Faces behind the factory camera

John Proferes was just 7 years old when his mom mailed in a cereal box coupon and two dollars for his first camera. CST-100 Starliner team member John Grant was 12 when he first started shooting photos and his artistic eye began taking shape.

Grant and Proferes work together as the technical photographers in the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or C3PF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida documenting Starliner milestones and flight hardware. Their work is essential to the program, aiding with troubleshooting and engineering evaluation during both the spacecraft’s buildup and on-orbit phases.

Their photos over the past 15-plus years of rocket and shuttle launches have appeared in various national publications, while imagery and video of the Starliner launches and events leading up to it have been instrumental to the program. Proferes and Grant not only take photos at the C3PF but also archive imagery with identifying information for rapid search and retrieval in both of these situations. While they are the lead photographers, they also receive support from quality assurance team members.

“I enjoy being creative, capturing human spaceflight history, memories and important people and events,” said Proferes, who also is the imagery point person for Florida Space Coast Operations supporting all Boeing programs for still and video services. “But the best thing is seeing people smile when they look at the photos. That’s when you know you have done a good job.”

Grant agreed that one of the rewarding parts of his job is surprising teammates with photos of themselves working on the spacecraft and the milestones surrounding the program. 

“I enjoy being a member of a team and realizing that the work we are doing is much bigger than ourselves,” Grant said. “People may not read our names in the history books, but what we do now is definitely going to make history.”

Their experience in human spaceflight is vast. 

Proferes began his career at Kennedy Space Center as a quality assurance inspector in the early 1980s and then as part of a scientific photography group for another shuttle program contractor. He started with Boeing in 2001 on the International Space Station program and was lead photographer until 2012, before he began supporting the Site and the Commercial Crew Program.

A second-generation aerospace worker, Proferes was influenced by his dad, a spacecraft quality inspector and later supervisor from the start of the Mercury program through the end on Apollo. His dad performed the final closeout inspection on the Lunar Excursion Module “Eagle” that flew on Apollo 11 and was the first to land on the moon.

Grant joined the Starliner team in August 2019 as a spacecraft electrical technician. His experience at the Kennedy Space Center started around 2005 as a NASA contractor servicing video cameras used throughout the center. He photographed and video-recorded launches, landings, as well as astronaut and historical events. He also spent time at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after the shuttle program ended and assisted the Orion/Artemis team in Florida with technical photography classes and electrical system work.

Below, in their own words, Proferes and Grant share insight into their work — and tips for capturing a great photo. 

What is the most interesting photo or subject you have photographed and why?

Proferes: There have been so many, but some of the most striking to me were photos of the space shuttle on the pad at sunrise with the Rotating Service Structure rolled back. The bright white xenon lights of the vehicle cast against the brilliant warm glow of the morning sky is just breathtaking.

Grant: I have always enjoyed taking long exposures of night launches. Being able to capture the arch that a vehicle takes from start of engines to apogee has always been awe inspiring to me.

What is the most difficult photo you’ve taken?

Proferes: I have taken flash photography, shooting down the open propellant grain throat of a shuttle solid rocket booster BSM (Booster Separation Motor) inside an explosives bunker. That was interesting.

Grant: Some of the most difficult photos I’ve had to take involve being inside the spacecraft doing final connector mates. Some are extremely hard to mate, much less being able to photograph. The high-resolution camera I use is absolutely the weapon of choice for clarity and image quality, but sometimes carrying a large camera/lens package comes with limits. I often find myself utilizing mirrors and different lighting to capture the subject.

What is the key to taking the perfect photo?

Proferes: There are a few things. Camera settings. Having the correct ISO (CMOS sensor sensitivity setting), F-Stop (depth of focus), shutter speed and focus. All of these have to be set in just in the right balance. Then there is composition and balance. Finally, it is dropping the shutter at just the right moment.

Grant: There is no one key to the perfect photo. Whenever you can, take a lot of practice shots to make sure you are using the proper settings. Otherwise your only attempt at the perfect shot might not be so perfect. I remember practicing for two days to take night shots of a launch on Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 2013 as a contractor for NASA.

Any advice on capturing launches?

Proferes: First, day or night, the camera exposure should be set for a sunny day (ISO200 at F-16), as the plume of the rocket engines is very bright. For a night launch, put your camera on a tripod with setting for bright sunlight, place the shutter on bulb (open as long as you hold down the button). Press the shutter open and hold it from launch until the vehicle is well down range (60 to 90 seconds). The photo will show the arch of the rocket’s path. Very cool photo instead of just a bright ball of light in the night.

Grant: Practice, practice, practice. Think of the shot you want to produce and go for it. It may not happen on the first try, but you will have more attempts with future launches.

By Deborah Circelli

For more Starliner highlights, follow @BoeingSpace on X, formerly known as Twitter, starlinerupdates.com and the CFT mission website.