Aviation | Moose Peterson's Website

Just Show Up – Recording History

Mar 13, 2024 | Aviation

Morane Saulnier 230 captured by D800 / 70-200f2.8

My good friend Ed and I were down in Florida shooting sunrise at Fantasy of Flight. The power plant magician Andy who worked there chatted me up after a great shoot on the ramp. He told us that later that afternoon his friend Tom would be doing the first turn over of the rebuilt engine Andy had done on his Morane Saulnier. Andy invited over to photograph the happenings which I said emphatically, “we’ll be there!” I had NO clue was a Morane Saulnier was, I just head “plane” and that it had appeared in an old movie, Blue Max.

Tom just emailed and reminded me of that afternoon. He went on to say, “You took some fabulous ground shots that day and I still cherish the pdf of photos you sent me of the day. Sadly, the Morane was destroyed by the new owners in France in 2016, if memory serves. Very sad as that was the only original surviving aircraft built in 1940 to survive the war. It was one of 300 ordered built by the German Luftwaffe in occupied France.” Getting it right in the camera is important for so many reasons, this is just one of them. It also goes without saying that just show up, you might be recording history!

The Water’s Warm, Dive Right In!

Mar 6, 2024 | Aviation

N3N-3 project Nov ’21 captured by Z 6II / Z14-24f2.8

I’ve been asked a bit of late how it came to be that I had the “exclusive” with the N3N-3. It’s not that I had an exclusive, it was simply I was there, all the time during the whole process of bringing it back to the skies. You can see for yourself here what it looked like in the start when the project (what a plane is called being brought back to airworthy) had its skins taken off and assembled for the first check of what needed to be done. Here you can see what the final outcome was of the project. It came a long ways in a relatively short time and my camera was there for the whole thing. That’s one aspect of photography that get’s lost in all the f/stops and shutter speed, the real time required for a photograph. Not all projects come to a successful conclusion but that doesn’t stop me from looking for and getting involved in them. They are so much fun, lots to be learned and the end results can be amazing! I want to really encourage your to find a project in your backyard and get your camera involved. The water’s warm, dive right in!

Dealing with the Wide Effect

Feb 28, 2024 | Aviation

Willie at the stick of his Beaver, Kodiak, AK captured by Z 6II / Z14-24f2.8

Willie is just an amazing pilot, period! Such a good soul and friend with unbelievable knowledge of Kodiak. His flying skills are one thing, his knowledge of the terrain below is exceptional making every flight a once in a lifetime event. How do you sum that up in one click? I wanted to show his office, the cockpit of the Beaver. I wanted to show his home, outside the cockpit, Kodiak. He is such a romantic, that had to be part of the photo as well. That’s a lot to put into a story! The lens choice, there was just one choice, the Z14-24f2.8 at 14mm. This is such an amazing lens! The body, ain’t much room up front with the two of us so I went small, the Z 6II. In pushing myself as far back and in the corner as I could, I couldn’t step on any peddles, push on the stick. With all of that in mind, I asked Willie about our flyout. When he told me we’d be going to climb out to the north and them turn east to go up and over, I knew that’s when I had my moment. With the Beaver in a bank, I could get the sun and some light on Willie. I asked him to sit a little forward, pull is head back into his neck as much as comfortable and still able to fly, I closed the aperture down all the way for a starburst and watch the light. Just before it started to reach Willie, I started to click. The rest, well the story is in the click. That’s how I made the click and dealing with the wide effect.

The Other Side of Big Skies

Feb 22, 2024 | Aviation

Travel 12-W captured by Z 7 / Z14-30

The juggling act that is photography is something we always have to keep in mind. The setting sun on the wispy clouds was gorgeous! I asked the owner of the Travel Air 12-W if I could turn it so I got light on the side of the fuselage while incorporating the clouds. By the time I had done that, the clouds had moved and now were nearly right overhead rather than off in the background. In order to pull them in, I had to go wide, low and close. There’s no real issue with that accept one to me. I made the wings in the foreground grow! I distorted the wheels but I did get the sunset. The whole time I was making the shot, these thoughts went through my mind. The plane in my photo is only partially true to the cool lines that is a Travel Air 12-W. With that said, the popularity of the photograph and accompanying paydays puts much of that in the back of my mind. Until I see it in the viewfinder again and then it all comes back to me. The other side of big skies.

Long, Slow for the Blur

Feb 16, 2024 | Aviation

N3N-3 on floats captured by Z 9 / Z400f4.5 w/Z1.4x @560mm

I really wanted nothing in the background but blue. Blue is water and the N3N-3 on floats is all about water. Standing on a platform in the middle of a lake, my only option was the bank of the lake dotted with vacation homes. At the same time when the N3N-3 lands, it comes to a halt really fast. To blur out that background as much as possible and to show speed of landing, I went with a long lens and a slow shutter speed. I was at 560mm with a shutter speed of 1/40, a risky choice considering I was on a floating platform being hit by the wake of the N3N-3. The combination of my legs, the stabilizer in the Z 9 and smooth panning, I was able to make the click to tell the story. Next time you’re in the same pickle, just remember long, slow for the blur.

Make it on Your Time!

Feb 9, 2024 | Aviation

Boeing 747-4BF captured by Z 6II / Z70-200f2.8

Fast is smooth and smooth is fast. This very simple mantra applies 100% to panning and photographing aircraft in flight. The more you practice, the faster you are at panning and the smoother you are at panning. And the sharper your images will become at slower shutter speeds the smoother and faster your are. How do you get to that point? Practice and there’s the rub. The majority of regional and major airports post on the web the arrival and departure times of aircraft. You can look at those times, look at the weather, look at the look and checkout your own schedule and figure out when you can practice that fits you! That’s what I do. It only requires 10-20 minutes of time. I get to the airport, close down the aperture until I reach the slowest shutter speed I want to use for practice and then start shooting the aircraft. The key is doing it once or twice a month. You will be profoundly impressed how good how fast you will become and how sharp your images with this simple approach. Just remember, make it on your time!