Jul 24, 2015 | Aviation
We all put high standards when it comes to skies. Since they can dominate so much of our photograph, they can carry a huge weight in our visual storytelling. So when the skies aren’t perfect, we get the wigglies framing up the shot. Now bald skies suck in my book. Total overcast aren’t much better but they are a tad. But when you get skies like these, what do you do? Do you go tight to just get the little slice of red, go real wide trying to minimize the mixed skies or go like I did, somewhere in between. Shooting the D750 / 24-70, as you can see I went in between but the question is why? I love falling back on those famous and wise words, Light, Gesture, Color, in times like this. The light is real sweet on the subject, the Monocoupe 110 Special. The gesture of the plane heading towards the dawn brings you in and takes the plane out. And the color, the top yellow ties in with the yellow on the plane and the red wraps both sides. Did I think all those elements through before taking the photo? I did in the old days when this question went through my mind. After thinking about it for a long, long time, it’s more second nature than a though process. But you’ve gotta do one before you can do the other. Before you pass on a photo because there appears to be a possible problem, thing and feel it through first. More than likely something inside you thought it was worth stopping. You just have to prove it to the camera.
Jul 10, 2015 | Aviation
75yrs ago today the Battle of Britain began. At aerodromes spread around the country, at a moment notice planes would life off to meet the incoming enemy. It could easily be argued that it was a pivotal point in WWII that turned the tide. The Battle was fought over the skies of Britain flown by pilots from many countries in a variety of aircraft. The best known was the Spitfire but the Hurricane of other aircraft valiantly thwarted Germany’s invasion plans. If you want to read about this courageous battle from one who was there, Tuck, pick up a copy of Fly for Your Life. We owe a debt of thanks to all the citizens of England!
Note: photos taken at Duxford Aerodrome, England with 80-400VR3 on the D4s
Jul 10, 2015 | Aviation
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I spent months looking, more months planning and then finally, had all the ducks in order for our England Aviation Day Shoot. We would be working with the marvelous folks at Historic Aircraft Collection and their Spitfire. After a day of shooting, we were to have their gorgeous Supermarine MkVb Spitfire running up in the glow of sunset while it spit fire (get it …Spitfire spitting fire?) They have a really well earned reputation for spitting our fire from their stacks when they turn the engine over. I could picture it all in my mind and was so excited, I couldn’t wait!
The day was pretty overcast, that classic dark ceiling is well know for having. During the day a Supermarine MkIX Spitfire was out flying, doing many takes off and landings. The first time it turned over, it just turned over and went. The second time though, flames flew out and that grabbed out attention. The next time it was getting ready to turn over, we were the ready to capture the explosion. As the prop began to turn, the shutters ripped. It was a singing chorus as they all banged away! Shooting at 1/40 of a second (80-400VR3 on the D4s), we gazed at our images on the LCD now over the top excited for the coming sunset shoot with out Spit.
While I had done all that homework, I missed one key ingredient in the plan. As you can see above, the Spitfire does spit fire. But that’s only after the engine has been heated up, like in flying about. So while the clouds cleared and Howard did all he could to get our Spitfire to spitfire, since it hadn’t flown, it just wouldn’t spit fire (prop blur shooting at 1/4sec). But that was truly OK in large part because of the new friend we made in Howard. Howard was so kind to pull out their freshly painted Hawker Hurricane for us to photograph to our hearts content and before the run up of the Spitfire, photograph it all we wanted. It was a marvelous day and for me, an incredible indoctrination to the Battle of Britain.
Jul 8, 2015 | Aviation
At least this past week. D750 / 14-24AFS
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Jul 7, 2015 | Aviation
Ever since I first saw the Monocoupe 110 Special a couple of years back, it has been on the top of my list of aircraft to photograph. This individual plane is a very historic aircraft. The badass of the 30’s built by a farmer, it just has the meanest lines. So when photographing it as a static, making the most of those lines is essential both in telling its unique story and being photographically pleasing. At the same time, planes are meant to be in the sky, not sitting on the ground. So that needs to be included in the storytelling as well. Hard for one photograph to do it all. Then there are clouds.
We started the morning “trapped” in the hangar by a huge thunderstorm. You don’t take such aircraft as this out in the rain. So after the sun had kissed the horizon, we pushed it out and into place. Actually, we pushed out four aircraft his morning for the folks of our AirAdventure to photograph. Being the most esoteric of the planes (two others were a Zero and Corsair), I figured I’d be the only one wanting to photograph the Monocoupe. Wrong! All saw the beauty in its lines as the morning unfolded. With a wet tarmac, a basically clean background wherever you point your lens and light that didn’t suck, the photography was easy. But then if you go with making the uncommon out of the common, the challenge arose.
The top frame was taken at 05:45 and you can see the skies, pretty bald. The thunderstorm let go all their energy so the clouds dissipated. Once the sun rose though the cycle started over and clouds started to build. Shooting with the D750 / 14-24AFS, the newly formed clouds made for a gorgeous background. But this was still a common shot, no more than taking a knee and shooting up. The second photo was taken at 06:15. Watching the winds, the clouds not only behind the Monocoupe but behind us as well to predict the light, waiting and physically moving was called for. The third photo, the one I wanted was taken at 06:22. If you have a wild imagination you can see an outline of a plane in the clouds. All three photos were taken with the same gear and finished the same way (ACR & Color Efex Pro Contrast + Tonal Contrast + Darken/Lighten) but all three were taken at different angles based on the clouds. So while clouds in themselves make a photo, in order to make the uncommon, you gotta work the clouds!
Jul 3, 2015 | Aviation
This 4th, while fireworks are so very cool, I want to encourage photographers to also point their cameras at something else as we celebrate the 4th. Our families are such an important part of our lives and the 4th is the one day each year we tend to gather and celebrate being a family. The freedoms the 4th represents in large part are the sacrifices many families have made for over two hundred years so we can celebrate the 4th. The American family like the Engkvists in North Dakota are great examples of that celebration. So this weekend amongst the watermelon and fireworks, count your blessings and turn that camera on the family. A memory that must always be told and recorded forever.
