Jan 14, 2013 | Aviation
And then there are times when I simply use what’s around me to make the light happen. Here you can see Stu outside of the plane with the original rib that is damaged and needs replacing, the new rib he made the the pattern he made to make that replacement. At one of his workbenches with his tools putting the final touches on the rib, I made a real simple click of the craftsman at his craft. I only had a minute to make the click.
Working in a hangar has lots of pluses to this process. The background light is really soft, big hangar doors facing to the north bounce in soft light. Behind us is a part of an aircraft, I think it was a nose all polished metal. I wanted Stu and the new parts lit, not the workbench foreground. Holding the D4 with 18AF vertically (gotta love them vertical firing button), the SB-900 on the SC-28 was held up and turned backwards to bounce light off the aircraft. The foreground shadow was created by me, perfect to darken it. I didn’t take time to think about the lighting, just reacted. I can do this one light thing fast and easy. Add a second flash or ask me to draw it all out and plan in advance and then shoot it, I’m screwed! Hope this helps.
Jan 14, 2013 | Aviation
After a recent presentation, I was asked a bunch about my very simple, shooting on the move lighting. A little background, when working with biologists and pilots, I can’t stop them during their work, ask them to backup, set up a shot and go. I have to shoot on the go and get the shot when it happens. I really prefer being transparent and if possible, not even use flash so the subject doesn’t know I’m shooting. There are times when that is simply not possible so the flash comes out. Working with these folks, space is usually part of the equation. There isn’t much which is a plus and minus. The plus is I don’t have to have much light. The minus, me and the gear gotta squeeze into that space. With that said, here’s one example.
I’m photographing Stu, an amazing “metal” guy busy fabricating ribs for this aircraft as he restores it to airworthy. It’s an fascinating craft and art that I love to watch (and ask lots of questions). What was once done in mass production is now done one piece at a time, often with no blueprints. Stu is working rivet by rivet in this section matching up what he hand made with the side of the aircraft just like it came from the factory. He has one high powered work light on the right side that is a source I have to take advantage of. In the background is the roof of the hangar lit by daylight from the open hangar door. The rest of the scene is dark as sin as far as the camera is concerned. Shooting with the D4 set to ISO 800 and with CS e4 in use, shooting with the 18AF (A favorite lens) and SB-900 on the SC-28, I pop up through the hatch (still have a lump from that!). I need to underexpose the ambient light (roof & work light) and light the rest of the tail section & Stu. To do that on the fly, exposure comp in the body is dialed down -2 and the exposure comp on the flash is zero. The flash it turned backwards otherwise it would have lit the tail section like a tunnel, bright closer to the camera and darker back at Stu. With CS e4, the comp dialed into the body only effects the body or ambient light exposure and does not effect the flash. I find this Custom Setting SUPER valuable in my work. I hope this makes some sense and helps you get an idea of how I work on the fly on a project shoot.
Dec 5, 2012 | Aviation
With the huge response to the Epson Finish Strong campaign that we were a part of, one question keeps getting asked. “Which is your favorite?” Great question with the perfect phrasing because “favorite” is exactly how I look at my images. Not the best, but my favorites. I had the amazing great fortune to work with the one and only Larry Perkins, pilot of #57 and my amazing team Kevin Crozier & Scottie Foster and of course, Jake. So it was really pretty easy to do the shoot. It was 90min of flying nirvana as we warmed up then got into position and then made the shot you see in the ad. During that whole time, I brought back and filed over 3000 images so narrowing it down to my favorites is no minor feat. This top image taken with a D800 (loaded with Lexar 128GB 1000x cards!) and 70-200VR2 is one of them because it’s the shot I was going for. Everything you see in the photo from the mountains, sunburst and gesture of the Super Corsair were all in my head before we left the ground. There is a certain satisfaction when what you conceived of months before and sold to a client actually comes to life in the viewfinder. If only critters would do the same thing!
And then there is this shot. When we did this shoot in July ’12, there were two airworthy Super Corsairs, #74 & #57. Both of them restored and flown by the legend Bob Odegaard, the man responsible for so much more in my short aviation career. Two days after the Epson Finish Strong ad first broke in Sept, Bob died in a crash flying #74. This photo here with Larry at the stick, I see in #57 a number of little things Bob pointed out to me in how he restored #57. In the gesture of the Corsair, the light, the background, all remind me of how Bob so loved to fly and work on these pieces of history. Right after the shoot in July as I filled all the images, this one didn’t stick out to me. It was later, after Bob passed that it struck me. There is in this image more than just a plane and a pilot to me. So in answering the question, which is my favorite, I have two. One is from the accomplishment and the other in remembrance of a dear friend.
Nov 28, 2012 | Aviation
I sat down by the fire last night with the latest magazines from Mr. Postman and the first one I opened, I said, “I recognize that photo.” Sure enough, the great front and rear cover and inside spread of the latest Dispatch is by Jake. To see the piece, you need to be a member of CAF, a very worthwhile organization. Great job bud!
