How I captured Sydney choking under a cloud of bushfire smoke from a plane window

This shot taken from a plane window captured the eerie beauty and growing danger of Australia’s impending bushfire crisis, turning a moment of urgency into an iconic image that would appear on front pages and websites worldwide serving as a stark reminder of the environmental catastrophe that unfolded in the months to come.

It was November 2019, the city was covered for days in a dense, heavy blanket of bushfire smoke. It hung thick, draining the city of colour and sapping the oxygen from the air. This suffocating haze was a precursor to the catastrophic fire season ahead - the months of devastation that would see the flames rage from Queensland, through New South Wales and into Victoria.

At the time, I was the Head of Photography at AAP, catching an early morning flight to Adelaide for a business meeting. The morning was already tinged with an ochre glow and I settled into my seat - sandwiched in the middle of a row of three - waiting as the plane roared down the runway and lifted off.

We climbed above Sydney's skyline and the city came into view on my right. The famous outline of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney tower was visible smothered under a layer of smoke hanging low over the harbour. I felt a rush of urgency. I didn’t have my cameras with me, only my iPhone, but it would have to do.

I raised my phone and took a quick shot through the small window, but the glass was covered in dirt and reflecting the scene inside the plane. The lady in the window seat had the ideal view, so I leaned over and politely asked if I could press the phone against the small window for a moment. She agreed, and I had about five seconds before the city was out of view.

That moment was a powerful reminder of the value of always being ready for the unexpected. As a press photographer, covering news, sport and features, you develop a sixth sense for spotting a shot situation and anticipating moments before they unfold. In a way, you create your own luck through a blend of preparation, intuition and quick thinking. The image captured the severity of that smoky morning in Sydney, not just as a testament to the looming disaster, but as a visual anchor in the collective memory of that extraordinary and tragic summer ahead.

The in-flight Wi-Fi wasn’t working, as soon as we landed in Adelaide, I pulled out my phone and immediately sent the best frame to the picture desk back in Sydney. The editors captioned it and released it on the wire as a picture of the day.

When I got to the office, my colleagues told me the response was positive. Media outlets, both domestic and international, were picking up the image. The shot dominated news websites all over the world and domestically Australian newspapers the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian ran it on their front pages. The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi ran it as a double-page spread, their first spread shot on an iPhone, showing dramatically the perspective from the plane and the raw impact of the image.

I pressed the phone's lens directly against the window, not only to eliminate glare and reflections but also to stabilise the camera, reduce hand shake and ensure a straighter horizon in the shot. Shooting through windows is tricky, especially airplanes, they consist of two smudged layers about an inch apart and any gap can cause unwanted shapes. I needed a clear, unimpeded shot with the iPhone lens against window. I fired off a few frames before the cityscape disappeared from view. When I reviewed the shots, I realised I'd captured an image of high news value.

The picture used on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald and other websites from around the world

The early attempts capturing dirt on the window and another with a wonky horizon as the plane climbed