Jun 17, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5204.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Yeap, we flew from TX to Reno to be here for PRS (Pilot Race School). This is just a great event with great planes in great skies with great friends. Oh yeah, damn great photography too! Here’s just a small example of the fun and photography. #94 belongs to my good friend Dennis, the pilot of the T6 I fly with to do a lot of air to air work.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5253.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
So this is the first kind of photography I go after, the basic coming and going shots. As the pilots are practicing for the races in Sept, they fly the course as we photographers are standing at the pylons photographing them going by. My good friend Richard taught me my first time out that there is more to shooting then just them coming down the course at us. Turning around and getting them as they go away can yield some cool stuff too. My friend Tom is here for the first time and all he did all day was smile. I took that as he thought the planes just 500′ screaming by were cool. It is!
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jun 8, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0514.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Yeap, directly overhead! One thing I AVOID with a passion is looking right down the lens barrel at the sun. So when the F-86 was just a heartbeat before going in front of the sun to a heartbeat after, I just laid on the hammer and let the camera blast so the mirror flapping as fast as possible.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0479.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
And my favorite shot, the F-86E is just about as close as it can be to being in front of the sun without having the sun in the frame. That caused the dramatic underexposure making the sky so blue (I was already shooting at -1 to blue up the sky). What I’m still wondering is, where’ the flare? Surely some bit of the front element was struck by direct light from the sun, how could it not since I was pointing the lens bloody straight up (my neck is still kinked)? That is supposed to be one of the attributes of the new coatings on the lens but up until now, I hadn’t tested for it. To be honest with you, I’m not a big backlight photographer but now I’m curious. That’s the best part about photography, always learning something new!
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VRII on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jun 8, 2010 | Aviation
The majority of the time when I shoot, I level the camera to the subject and not the planet. There are times you have to level to the planet but more often then not, titling the camera makes life so much more interesting. Photographing planes in flight is no exception.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0484.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
So after the first couple of passes and seeing what we were and weren’t going to get, I decided to completely change up my grip on the camera so I could change the angle of the flight relative to the viewfinder then the earth.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0498.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
During the presentation, they talked about the differences between the F-86 and Mig 15 with one being the F-86 smokes on take off, the Mg 15 doesn’t. Well I hopped it did because I thought it might be something that would add interest in an otherwise “plane on string” photo. It did smoke but the amount got less and less the more it flew so soon, that little extra was no more.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0583.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
So with the loss of smoke I went to shooting simple, clean graphics. The swept back wings of the F-86 are really quite striking so making a clean shot really took more than to think about it and hold the camera accordingly, panning with it as it flew overhead. As we like to say, making lemonade out of lemons.
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VRII on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jun 8, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0526.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The problem still is, as with any photograph taken anywhere of anything, the background. When it comes to aviation, it’s no difference. I wrote about the challenge recently when I was shooting some air to air. So the challenge was on with this twenty minute flight to make something of the opportunity handed to us.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0689.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Do you back your bags and go just because it’s not exactly what you wanted or desired? That is a valid option but it’s typically not one I use. The F-86E flight was at 12:10 so the for all intents and purposes, the sun was directly overhead. The smog was pillin on and depending which way you pointed the lens, you got a totally different blue. To that you got different reflections on the F-86E as it flew over hangers, tarmac, fields, etc. And then there was the flight path, a lazy figure eight 800+ feet over the deck with the intersection of the eight right over our head and bloody right in front of the sun.
The closest the F-86E was to us was when it was directly overhead and in front of the sun. The first few passes (it only made a dozen) I went with aviation 101 stuff, the banking in and out of the turn. I could see in the viewfinder what I was getting and I wasn’t happy. Time it ticking, the problem needs to be solved…how?
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VRII on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jun 8, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0526.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
The problem still is, as with any photograph taken anywhere of anything, the background. When it comes to aviation, it’s no difference. I wrote about the challenge recently when I was shooting some air to air. So the challenge was on with this twenty minute flight to make something of the opportunity handed to us.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0689.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Do you back your bags and go just because it’s not exactly what you wanted or desired? That is a valid option but it’s typically not one I use. The F-86E flight was at 12:10 so the for all intents and purposes, the sun was directly overhead. The smog was pillin on and depending which way you pointed the lens, you got a totally different blue. To that you got different reflections on the F-86E as it flew over hangers, tarmac, fields, etc. And then there was the flight path, a lazy figure eight 800+ feet over the deck with the intersection of the eight right over our head and bloody right in front of the sun.
The closest the F-86E was to us was when it was directly overhead and in front of the sun. The first few passes (it only made a dozen) I went with aviation 101 stuff, the banking in and out of the turn. I could see in the viewfinder what I was getting and I wasn’t happy. Time it ticking, the problem needs to be solved…how?
Photos captured by D3s, 200-400VRII on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jun 7, 2010 | Aviation
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/dappofm0649.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]
Yeah baby, get that plane in the air, that removes all the yuckie backgrounds. Or does it? Have you ever shot at noon in So Cal, Chino to be exact? It’s a whole new definition to tanish-yellow skies. I’m not sure which was the worst background, on the ground or in the air. Tomorrows images will answer that question. And while the photography was a challenge, it was great fun being at the museum with the family which made it all A O K!
Photo captured by D3s, 200-400VRII on Lexar UDMA digital film
