The place where I took the picture was about 12 miles away (Titusville) from the 39A launch pad..... the NASA picture was about 6 miles away on their causeway.... NASA I'm pretty sure charges around $50 to watch it from their causeway... Titusville is of course free, but the traffic is crazy! Just getting a clear spot to take a picture is not an easy thing to do.

The shuttle really lights up the sky though and the sound (even from 12mi) is worth it!