“That’s what I was thinking. What a bad photo. Poorly laid out. Poorly balanced.”
No kidding. You can see a reflection in the window. I don’t believe O had the photos taken for this purpose. I’m suspicious.
There is definitely something wrong with this whole story.
The USAF has a lot a talented photographers who do great air to air photography. The released photo looks like a personal photo taken by the F-16 pilot.
A real photo mission would have been choreographed and pre visualized so that they would get exactly the shots they needed. An F-16 is not an ideal photo platform. I’ve seen C-130s and C-17s used for photo work since the photographer can work through the open rear ramp or side paratroop doors for a clear view without any glass.
They could have used a fighter for a photo plane, but the photographer would have been in the back seat of a B or D model F-16.
If you want an idea of the kinds of work the USAF does, check out the photos at http://www.af.mil/photos/ There are some great images.
The image of an f-22 Raptor over Ft. Monroe is a perfect example of how good USAF photography can be.