Dec 22, 2011 | Aviation
Every so often I get into conversations that I know from the start, I’m going to loose. Just too many myths to kill, too many ingrained bad habits to overcome. To my great surprise, my last dialog with a couple of photographers, I beat the odds. The point of the conversation, who is in control in photography, the photographer or the subject? I’ve always thought and worked under the assumption the subject is in complete control. With wildlife photography, that sentiment is generally accepted. Normally the first example used to counter this contention is the studio shoot. This is where the photographer has complete control of the lighting, camera, background and in theory, the subject. After this example is fully dressed by whomever I’m talking to, I then simply ask, “Who is in control of the facial expression?” Conversation stops. Then they usually comeback with, “What if it’s a product, no smile to worry about.” I usually say, “Ah, then you have the AD (art director) to make smile.”
My point is not to argumentative but rather make the point that photographers need to be not only flexible, not only a problem solvers, but in this entire process, creative and imaginative. How do you make that model express the emotion you want the compliments the lighting you set up? How do make that AD smile with that “simple” product shot? What tools do you have at the camera and behind the camera (that’s you) to pull off the photograph? The vast majority of the time, those tools to make it all come together come with time. You’ve gotta put the time in to get the results out.
I wanted a shot of the F2G-2 at “sunset” but it wasn’t sunset yet. In fact, we would be on the ground when it was sunset. So how do you get that photo? Underexposure shooting right into the sun came to mind. What’s the first problem with this solution, when you shoot right into the sun? The damn sun, it kinda over powers everything let alone that little thing known as flare. But what if you ask the pilot in the F2G-2 to fly so he casts his shadow on me in the photo plane? First, you need to have a great pilot in that subject plane. Next, you have to realize the subject is in control. Lastly, you need to make the underexposure, put the subject in the right part of the frame and go click.
I guess the point of this mini rant is to have photographers lighten up, flex their creativity a little more and not beat themselves up when the photograph fails. Photography among many things is the art of having fun and when you’re trying to be in control in an environment when you really aren’t in control, fun tends to go out the window. Photography is about a ton of illusions and one of those illusions is that of control.
Dec 19, 2011 | Aviation
I’ve had a couple of emails asking if HDR really has the image quality to be valid. It’s a question that kind of took me by surprise. I realize some think of HDR as a fad, some think even worse or it. But a photographer who makes a living from their images, if they put out an image that is of lesser quality, they are simply going to be out of business. My personal standard in determining image quality for a body, lens or technique is the 24×30 print. It’s gotta stand up to that for me to incorporate any tool or technique in my approach to photography. The above is a perfect example. This is a HDR shot of Kermit Week’s P-51C that is in the current issue of Flight Journal. It’s a double truck, two page spread in which the image quality along with content were worthy enough to be used as the opener to a marvelous piece on a courageous group of aviators from WWII. I was honored to have my image selected and so prominently for this piece. I don’t think of HDR as a gimmick or fad but a valid tool when wanting to express photographically what my eyes and mind communicate to my heart and the camera can’t in one click.
In the Bag
D3x
24-120VR
Lexar 32GB 600x UDMA
RRS BH-40
OverXposed OX Pro Platform
Dec 15, 2011 | Aviation
I really didn’t put much thought into it, kinda did it just to see what folks reaction would be to it. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the response we have received playing this video as folks walked into my presentation. But it’s why WE MUST ALL share the great fortunes life shares with us through our camera lens. Here’s another example that proves my point. Your photography can change the world!
Moose,
I have to thank you for re-introducing me to my first photography passion – airplanes.
I watched the videos for your workshops on your website, then the long video at B&H last week as the introduction to your two sessions.
I grew up in the UK and when I was a youngster (a long time ago) I lived about an hours drive from Biggin Hill aerodrome. Biggin was a Battle of Britain figther station and is still in use today for light aircraft and executive jets.
A man who lived up the street from us, about twenty or so houses away, who the family really didn’t know, asked if I was interested in going to an air display at Biggin. To illustrate how long ago that was my parents agreed. So I borrowed Dad’s 35mm, fixed lens Halina 35X Super, bought a whole lot of Kodachrome and went and had a great time. The camera did not have a meter and neither did I.
Biggin had two air displays each year – in the summer a “commercial” where there were lots of war birds and a brief display from Shorts, a UK manufacturer and in September theBattle of Britain display – lots of warbirds ancient and modern. So I used to go twice a year. On rare occasions I would go to the really big air show at Farnborough and once to the USAAF airbase at Greenham Common – the year the Hercules turned 25 and the Phantom 20!
Then when I first married we bough a house near the airfield in Biggin Hill so I started going back to the airshows.
These were really great events. I will always remember the ground shaking and my chest thumping as a formation of 9 English Electric Lightnings flew in diamond formation over the airfield and went into vertical climb with full re-heats on! At the time the Lightning was the only Mach 2+ fighter, it was old and had very little firepower (2 small sidewinder air to air missiles) and was only deployed in Scotland to demonstrate how quickly the RAF could respond to the Russian Bear attempted intrusions into our airspace.
So I thank you again for bringing these vivid memories back to me and re-kindling my first photography passion.
I am saving my pennies so that one day I might be able to join you on one of your air 2 air workshops. (Although I have an irrationals fear of heights!).
Warmest Regards
Update: This is why I try to do so much for you fans, you do so much for others….another fan upon reading this blog posting was so touched that he is paying the tuition for the writer of the email to join us at our Air2Air Workshop! He has done that before, he is a really big hearted gentleman who wants to remain anonymous which we’re happy to honor. I know life will find a way to pay his generosity back! SO many thanks!!!
Dec 13, 2011 | Aviation
I received more then one email this last week with this sentiment. It comes from video I had playing as folks walked into my presentations this past week at B&H, Unique Photo and Foto Care. It’s the video you can see below of our air to air shoot with the F2G-2 Super Corsair. While I was talking wildlife photography, I can’t help but sneak in a little aviation photography anymore and the response has been, well, simply amazing! When you have 150 folks waiting in line to ask questions, answering questions really thoroughly is a little bit of a challenge. I also had a number of emails about this shoot so thought I’d post all the answers to all the questions I can.
01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
This was a still photography editorial shoot. The photography platform is a A36 Bonanza, the subject is a F2G-2 Super Corsair. The principle camera rig is the D3x with 70-200VR2 w/TC-17e attached. Secondary is the D3s with 24-70AFS. When the buffer of the D3x is full, I switch over to the D3s, otherwise the D3x does all the work. Attached into the hot shoe of the D3x hotshoe is a Coolpix S9100 shooting 1080vid. In the cockpit of the Super Corsair is a GoPro shooting video of its cockpit and me hanging out the photo platform.
Shooting the video you see above is Sharon, she’s in the second seat in the A36 cabin. She’s shooting with the D7000 with a 16-18AFS lens. Attached in its hotshoe is the Sennheiser G3 with the mic tucked up in the earpiece of my David/Clark headset to record the audio. Now you might be wondering what am I going to do with all this video because we shot a lot. Well, we have a lot of behind the scenes video sitting in the can and I’ve just now hired an editor to put all the pieces together so we can share it with you. I started 2011 thinking I could tackle that along with everything else I do and, well, I simply don’t have the time or skills. So, it’s one of those winter projects we’ll slowly get finished and posted. I hope this answers folks questions on the story behind the video
You are so lucky you have a video to look at because if you had to survive on just my drawings, you’d never learn a thing! But I hope this answers folk’s questions. You sure were great and I really look forward to seeing you on the flight line!
In the Bag
D3x
D3S
70-200VR2
24-70AFS
TC-17E
Lexar 32GB 600 UDMA
Coolpix S9100 w/Manfrotto Ball Head
D7000
16-85AFS
Sennheiser G3 w/Fuzzy Windjammer
GoPro
Dec 12, 2011 | Aviation
I had a great opportunity a few weeks back to photograph a TBM-3U air to air. With that as a bases, I’m now out collecting “pieces” or photographs to finish an article based on that TBM-3U air to air flight. The TBM as you can see from this photograph carried torpedoes which it launched from the air against enemy shipping. It accomplished this by launching from aircraft carriers like the Intrepid. So when I saw this one on display on the Intrepid, I shot it every way to Sunday! Having photos of a TBM on the hangar deck of WWII aircraft carrier is a great addition to the article!
With that goal in mind, how do you go about getting the shot? I shot at ISO800 with the D3s because I didn’t want to use a tripod. Because of the exhibit lighting, I did a 5 image HDR capture. When I took the shot, I would position myself so all the flood lights on the ceiling where hidden by either parts of the TBM or other fixtures. Then I used Photomatix Pro to assemble the HDR, ACR and PS to finish. The one biggie was to remove all the standards around the TBM to keep the public back and the other person standing there reading the signage. I normally don’t spend more then 2min with a photo in PS but when I went click, I knew it would take longer then 2min to finish this one. It was about a 10min job to remove the standards and the person but it was worth it. While not 100% accurate to WWII history, it’s as close as we’ll ever get and a great addition to the article.
In the Bag:
D3s
24f/1.4 AFS
Lexar 32GB UDMA 600x
Dec 12, 2011 | Aviation
Sharon & I wanted to visit the Intrepid a couple of years ago, right when it was towed out to be refitted. This was our first opportunity since its coming back to visit it so we squeaked out a couple of hours to give it a tour. What a great treasure! You really don’t need to know much about history to enjoy this unique floating museum. But if you know a little about WWII, Vietnam or the space race, the Intrepid comes alive! We spent 4hrs walking its decks, talking with a vet from the engineering room during WWII deployment, and seeing history we remember as kids from Mercury recoveries.
Now is this a photographic treasure? That really depends on where you are with your photography and history. There are lots a great shots to be had here but you have to look for light, history and tying those two together. The flight deck I knew because of the time of day wouldn’t be the spot for my shooting so I went prepared to work the hangar deck (which is inside). And I wasn’t disappointed. First, I went with no tripod, using proper hand holding and the incredible ISO quality of the D3s at 800 to make the shots happen. Then, I worked those aircraft like this F-86 Sabre Jet and the lighting for the display. I then shot a 5 image HDR which was combined using Photomatic Pro, opened in ACR and then finished with Nik Color Efex Pro. This might all sound really complicated or difficult but it really isn’t. Because of the D3s fast FPS and image quality, it’s honestly a no-brainer. Now the motordrive ripping off frames got the attention of one vet, making a comment that it sounded like gunfire, but that just opened up a cool conversation. If you’re in NYC and have a couple of hours, I encourage you to head over to the Intrepid, it’s well worth it!
In the Bag:
D3s
24f/1.4 AFS
Lexar 32GB UDMA 600x
