Simple Click – Knowledge is Fun!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPARRR15773.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
An image from last year finished entirely with newly learned this year techniques in ACR.
The Fortunes of Dues
I’ve written many times about time and it’s importance in photography. There is one aspect of time though that I’ve barely brushed upon, a benefit that we really have no control over yet rewards us when we least expect it.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DPA2AT61859.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
You poor folks have had to suffer for a week looking at my aviation images, a simple pleasure I’m incredibly fortunate to indulge in at this point in my career. Putting in the time, paying the dues is part of the process and for the most part, it is just part of the evolution of a career. But then when you least expect it you get a reward for paying those dues. Being incredibly fortunate, I’ve had more than my fair share and this past week is a prime example.
The Reno Air Racing Association sponsored a fly over of five T6 Texans over the Reno Rodeo and the traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial in Reno. My good fortune was I was asked to ride in the backseat of #5 in the formation of the T6s. Even more fortunate was that all the pilots are friends so to and from the fly over I got some air to air time in. It was a great flight with great clouds and light. The pilots being great formation fliers hammed it up for me providing amazing photo opps. This opportunity only came from putting in the hours, learning a new craft and pushing that craft. I know that in a year or two I’ll look back at these photographs and wish I’d done better. Oh don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly and completely loved the ride, you can see that in the hero shot. I just know that in time my photography will improve because I will continue to push my craft and learn more, continuing to pay my dues and improve. Mistakes I made during flight I won’t make next time improving on the past but making new mistakes to improve on again. I hope to learn enough about air to air photography that I am able to pass that on to you. I’m just not there yet so in the meantime, you will have to wade through my efforts and growing pains and understand that with time, you too will experience the fortunes of dues.
A Glimpse into Pylon Photography
Pylon shooting is what you do at PRS (Pylon Race Seminar). It’s a long, 8+ hour day in the sage desert north of Reno. It is a photographic experience like none other I’ve had the privilege to participate in.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPARRR25559.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Here again is that same F4U Corsair that I so love photographing while it was running the course during the Unlimited Class run. Well to bring to you a little of the pylon experience, I strapped the Moose Cam on, but not in it’s normal position. Shooting with a 170 degree fisheye, it takes in everything. So here’s a little taste of Reno and don’t worry, it’s not 8hrs of video.
01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
Aviation Videos
Simple Click – Seriously, Keys?
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DAPARRR26129.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Taking off from some Pacific atoll in WWII, the Corsair hit the skies. Flying or static, just darn cool!
Classic Gas!
Yeah Baby, they haul ass! Hawker Sea Fury is a pretty darn cool Korean War vet. The paint scheme of the Dreadnought just begs to be photographed.
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My personal challenge continued with this speedster, showing off the romance of flight with the bat out of hell profile. During the Sept races the planes fly a pretty tight track around the course, not so during PRS so each time they come around the course they are a different distance from you. This gives you different opportunities to make all sorts of different images.
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With clouds in the background, romance and speed is much easier to capture. Throw in a really low pass along the ridgeline at Pylon#4 and you’re golden!
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
A Little Jet Action
Typically in June, Reno is HOT, like 90-100 hot. Typical though for my year, the heat I wanted for the afternoon thunderstorms was only 69 the first day. Not makin no clouds when it’s that cold. On Thursday, a little thermal action happened and the clouds began to form.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp7608.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
We were at Pylon #4 and saw the clouds forming. When there are great clouds you wanta be at Pylon #5. But you just can’t drive wherever you want on the course whenever you want. FAA and all that stuff. So, we had our eyes on Pylon#5 but didn’t make the move until we knew it was the place to be. Pylon#4 don’t suck so didn’t want to leave a great place but we didn’t dare jinx ourselves and move early.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp8459.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Above is a L-39 Albratros which soon was joined by a TS-11 Iskra (with a hot paint job). You might be looking at the clouds and thinking, “did they move?”
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp2241.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Nope, we didn’t move this day, the clouds just never got to have any real drama to them. There were little wisps here and there like you see here which were nice, but you had to watch very carefully in the viewfinder as you panned to capture those small wisps in the background.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp7336.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The color of the TS-11 Iskra against the blue sky with the hint of clouds just rocked though. And it was great fun and a challenge to capturing it in front of the right wisp of clouds. It makes shooting at the pylons fun!
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film