Nov 11, 2011 | Aviation
Hanging out the back of a Sky Van where your next step will have you swimming with the fish, some find it hard to believe you can think photography. Actually, as I warned the participants of our TX Air2Air that when you see that aircraft, in this case a gorgeous F4U-5N Corsair parked at the rear door, just clicking is hard to remember to do. But in order to get that big “disk,” that blurred prop you’ve gotta think about basics just for starters. I shoot in Shutter Priority just to get that prop blur. The full disk blur was 1/45 while the partial was 1/90. It’s a function of the number of blades in the prop to RPM. I vary my shutter speed during the shoot because I want a variety of disks, all the same I feel would be boring.
The other basic that is so important is backgrounds. The Corsair made it’s impact in WWII & Korea in many ways but most of them were over islands in the Pacific. You want to suggest islands in a photograph, nothing does it better then surf and sand. It’s so simple yet not when you’re flying. If you see a background you like you’d best shoot it fast because in about 18sec, it’s gone from the frame. They don’t stick around and if you want it again, get out the wallet as you take time and gas to fly an orbit to use it again. While this is the most exciting photography around, you still gotta think about basics to being back the images!
Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VRII w/TC-17
Nov 9, 2011 | Aviation
The first was 06:56, the next 07:09 and the last, 07:14. In a matter of 18min the entire photograph changed and all I could do was react. The changing light, the sun rising and bouncing off the cloud cover, changed where I shot from, the focal length I shot with and what I incorporated in the photo. The first click, the big ass light on the hangar behind me lit the P-47D “Tarheel Hal” so the ugly hangars in the background fade away in the darkness so a “looser” composition works for me. But then as the sun rose, the hangars started to be lit and then stood out. So in the second shot I moved over a tad and shot tighter. The light from the hangar has a little effect on Tarheel Hal but it does a tad on the foreground. All of that forced me to shoot like I did. Then the sun brighten up enough that there was a cool reflection on the side of Tarheel Hal. While I really like the light on the fuselage, those dang hangars on back again and in the lower right corner is a bunch of junk. I made them disappear with a common technique in my warchest, I just made it dark with a Curves Layer in PS. In a short period of time, lots of photographic decisions to make, light to chase and images to make. Photography is often like that, things can change in a matter of minutes.
Nov 9, 2011 | Aviation
Backgrounds, backgrounds, background, I’m always looking at them backgrounds. Controlling the background is essential in wildlife photography so not only the subjects pops, but you can tell a story. The main tool we have for controlling the background in wildlife photography is focal length. Typically going long permits you to make small physical movements at the camera to either include or exclude elements. I apply this same basic technique to my aviation photography for the same reasons.
What you see in the top image is the finished version. While I had complete control, within reason, where I parked the B-17G “Thunderbird,” there was no place I could place it where there were no hangars. I don’t know who decided to paint all hangars boring tan, but I would like to have a talk with them because I’m tired of always dealing with them. I would have loved to shot Thunderbird straight down the nose but the junk in the background was just too much so I went to the side. To eliminate that junk further, I moved from the 24mm location to the 70mm location. But going longer and moving back, I take in less background. I don’t get the drama I’d like in Thunderbird but that drama would be lost in the background.
Most aviation photographers don’t fuse with the hangars, they leave them in and that’s just fine. I have meet just one editor in the aviation world who does not like that background junk removed. Since I use layers, if submitting to that editor, I leave the background junk in the frame. To the rest and in my portfolio, say bye-bye to that stuff. Now if the hangar in the background has character or tells a story, I leave it. In this case, they are just generic GA hangars. I do all I can at the point of capture to deal with the background because that is the best solution. After that, I will turn to PS to remove other photographers, buildings, whatever I feel detracts from the subject. Controlling the background is everything!
Nov 8, 2011 | Aviation
A lot of thoughts float through my head when I have a camera in hand. There is the basic stuff of DOF and exposure, perhaps lens selection but most of the time, I’m thinking about the light. When it comes to light, I often ask, “What If?”
We got to Lone Star Flight Museum early because there were a number of stands around the aircraft we needed to move before sunrise. I was quite honored, they gave us free rein at their facility and it was great! I was in front of the B-17G “Thunderbird” removing the stands when I noticed the light from the runway in the background and said to myself, “What if?” There was no light from the sun yet, just from two, big, ugly bright lights lighting the ramp. The exposure range was out there but I have a tool, HDR and digital which might make something of nothing. I shot a 5 image HDR (on a RRS Grnd Pod, essential tool for aviation) and in processing, I only used 3 images. I then took that image into PS and ran Nik CEP4 Detail Enhancer on the B-17G and Tonal Contrast on the whole image. After all of that, I got close to what I saw with my eyes, but not my imagination. The two lights behind and left were not color balanced but shooting on AWB and after this simple finishing, it worked OK.
So then I moved over to the P-47D “Tarheel Hal.” The sky had started to lighten up but the runway lights were still on. The blazing ugly lights were still on as well. So I got down to do the same thing with the P-47D. This time I decided to shoot at f/2.8 (I regret that move) to bring the eye just to the name on the plane. I processed it the same as the B-17G. Now these photos are going into my portfolio, not even. They concept behind them are going into my Idea File under “Work in Progress.” You see, there are many times when I get on a ramp on the way to one shoot when I see this kind of opportunity. It’s fast and fleeting with no time to run back to the truck, pull out a ton of lights and do it right. So my mind asked what if I shot this with HDR and ran it through PS, what would the results be? The vast majority of the time these what if moments go down in glorious flames. But those times like this when there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I know that constantly asking what if and pulling on that thread in the long run leads to photographic process. And the lighting, here ya go.
Nov 4, 2011 | Aviation
We’re in Galveston at Lone Star Flight Museum for our Air2Air Workshop and I’m so excited it’s just hard to plan. Yet, planning is so important to success. My started out at the Museum talking shop. That don’t suck! Then we came back in the afternoon to roll our their B-17G “Thunderbird” and P-47 “Tarheel Hal” and position for our sunrise shoot. I’m sure it’s just me, but being able to be afforded the opportunity to “play” with such pieces of our history is just amazingly exciting! Being able to control the placement of these aircraft for photography, being trusted is just such an honor. Now I took out Sun Seeker on the iPhone to see where the sun would be coming up, I looked at the background (knowing some will have to be removed in post) and parked the B-17G. Then came out the P-47 and we had to get it positioned using the same previsualization for final image in totally different light. After that excitement I was in the cockpit of the P-47 taking its portrait. Luckily I had Kevin & Chris as assistants which not only kept me on task, but with the tools I seemed to keep forgetting. Now I’m back in my room trying to plan for tomorrow when I’m so excited I can’t focus. Good thing I have a list on my iPad for static aviation photography and for air to air. Without those, I know I would forget something. Tomorrow is going to be great!
Oct 22, 2011 | Aviation
There is NOTHING like being at 5000 feet, look out the door and having a B-17G parked right there! I’ve lost count how many times I’ve done it, about to do it two more times shortly and I can’t wait! It’s like no other experience I’ve had as a photographer! To celebrate our first year of Air2Air Workshops, as a big thank you to the participants of our last two upcoming events, I’m going to personally make a 24×30 of their favorite image from the workshop. And we just got an opening in our TX and two in our AZ workshop. It’s short notice but if you can join us, as a thank you I’ll make two 24×30 prints for you (that’s a $500 offer)! The B-17G will be at both workshops flying right here through your viewfinder. Come and join us! 661.204.1506
