That said, I do keep a second body – the Sony A7 IV – for when I need more flexibility. I’ve got a few lenses for it, including the lovely Sony 70–200mm GM II, which is a cracking bit of kit... but still a bit short for plane spotting.
So, I picked up a Sony 2x Teleconverter, which essentially turns the 200mm into a 400mm. Sounds great, right? The catch? It also turns your f/2.8 lens into an f/5.6 one – which is like swapping your pint for a half. Still drinkable, just not quite as tasty in low light.
With the skies above Norfolk buzzing this week thanks to a large NATO exercise, I figured it was the perfect excuse to test the new setup. A quick scroll through YouTube showed that aircraft from multiple countries were involved, but I decided to stick with the ever-reliable USAF at Lakenheath. So off I trotted – along with half of Norfolk and several people with cameras that looked like they could photograph the Moon and see inside it.
There’s a proper viewing area near the base, complete with a snack hut serving up heart-stopping bacon baps and suspiciously strong coffee. Your cardiologist wouldn’t approve, but your stomach probably would.
What did I see?
Multiple F-35As doing their stealthy ninja thing
The mighty F-15E Strike Eagles, all business and noise
And the highlight: a few visiting F-16s from the USAF base in Italy – sleek, classic, and still looking like the rockstars of the skies.
I took a mix of stills and video, fiddled with camera settings to compensate for the extra light loss (hello, auto ISO and exposure compensation), and had a lovely couple of hours geeking out with the rest of the aviation enthusiasts.
You can check out the full image gallery here https://www.nomadicframes.co.uk/england/southwold-suffolk-uk-b8snp-sdsyp-ksce5 , and if video’s more your thing, there’s a short YouTube video link below with clips and a few stills thrown in for good measure.
So, what’s the verdict on the teleconverter? It did a solid job. Sure, you lose a bit of light and sharpness, but for a relatively lightweight and portable setup, it performed admirably. If you’ve used one yourself, I’d love to hear what you think – drop a comment or message.
Until next time – keep your shutter fast and your sandwiches hot.
