Aug 11, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1456.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
There is a rumor that I might have a once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph these amazing planes air to air. So even though the skies sucked, the photos sucked, they’re golden to me.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1466.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
I took a whole bunch of notes about shooting the P-38, everything from shutter speed to blur the props to focal length to attractive profiles. Planning is everything, from planes to critters and I do it a lot so when the game is on, I have my game face.
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 10, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2478.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Here’s the Sky Crane shot in Shutter Priority at 1/180. It could be just me, but it just looks wrong. I reminds me of when I was a kid playing with these models and I’d spin the prop and it would twirl for a heartbeat and then stop. The imagination of flight would end with the prop stopped.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2494.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
This is a COOL giant machine and I want the photograph to say just that. So I cranked the shutter speed down to /90, blur no good. I sent it down to 1/45, still no good. Finally at 1/20 I got a blur that matches the imagination with the reality of flight. Yeap, this is a 200-400VR handheld shot taken at 1/20 and it’s something YOU can do TOO! You just got practice, literally everyday and you can capture the same image and image quality!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 10, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2478.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Here’s the Sky Crane shot in Shutter Priority at 1/180. It could be just me, but it just looks wrong. I reminds me of when I was a kid playing with these models and I’d spin the prop and it would twirl for a heartbeat and then stop. The imagination of flight would end with the prop stopped.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2494.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
This is a COOL giant machine and I want the photograph to say just that. So I cranked the shutter speed down to /90, blur no good. I sent it down to 1/45, still no good. Finally at 1/20 I got a blur that matches the imagination with the reality of flight. Yeap, this is a 200-400VR handheld shot taken at 1/20 and it’s something YOU can do TOO! You just got practice, literally everyday and you can capture the same image and image quality!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 10, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2935.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Give me one shaft of light,
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2841.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
one clean background that tells a story,
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK2953.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
and great subjects and I’m a happy camper! A Hawker Sea Fury, P-51D and Corsair F4-U doing their thing, looking awesome!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 10, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1012.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Planes like this B-25 that are all “chromed” as just giant mirrors reflecting back whatever they see. On a blue sky day, it helps them blend in which is good for avoiding bad guys. On cloudy days, they are moving murals of beauty and on overcast days, they look like just what they are, big silver birds. So I was quite happy when I saw this one all by itself on the grass. Finally, an easy snap. I like those when they come my way!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1012bw.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Yeap, I wanted a B&W of this scene and it turned out just like I wanted. My only disappointment was it was on the side of an active runway and I could get out front to take a slightly better angle of it. I did learn that a straight side on view isn’t the best for the B-25 so that’s tucked away in the back of my head for next time. The B&W finishing was a simple click in ACR.
Photo captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 10, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1104.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The Duck or better known as the Grumman J2F-6 Duck, is an old warbird that I just have this thing for. It’s not fast or sleek or a fighter, it’s just cool. Now my buddy Richard tried his best to arrange for me to do an air-to-air with a Duck when I was at Oshkosh but it just wasn’t meant to be. There was one on static display so I consoled myself making a few clicks of it.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK1117.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
As you can see, I had overcast skies to work with. They do present an even light source for the subject, just not the best of backgrounds. To deal with that, I used the Split Grad feature in ACR on the top AND the bottom of the frame. I stood and waited for folks to move through the frame until I had the least number to remove legally using Photoshop. I made a total of six clicks of the plane, three of the top view, three of the bottom. I figure I’m saving the rest for when I have one flying beside me in the sky.
Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
