The Clock vs The Darkside

I really hate clocks!!! I’ve written so many times about time and the crunch for time I really feel often working be the camera. In aviation, when those props turn, the HOB turns and that’s money going bye-bye! There is also that weather thing. When you have a small window in the weather, you go now or you don’t go at all. The flight has to be safe, damn the photography! I would love to have the time when I see a shot like this to set up the tripod, pull out the split grad and do it “right.” That wasn’t the case as thunder woke me at 06:30 and all I could say was, “Damn!” I was to be at the field at 08:30 for a 09:00 flight. I called at 07:30 for an update. “Not good, bad weather all around, call back at 08:30.” At 08:30 the phone call was real brief, “Get here now!” So off I drove like a mad man to get to the plane in time to basically get in the T-6 and go. So here’s this photo I saw as I walked furiously to the T-6. No time to do it “right” as I have no tripod or split grad and no time, I have just a body & lens, period!

Then, I got a 5min pause as vehicles are moved away from the plane (I didn’t wait, removed them in PS). The B-25H was backlit and the clouds in the background are to die for so my only “quick fix” for the situation is handheld HDR. This shot is a 2 image HDR and I’m taking all this time to write about it because, well, it’s on the verge of Elvis on Velvet in my book. And, I kinda like it! I’m not sure if I should feel guilty about that or not. I really love the look and feel of the engine/prop. I’m not totally in love with the fuselage but I’m not hating it either. I did this with Nik’s HDR Efex Pro which gives me a ton, ton of options for going “natural” to totally whacked. But here’s the deal, the plane is backlit! Lighting it either with flash or HDR, it’s not where the sun is shinning so anyone who knows light will see, it’s not natural! And when shooting on the run, what are your options…shoot or don’t shoot. For the moment, I like the image but that might change with time. Damn, there’s the time thing, again!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-120VR on Lexar UDMA digital

18 Minutes Just Isn’t Enough!

John of History Flights offered me a ride in their AT-6 to do an air to air I was so high I didn’t need a photo ship. The weather this morning nearly did us in. We had a very small window to go up and shoot before the weather closed in around us. From take off to landing, it was just a 18min flight but it was a great 18min. Here’s a quick image from the flight, not the best but it was near the end of the file so I could quickly get it posted. It’s no the best because the feature making this plane unique, the canon, is not visible. I did get that shot but that’s still uploading in the computer as I type. I can’t thank John and History Flights enough for this and upcoming opportunities. I can’t wait for our next project in 45 days!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-120VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Angle – Yes & No

Just talking with folks this past weekend at the FL Int’l Airshow brought tons of great opportunities to my door. This is one of the coolest. This is the only B-25H flyin and what makes it unique is the tank canyon mounted in its nose for attaching ships. It’s an amazing plane with an incredible history. Its pilot / chief bottle washer John of History Flights (check them out, they do incredible work!) instantly took us in and started to tell us Barbie’s story. That led to getting a tour of inside the B-25 and that led to this morning. We were to meet at 08:30. at 07:30 the skies opened up with thunder, lightning and a downpour. At 09:00 our photo mission was back on and to the airport I flew!

Both of these are handheld, 5 frame, handheld HDR images. Shooting right into those backlit clouds, HDR was the only option. Handheld because I was about to climb into a AT-6 and go shooting so I had no tripod. RC, forgive me since I threw these together really quickly, I didn’t give them the TLC you taught us last week. And where does the blog post title comes from? The top images was taken with my ass in the air as I kissed the ground to get the angle. Then, once in the AT-6 and with the props turning I took the second image. Top image is inches from the ground and the bottom image is nine feet up. I’m not sure which angle I like the best. I’ll have to stare at them for a while and take some note. The wet tarmac was to die for: note to self, bring water truck to all static shoots! Something learned shooting, that’s the icing on the cake!

Photos captured by D3x, 24-120VR on Lexar UDMA digital film