Par
Mathis Launay
Published on August 27, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. See my news Follow L’Action Républicaine
Every day, several dozen planes fly over Perche to go to Paris, Barcelona, Porto, Amsterdam, etc.
And if many do not pay attention to it, this is not the case of Dimitri Monin and Lauréna Meunier who, for two years now, photograph the planes passing over Vichères and Brunelles (Arcisses).
A passion for photography since CM2
Dimitri first developed a passion for photography in CM2.
At first I was more interested in taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and the weather with my phone.
Dimitri Monin
Then at 18, he bought his own camera to take better pictures, a Nikon Coolpix p950 which he still has today.
“I bought it at Camara (a former photo shop in Nogent-le-Rotrou, editor’s note) and they gave me a free course for handling the device. Then I went back to see them before it closed,” in September 2023.
Both in the same class at college
At college in Nogent-le-Rotrou, Dimitri falls into the same class as Lauréna, passionate about travel.
And quickly, the two became friends and exchanged ideas about their respective passions. Then Air’Perche was born a few years later, in July 2022.
“Lauréna liked it very much the planeswatching them fly in the sky, so she suggested to me the idea of taking pictures of them. I tried it, it worked and that’s how it started, says Dimitri. It’s so simple! ».
And then Lauréna also bought herself a camera, a Kodak PixPro AZ425, to capture these moments.
Consult specialized applications
Since then, the couple has been checking the apps every day. RadarBox et Flightradar24 to detect planes preparing to fly over Perche.
You can see the departure and arrival locations, departure and arrival times, aircraft altitude, model and interior of the aircraft depending on the model.
Lauréna Meunier
Then they estimate the time when the plane will pass overhead and they prepare themselves.
No need to crisscross the country roads looking for the ideal spot, they just have to get out of their house and go into the garden. Then everyone makes adjustments to their device and realizes several dozen photos.
Photos published on social networks
The photos are then published on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) through the Air’Perche accounts, “and soon on Facebook,” warns Dimitri.
In each post, photographers do not forget to identify airlines who react in return with a like or a comment, such as the companies Emirates, Transavia, Frenchbee.
On Instagram, the account is even followed by FlyAirSénégal, EasyJet, Swiss International Air Lines, Air Caraïbes, among others.
And their last great satisfaction, having succeeded in taking a photo of the plane in which Joe Bidenthe President of the United States, flew on June 7, 2024, for his arrival in France to celebrate the 80 years of the Landing“The plane had turned around right above us,” the 20-year-old recalls.
The plane had been spotted some time earlier on these applications, and luckily, the sky was very clear that day, enough to make some great shots.
Photos taken on vacation in La Rochelle
Even on vacation, Dimitri and Lauréna do not forget their shared passion.
When they were at La Rochellein July 2023, they went to the airport parking lot to watch the planes take off and land on the runway.
This summer, they left again for a few days an hour above La Rochelle. “We saw the same planes again, but this time they were higher, with a different inclination ».
“Mexico makes us want it”
Recently, the couple has also started collecting model airplanes. Dimitri and Lauréna each have four.
The height of the story for these travel and plane enthusiasts is that Dimitri has only flown once and Lauréna has not yet had that chance. “When you look at destinations like Mexico, Miamior Los Angelesof course it makes us want to.”
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