![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/DAPARRR32961.jpg?resize=585%2C473&quality=100\" "\\"DAPARRR32961\\"")
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So there I am, up the ladder working the F7F Tigercat having one helluva a good time. My mind was on one thing, that Tigercat so the blinders were on. I noticed a glow in the nose of the Tigercat all of a sudden so I turned around to see a really, little cloud off in the horizon turning pink. I then noticed the P-51 “Precious Medal” and the sodium vapor lights were casting a cool glow in its side that seemed like it could be coming from that small cloud. So I quickly moved the ladder and tripod and went over to it. The sky is really nothing special, the background pretty busy but when’s the next time I’m going to have this plane all to myself at sunrise again (and since they are repainting it, it’s kinda history). There is one thing I’ve learned in aviation photography, there is money to be made recording history. So, I wanna make the shot. But…..<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/DAPARRR32961-as-Smart-Object-1.jpg?resize=585%2C474&quality=100\" "\\"DAPARRR32961")
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This is very much a backlit situation. Besides that, what’s the main reflector in this silver body? The black tarmac. So I have a double whammy when it come to lighting. Now the only way to make something of that limited color is to underexpose. Doing so takes everything in the photo to the basement. That’s not a good thing. As you can see here, when I did that, there is NO information left in the photo. This is a -4.5 image and it’s simply not working.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/DAPARRR32965-as-Smart-Object-1.jpg?resize=585%2C474&quality=100\" "\\"DAPARRR32965")
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OK, let’s just go -.5 and that’s really zero improvement. But one can see instantly the range of light is greater then five stops but that’s not what my eyes are seeing. Many have emailed asking why don’t I introduce flash? That is a very valid approach and it can make gorgeous things happen. But bringing in a dozen flash and all that comes along with that takes time and simply put, no one is paying me to spend that kind of time. Besides, it’s just not what I do, I work with what I have available. So coming back to what dragged my ladder over here in the first place, the sodium vapor light reflection in the fuselage, HDR was the only solution (using flash would have blown away that glow). You’re probably going back up to the finished image, looking at the other two and wondering how those two images made the top on and how the top one doesn’t look like HDR. Precious Medal is a silver bodied, lime green winged plane. It looks HDR without HDR. Getting to this point, everything from access to the aircraft to understanding light and then applying the right post processing techniques is all part of the photographic long haul plan. Now I’ve already paid the dues, I don’t think you should have to reinvent the wheel which is why I share the info here and why we started Photoshop for Shooters<\/a><\/strong>. I’m hoping you’re looking at the final image, looking at the two images below and if nothing else asking yourself, “How did those propellers get lit?” Because that’s the key to the whole photograph. If you asked yourself that question, you need to come to class so I can not only teach you how I did that, but why it’s important. If only I knew this five years ago when I started working with aircraft. It makes me wonder what will I know five years from now? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So there I am, up the ladder working the F7F Tigercat having one helluva a good time. My mind was on one thing, that Tigercat so the blinders were on. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-21181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-races"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Podcast.jpg?fit=1500%2C1500&quality=100&ssl=1","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Podcast\/B08JJQC1GR?ref=a_pd_item-n_c0_bc&pf_rd_p=1da7ab30-c785-4a0e-a160-4a7e7077b353&pf_rd_r=EEDMYHQM3DZ05FPRTHMJ","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2fRA9VaVfSdQMKf1ipxr0tipxr0t","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/moose-podcast\/id1107405746","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/moose-podcast","embedCode":"A Moments Diversion<\/a><\/blockquote>