What you see is all restored. Not present until Paul found and replaced, these are original radio and flare gun for the L1. Almost no one will ever see this detail, yet this and so much more is done in the L1. It’s gorgeous work!
When I was at Fantasy of Flight a couple months back, I saw the tail cone Rick is standing in front of here. Part of a P-35 restoration, I thought when I saw it that it was a work of art, a sculpture destined for a gallery, not the rear of a plane. Today I took the opportunity to get to know the artisan who made it, Rick, a little better and he was more then willing to share some of his craft with me. And of course, I listened with heart and camera.
Just like my 30yrs of working with biologists, I shot while the work continued. I didn’t set up shots, I just listened, asked questions and shot. In the art of historic restoration, the smallest detail is important. Rick is holding up two of the same size rivets and while they technically the same size rivet, one has a slightly different head size and is accurate to the P-35. Could you see a difference? Ya, sure, especially when you put in place (not!). Those in the know sure would pick up on the difference so that’s why that TLC is done. It is a slow, laborious, TLC process and Rick is a real artist.After my technical and historic lessons (which I just love which is why I was here) it was time to get back to work. Those tiny rivets are being put in place one at a time. It was that process that I wanted to photograph.
How were these photographs taken? There is a open door letting in filtered afternoon light to the left. I filled it in with a SB-900 with a LumiQuest Softbox LTp (love this thing!) running on a SC-27. This is a big, portable light source that I hold off camera. Here’s the kicker to the whole thing, I was shooting at 1/5 – 1/8 the whole time. Why such a slow shutter speed? I’m shooting 1 flash, by myself in a big shop constantly on the move. I work much better using the ambient light as my fill and the flash as key in these situations. With that, the filtered light coming in the doors which was gorgeous, was a limited quantity, hence the slow shutter speed. Was a tripod in involved? No, there was barely space for a Moose let alone a tripod. All the photos were handheld. What about ghosting? What about it? If there was subject movement during an exposure, it just gives a sense of motion and work which is what you see in the last image. Now one of the three images, the flash was above the lens and not to the side. Can you tell which one?
Photos captured by D3x, 24-120VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
“So what are you doing in FL?” Folks who follow me on FB have been DMing that question after I posted a photo from the cockpit of a L-39 yesterday. Most assume that if I’m in FL, I must be photographing wildlife. Don’t know about others, but standing in the sun when it’s 100 degrees isn’t fun. So I spent yesterday instead in a hangar where it was a cool 98 degrees (much better). I did a commercial shoot yesterday, not done one of those for a long time and this one was fun being aviation based. I was doing HDR, flash-fill VR Panos and after 16hrs and 20gal of water, had it all done. At least the shooting portion.
Today was my time so I headed over to a favorite locale, Fantasy of Flight and to the restoration shop of my good friend Paul. Back in 1997, Paul started the restoration of the Stinson L1 and is getting “near” completion. This is a very cool plane of which only 352 were made, a handful exist and Kermit’s will soon be the only airworthy example in the world. Its 51′ wingspan permitted it to go rear slow making it a great observation aircraft. I had a marvelous day. Stick around and I’ll tell you the story.
Photo captured by D3x, 24-120VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
It was a cold, gray morning a few days after New Year, 2010. I had a contract to create content so this was no pleasure cruise though with the family in tow, you wouldn’t have guessed it. As a matter of fact, acting very much the kid, you would have no clue that there was a bunch of money on the line, a reputation and client to please at the end of the day. Then I again, I always say photography should be fun because otherwise, well, it’s just a glorified desk job. We were having fun!
This was a first for us, as in, I said yes and took a job to photograph something I had never, ever photographed before! It’s not the first time I’d done this in my career and have done it many times since. It’s the nature of the work and it sure is one way to make your photography grow. Fear is such a great motivator! The panic only began when we looked at the overcast skies and the project was about to be called off because of weather. The window to get the work done was itty pitty as we were working in a window between Sierra winter storms. I pulled out the iPhone and looked at the Radar picture. Over Lake Tahoe there was a window in the clouds, what appeared to be about 20-30 minutes of clearing. It was my checkbook, it was my call. Take the risk and spend the money and chase that light or not? I do was what I always do, a bull in a china shop (and some wonder why my dad named me Moose) so we went for it!
Jake got in the T-6 and I in the other T-6. PIC of the T-6 I was in would turn out to become a dear friend, flying with him a whole bunch since, nearly every opportunity we have. At that moment, I didn’t know that would be the outcome, he was just someone close and came recommended to me by my bud Richard. Off we launched, up into the gray skies and looking even grayer then just minutes before. It was such a rush, not just being up in a T-6 Texan, an old warbird but doing our first ever air to air shoot! And, I was getting paid to do this, have this much fun! I was just counting my blessing with these thoughts running through my mind when it was interrupted. My headset rang out, “I see nothing but gray skies, what do you want to do?” We’re traveling south and I knew that 40 miles straight ahead was blue sky, I had just come from there. But that air time would take my payday and blow it all away. It’s still a business, can’t lose sight of that, ever!
I’m scanning the skies as if I were a WWII fighter pilot looking for the enemy to jump us but I’m looking for light. What’s new? I’m scanning and off to our right, looking west over the Kingsbury Grade I see a little light and perhaps even blue. I asked Dennis, “Does that look like an opening to you at 3 O’clock, it’s where the radar said there was a hole.” “Yeah, kind of, not really, not sure I trust it,” came back in my headset. “What do you want to do?” “Let’s head for it.” With Jake in the other T-6 on our wing, we turned and headed for that light. Well, the rest of the flight as they would say is history.
We went over the Grade to find Lake Tahoe completely open, gorgeous light and fresh snow on the peaks for a backdrop. For the next 25min we flew orbits around the lake as I created the contracted content. We even made time to do barrel rolls, loops and some other really fun stuff. Jake even flew part of the way back to the airfield. We landed and there was enough time for Sharon & Brent to get in the T-6s and head up to the lake. But by the time they got there, the window had closed in, the winds came up so they made a big orbit around the basin and returned. We totally lucked out!
A week later I submitted all the images and video and invoice and 30days later the payday arrived in the mail. And for most, that would be the end and they would pat themselves on the back and say Job Well Done! Not me, not the way I was raised, money is not the end. I wanted to see my photographs, video and story put out there which is what I was contracted to create. Nothing, it was put on a hard drive and abandoned! I asked and asked about it but I never heard a word. As in literally, it was buried, no word yea or na, it was like it had never been created. And why was it buried, I never knew and it has always really bothered me. Yeah, I had been paid for the work. But that wasn’t enough, it never is with me. Then……
I still work with the client, they have run a half dozen pieces since that shoot. They paid for the job and still use me yet that piece which I had such an emotional attachment to languished on some hard drive in a corner of some building doing nothing. The phone rang this week and it was the client (who I’m not going to name) looking to do another project. After going over the particulars I had to ask about what we had labeled, “The Lost Flight.” Still no answer but I figured I had nothing too loose so I pushed it, usual Bull in a China Shop and I’m glad I did!
The outcome, that piece is still forever buried on a hard drive but I now know why. The photographs, the video, what all that good luck and fun had made possible, the images were just not dramatic! Sharon & I have looked at those photos a lot, one is a very large medal print in our office. It has a ton of great memories attached but when compared to the air to air shoots I’ve done since, it definitely is not as dramatic. It’s what I’ve described so many times referring to landscape photography (photography is photography no matter the subject matter). You have to say in your photograph, “You Need To Be Here” and not just say, “I Was Here.” These photos say no more then, I was here but I couldn’t see it because I knew and felt all the back end stuff.
I have shot and rode in #33 a whole bunch, it being a subject and photo ship many times in the last 18months. #43 won the Reno Air Races in 2010. I’ve never flown in her but I do love photographing her and that’s because Dennis smiles the most when flying this speedster. So in an air to air we did last week, the story was just that, the speed this old warbird has and it being the 2010 champ. And with that story line, that reason for shooting makes all the difference in the world in the final image. The drama of flight is told and how do I know that? That client that shelved the first piece with my persistence is now running a new piece, same topic but new images. When I sent the new set of images they said on the phone and in an email that the new ones have so much more, drama!
We all have an emotional attachment to our images, that’s how it is supposed to work. We protect them and try to find them the perfect home. When that falls through, like any lost love, it hurts and leaves us wondering. Money aside, it’s that acceptance for our photographs that is the greatest payday. No matter if you’re just starting out or have been doing this click thing for 30yrs, we all share this one very basic and important aspect of photography. An no matter where you are in that pursuit, it’s hard to recognize and remember this very basic, very human fact. It was again another reminder that while my photography is still improving, there is still room for improvement!
Those who know me know I’m real annal about taking care of my camera gear. It’s real simple business, camera work, I work. Camera no workie and I no eatie (and I like to eatie!)! This is one reason why I go through my images every night if I shot that day. I have a Statistics feature in our DigitalPro that informs me of my keeper rate. When it drops below 90%, I go looking for reasons for the drop. At PRS the first day my keeper rate dropped to 76%, I was deleting a whole lot of images because they were soft. I simply assumed it was me, my panning was simply off (not normal but it happens) Because I’ve learned in my 30yrs the problem is rarely equipment, it’s what we affectionately call pilot error. The next day I really concentrated on my panning feeling really good until I say my keeper rate drop to 72%. To say I was not a happy camper is an understatement (you don’t wanna be around me when I screw up photos, I get ugly!)!
That evening we did an air to air with this gorgeous F4U Corsair you see above. With Fly Daddy & Scottie at the stick and my bud Scott Diussa who I invited to join us, we had a marvelous flight. I had scripted the flight to place the Corsair in what would feel like the Pacific Islands during WWII setting (you can see the whole shoot in the Air to Air gallery on our warbirdimages site). The flight went off without a hitch until I looked at my results. I had a lot of images that were soft. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. I was even seriously thinking of buying a KenLab because I was loosing my touch. I hate doubting my skills! The next day, I was at Home Pylon shooting, the first time I’d ever gotten to shoot from there. Every time I went clicked, I wondered if I was getting a sharp image. About 40min into shooting the AF stopped working. The camera locked up. I couldn’t get the camera to focus no matter what I tried (and I know a whole bunch of tricks). So there I stood, rather ticked at myself! It was my fault and I knew it!
Ever had a problem with your car, take it in to the mechanic and the car is now working fine? Luckily for me (and everyone else at PRS) NPS has their best repair tech Mike at PRS. Now, if only the camera would not work so he can see it not working is all I thought as we drove in. Sure enough, I got back and the camera is working again. I mess with it and finally I’m able to get it locked up once more. I walk it in very carefully into the room, tell Mike the problem and have him look at it. It’s not working and he can’t get it to work. Then he tells me he’s never seen that before, that’s not good. Says it needs to go back to Nikon, he can’t fix it there. That’s freakin horrible! I get home and he has it the next day. The problem? Red dust, red dust from Monument Valley shot 18months ago. If you watch my Romancing the Landscape class, you’ll see it out in that dust storm. And even though I thoroughly cleaned everything every night, that dust is so fine that it got in the lens & camera and after 18months, finally wiggled into a place causing a short. My own procrastination caused me to miss some great images. Damn!
You see, my gear goes into Nikon every year for its annual. I send it in for a CLA (Clean, Lube and Adjust) because it gets a lot of use. And if it don’t workie, I no eatie! It had just gone in for its annual just prior to the filming of Romancing the Landscape and I’d been meaning to get it in this spring but kept putting it off because I simply didn’t have a window when I wasn’t using it (plus I has a severe separation disorder when my gear is gone). Well, my putting it off cost me. I broke my own rules again and I paid the price. The moral is real simple, one should listen to oneself!
Videos says it so well but if it doesn’t get you excited, check this out!