Aug 3, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0328.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Simply put, the C-17 is one BIG ASS plane! When it was parked, I tried photographing it with the 16Fish while standing next to it. Couldn’t get it all in the frame. How to make what appears to be a lumbering giant look like anything but that?
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0330.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Well, can we change the story with simple image size? You get the idea it’s larger but without scale, still don’t really know it’s a giant. Darn hard to get a pickup truck parked next to it when flying for scale. Putting a nicer cloud behind it doesn’t hurt. But it still looks just like it’s there, not really much romance to it.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0340.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Change the angle, make it larger and even with a solid blue sky background, looks better but still not there. Showing more belly though seems to help, that coming from the angle spreading more light across the belly giving shape and form.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0349.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
OK, the old “going away” angle works especially with that cloud background, but it’s still not there.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0371.swf, 402, 600 [/swf]
Then lets go vertical. OK, a little drama, a little cloud, a little belly and the overall photo, a little better. Be it a rock, pond, bird, mammal or plane, look at the elements you have at hand, light, lens, position and subject attitude and bring them together the best you can to bring back what you see and feel. This is hole even the dullest, boringest, ugliest subject can come to their own in your photos!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0812.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Now to just get this Bigger Assed C-5 in the same frame with the C-17….then you would see scale!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 handheld on Lexar UDAM digital film
Aug 2, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0153.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
One of the big events at Oshkosh this year was the massive gathering of DC-3 / C-47 aircraft. This are really cool vintage planes that our parents flew in when they wanted to cross the country on vacation. they also were a cornerstone of WWII transport. This is just your basic shot, not much to it other than size in the frame. Can we do better?
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0161.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The DC-3s are making orbits around 36 so you have the opportunity to improve with each pass (they made about 6 passes). As you can see, clouds are in the background so that provides a whole bunch of opportunities if you take advantage of them.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0182.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
With a white and blue background, it only takes a little bit of color and not size to get the eye instantly to the subject.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0219.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
But just throwing any old cloud behind the plane isn’t good enough.What’s the right combo and how do you see it in the instant it’s appears in the viewfinder as you’re panning with the plane? In all seriousness, that’s the challenge which is no different then anyother photography when catching the peak of action makes or breaks a shot. I’m shooting with the D3x so the normal solution of just blasting away don’t work, not shooting at 1.8fps. I tend to “block” out the plane and concentrate on just the pattern in the background and when I see that pattern I think will work, I go click.
Another challenge at Oshkosh that I wasn’t prepared for is the obstacle of smoke. The stunt pilots put out a ton of smoke during their performances. This tints the air and you can see it here in 2nd & 3rd image where I didn’t remove the color cast in post. I did remove it in the 1st & 4th image using the Color Correction eyedropper in ACR. It’s a must unless you want to have your images look like they were shot in downtown LA. Because once you have the clean puffies in the background, you don’t need to fill the frame and can bring in some of the romance of flight.
And the gum? Will there are not pressurized planes so back in the day, the stewardess all dressed in their uniforms would pass out Chiclets gum to all the passengers so you could get you ears to pop. And you know what, the gum was free. Now those are the days of air transportation!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 (handheld) on Lexar UDMA digital film
Aug 2, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0058.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The Sky Crane, wow! We arrived to the airshow in time to see this demo. Mtc on this monster!
Aug 2, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0058.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The Sky Crane, wow! We arrived to the airshow in time to see this demo. Mtc on this monster!
Aug 2, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0043.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
A B-17, #1 on my list to photograph in depth and the first plane I see and photograph flying at Osh. I’m excited now!
Aug 2, 2010 | Aviation
We landed at Oshkosh just as Kevin planned around noon. Kevin earned his “Rock Your Wings” and down on 27 we came soft and safe. We parked the plane, grabbed our gear, got on a bus and headed over to the show. From the air, the show looks massive. From the ground, overwhelming!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0004.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Photographically, it all started with my weakest, statics. I was determined to improve which meant getting out of the box and my comfort zone. I did fall back though on my favorite crutch for success, light. The spot light on the American Flag on this P-51D was the first thing I saw and it was an obvious click.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0022.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Some call me Mr Clouds because when it comes to machines that play amongst the clouds, I think they are a must in the photograph. So when I have great clouds in the background and light in the foreground, finding something interesting to play those two again is pretty easy. Here’s a buffed DC-3 nose stuck up in the air, just stunning!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPOSHK0556.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Here’s the nose art on another stunning DC-3. The light on the polished perfect aluminum just sucked us in and with that simple clean background, it took no skill to make the shot. Just aim and shoot!
Oshkosh was a totally new experience for me, like so many things in my career, I’d heard about it in glowing terms but never experienced. Just like going to a National Park or Refuge or any other place for the first time, I approach them the same way. With camera in hand I explore the overall first and then narrow down my points of interest and opportunities. This is so I comeback with images and not getting overwhelmed by the vastness of the place. All week I will be showing and talking about Oshkosh and while the subject might seem to be just planes, it’s anything but just all about planes. Once again, I learned lessons and one of the biggest ones from Osh was it’s about the people, not the planes. I was incredibly fortunate to have the company of two good friends on this journey, Kevin and Scotty. Stick around, I have a lot to share with you!
Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS / 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
