Photo Tips part I - Weather

Back in the day when I was taking pictures with a simple P&S digital camera I much prefered cloudless, blue skys whenever I was going to take pictures at an airshow. The clouds would always cause focus and exposure problems rendering most pictures useless. Now that I have an SLR camera that is more sophisticated my opinion on the "perfect airshow weather" has changed.

There are many pros and cons for both clear and cloudy conditions:

Cloudy/partially cloudy

• Much more insteresting background
• Adds dimension and scale to the image
• Shows more of the true nature of flight
• When presented with backlighting the clouds can help diffuse the light and provide softer shadows
• Evening lighting tends to really bring out the gold/red in the sunlight
• Vapor for those hard-turning jets

This picture would be very boring if it were taken on a cloudless day.

Clear

• With the sun to your back it can really make your subject pop
• Evening lighting can create spectacular effects
• Helps to isolate your subject as well
• Fewer focus/metering issues

This picture shows how the clear sky isolates the subject and really makes it pop.

Collings Foundation Bombers....

What a gorgeous site to behold! Paine Field was home to three of the most recognized American bombers of World War II, the B-17, B-24, and the B-25. They offered tours through all three aircraft as well as the usual half-hour flights around the area.

I've gone through the B-17 and B-24 in the past and was just amazed then as I am now to see just how cramped it is inside these airplanes. It's obvious they weren't designed with comfort in mind. I was initially wearing my camera bag backpack when I got inside the B-17 and quickly realized there simply wasn't enough room to maneuver through the cramped interior. To get from the front of the aircraft to the back you have to walk through a tiny walk-way that goes through the bomb-bay.

The sound these beautiful machines make is pure music. The ground shakes as their radial engines turn over and roar to life. It was such a treat being able to hear these airplanes for the last three days at work.

To view and order prints of the photos I took of these magnificant airplanes, please click here.

Paine Field Spotting...

What can I say, it's a completely different world over at Paine Field! I wouldn't say it's better but certainly different. You cannot really compare the cozzy experience of a small, home-town airport to a bustling, massive airport such as Paine. In the last few weeks I've met legends in aviation (Mr. Bud Granley), seen legendary aircraft (P-51, Hellcat, B-17, B-24, B-25,) and get to work to the wonderful music of an unimaginable combination of aircraft sounds 6 hours a day, 6 days a week!

I finally have had a chance to get some pictures of some heavy metal and this morning shot an Air Canada 777-300ER, Asiana Airlines 777, Air France 777, JAL Cargo 767, Southwest 737, and two WWII bombers. Quite exciting! I also have some great pictures of Boeings 747-400 LCF that is used to transport major parts of the 787 from all over the world! Both sets are of it taking off while one shows it flying through a small cloud which creates a perfect illustration of the massive wake left behind such an aircraft!

One of the best parts of the whole experience of working here is getting to know new people. Since I hang out at the Future of Flight parking lot/viewing area after work almost every day I get to talk to all kinds of different people. I've come accross people I haven't seen in years and remembered great times from several years ago.

Enjoy!

To view and order prints of the photos I took, please click here.

Aluminum Overcast - EAA B-17G

During the last part of May the EAA-sponsored B-17G, "Aluminum Overcast" visited the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Washington. As always, I was there to tag along and try and get some shots. For years I've known Boeing Field to not be very photographer friendly so the disapointments of the days shots was to be expected. They have a very tall chain-link fence all around the place and NOTHING to stand on in order to observe the airplanes taking off or landing. One thing that I absolutly LOVE about Paine Field's Future of Flight museum is they have a series of hills right by their fence so you can EASILY see an unobstructed view of the runway. They're also placed in such a way it is impossible to jump/climb the fences. Nonetheless, I had to find some tricky places to stick my cameras lens to get some non-fence shots!

As always this bird is absolutly gorgeous and I can't even discribe the sound of those four radial engines! I've seen the B-17 many times before and it always leaves me in awe.

Of all the times I've seen the B-17 I still have yet to get a decent picture of it in the air! There is always something either in the way, or an incorrect setting that leaves them useless. But, I did manage to scrounge up a few good shots while it was on the ground.

To see my pictures from this event and/or order prints, please click here.

Tulip Festival Fly-In!

Skagit Regional Airport hosted the second biannial Tulip Festival Airshow and Fly-In on April 28th.

Quick Review:

In the weeks leading up to the show I was quite surprised to find they actually had the West Coast F/A-18C Hornet team on the schedule! Unfortunately the FAA wasn't able to grant them airspace clearance to do the full tactical demonstration, but the pilots took both ships up for some section (formation of two aircraft) flyby's and touch and goes.

As for military demonstrations, they also had a SAR helicopter (MH-60) from NAS Whidbey Island perform.

The show also featured Bud and Ross Granley, a father-son aerobatic team. One flys a Yak-55 and the other flys a Yak-18 and put on an incredible show!

Warbirds are always popular at smaller airshows such as this and they did provide a pretty good showing. There were four T-6 Texans (aka: SNJ, Harvard) two T-28's, and several other aircraft. There weren't any "big" showbirds out such as a P-51, but it was still a good lineup and provided some very crowded skys!

Photography:

The showline looks directly at the sun the entire time which means you're going to have a tricky time getting properly exposed pictures. Thanks to computer technology it is pretty easy to fix these issues.

Capturing good pictures of the static display, on the other hand, was pretty easy as there really weren't a lot of people around to ruin shots.

Overview:

Great show! Especially for this early in the season it's a great time to make sure you still know how to use your camera equipment after the long winter months. :) One of the greatest parts of this show was the chance to meet several friends in person for the first time! (You know who you are!)

More Pictures:

View my pictures of this show and order prints today!