The Illusion of Control

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.

Red Tails & HDR

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

Why We ALL Must Share Our Passion!

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!!!