May 15, 2014 | Aviation
We are visual communicators. We have to go way past an image being just sharp or histograms to the right if we want to reach out and touch others with our photographs. And while post is an important part of our visual communication these days, there is a certain pride we gain when we do it right in camera rather than relying on post. This craftsmanship is what propels photographers beyond the basic click to being storytellers. And much of it comes down to just practice, practice, practice!
Simple case in point. It’s highnoon, light pretty much has lost any character and is turning towards suicidal. But in front of you is a subject that is rare and unique so not shooting is not an option. Aircraft that are vets and still flying are a treasure. How do you make the uncommon out of the common? How do you reach out and grab the viewer to get in touch with your subject? How do you put emotion into the motion? The answer to me is clear cut, a real slow shutter speed. I’m already shooting in Shutter Priority to have exact shutter speeds to blur the rotation of the props to communicate motion in a still image (I HATE frozen props, what lazy technique!). Shooting handheld the D4s (loaded with that Lexar 256GB) / 200-400VR2, solid panning is a must at my normal 1/80 as the aircraft fly past. But when these C-47s started to roll down the runway, I wanted to totally blur out the background so you don’t see it and at the same time bring “speed” to the photo showing that the aircraft is taking off. Thinking of all of this when the engines first turned over, I set the shutter speed to 1/20. Ya, it could be a low percentage shot and for some, the thought of shooting that low not even possible. But any faster and the shot is a snore and that won’t get any viewer’s attention. But that’s why we practice, that’s why we don’t rely on post to save our images, that’s why we must take pride in our craftsmanship. It’s a real simple click that took more than a simple click to bring to life.
May 7, 2014 | Aviation
The best part are the friends! The Press Pit is anything but a serious place. Never been stuck in one place where more mayhem is planned than the pit at a airshow. Now how much of that planning is carried out, I will never say. But what we talk about in the pit, stays in the pit. But there is none stop, good hearted rib jabbing all day so laughter definitely takes its toll on sharp images! The Mig15 / F-86F Saber photo above was taken with the D4s / 200-400VR2 / Sun Strap which is my basic rig for ground to air photography.
And here is visual proof that some of my best friends shoot with Canon. Mark is simply a great guy who keeps us in stitches the entire time! Being a really, really, really good photographer, he is also incredibly knowledgable when it comes to aircraft and aviation history. To say we have lots of great conversations is an understatement! I’ve lost track of how many photos we have of each other at various aviation events around the country.
And just to show that us aviation photographers are up with the times, we know about the “photo bomb.” In this case it’s the very famous and 100% a gentleman Paul Bowen! And come to think about it, there’s another dear friend who shoots Canon. And I guess that brings us back to the best part about aviation photography. It’s not the gear, it’s the people behind it!
May 6, 2014 | Aviation
Had a whole bunch of folks email asking if the Planes of Fame airshow this past weekend was any good and if I got any good images. The airshow was great and I’m still getting through the 14k images I took. I shot with a bunch of gear, this image of the P-38J Lightning “23 Skiddoo” was taken with D4s / 200-400VR2 but I also shot with the Df, 80-400VR3, 24-70AFs and 18-35AFS. Putting time in the office before hitting the road again so getting through images is taken longer than normal. But that answer is, great show and liking images I’ve gotten too so far.
May 5, 2014 | Aviation
In April, I had the amazing opportunity to a couple of photo missions at the Dixie Wing of the CAF. Whenever I do an air to air, I have GoPros working, this time one on the side of the fuselage and one on the inside of the canopy looking back at me. In addition, Sharon was on the ground with her Nikon V2 shooting all the happenings. I’m taking the stills with the D4s / 80-400VR3 with a Lexar 128GB card recoding it all. During the video you’ll see me reach down and seeming grab the side of the plane. I’m hitting the Push to Talk button to communicate to the other aircraft directions for the shot. I want to thank Brent for taking the many hours of video and editing down into this cool, 5min piece. Enjoy!
May 2, 2014 | Aviation
Jake & I worked the field this morning on our editorial scavenger hunt and had a great time. We were at Yank’s Museum in time to watch Frank pull out their P-47 which will be at the show this weekend. There were tremendous winds the past week covering much with a thick layer of dust. While they don’t like doing it, they had to pull out the hose to wash off the Jug. Jake got down from his cockpit portraits just before the shower. I stayed back in the shade shooting with the Df / 58f1.4 AFS lookin at the silhouettes and spray to tell the story of prepping for the show. It’s going to be a great weekend; hope to see you out here!
May 1, 2014 | Aviation
This weekend is the killer airshow at Chino Airport put on by Planes of Fame celebrating the Mighty Eigth (B-17s and P-47s!). This will be our second time at this show and we’re really lookin forward to it. We have a bunch of editorial work to get done, so we’ll be hopping! In getting ready, I thought I’d share some of the thoughts, techniques and gear I’ll have along for the weekend of work and fun. Let’s start with some thoughts and techniques to capturing the image. Here are two posts that go into that in greater detail
10 Tips – Putting Action into Your Stills
Ten Tips to Better Aviation
And here’s the gear I’ll have with me to make it all hopefully happen:
You might be wondering why I have both the 200-400VR and 80-400VR3. I love to use the 200-400VR2 for the ground to air photography and the 80-400VR3 for all the static work. Why not just use the 80-400VR3 for everything? When folks see the 200-400VR2 on your shoulder, they give you a whole bunch more credibility and you just never know you’ll meet. Why are the bags and straps listed? They are essential to make it to the event and than through the entire event. In the heat and humidity (supposed to be 99 degrees!), carrying a lot of gear will beat you down (and one can only eat so much ice cream). This is of course the list of the main gear, there is as you might imagine a ton of support gear. Spare batteries for everything along with chargers. Mounts for the GoPro and app on the iPhone & iPad. And all of this has been cleaned, tested and gone through this week before being packed to go. Hope this helps if you’re going. And if you’re at the show and see Jake or me, say hello. And if you need help, please don’t hesitate to ask. Hope to see you there!
