Jan 30, 2021 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon D3x
Fine Art Portfolio | Snow on the Ranch This homemade gate opens into fields of grass and wind blown snow. It looks like it was made or repaired recently. It’s just a simple gate made with a post and some barbed wire. Without the snow, the subject would just blend into the background.
The Back Story While driving down a gravel road on the east side of the Bridger Mountains after a snowfall, this image was a simple click after stopping for a moment.
Details…
| Event | Drive by a Ranch |
| Location | Near Bridger, MT |
| Date/Time | 11/09/2010 9:56 am Local Time |
| Weather | Mostly Cloudy | 30°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Simple click after a short walk |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 70-200mm lens |
Jan 29, 2021 | Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Gallatin River Ranch, Nikon D200
Fine Art Portfolio | Ranch Road This gravel road leads south ending at the Gallatin River. Big country has big ranches with long gravel roads that can distort perspective. It’s really hard to tell how far are those mountains in the distance.
The Back Story This gravel road image was another simple click.
Details…
| Event | Hike on the Ranch |
| Location | Gallatin River Ranch |
| Date/Time | 9/28/2008 3:59 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair | 74°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Simple click while hiking |
| Gear | Nikon D200 with 18-200mm lens |
Jan 28, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon 1 V3, Ships
Fine Art Portfolio | Ghost Ship This freighter was slowly traversing the Straits of Mackinac. As the ship steams its way though the fog, its light silhouette adds contrast against the water and sky. The Mackinac Bridge in the background adds depth.
The Back Story Sometimes, vacation time provides an opportunity to slow down, relax a bit, and make a photograph outside your comfort zone. This image was another simple click on a boat ride.
Details…
| Event | Day Trip to Mackinac Island |
| Location | Lake Huron traversing the Straits of Mackinac |
| Date/Time | 6/15/2015 5:10 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Cloudy / Fog | 72°F | Calm Winds |
| Method | Simple click captured from bow of passing boat |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 30-110mm lens |
Jan 27, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon 1 V3, Ships
Fine Art Portfolio | Rooster Tail Rooster Tail traversing the Straits of Mackinac, fast. Black and white adds contrast and depth to the image.
The Back Story Sometimes, vacation time provides an opportunity to slow down, relax a bit, and make a photograph outside your comfort zone. This image was a simple click on a boat ride.
Details…
| Event | Day Trip to Mackinac Island |
| Location | Lake Huron traversing the Straits of Mackinac |
| Date/Time | 6/15/2015 |
| Weather | Cloudy | 72°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Simple click captured from bow of passing boat |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 30-110mm lens |
Jan 26, 2021 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.4-5.6 PD-Zoom, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon 1 V3, Spartan 7W Executive
Fine Art Portfolio | Spartan Executive Notice the line of sunset light reflection cutting through the fuselage. No, it’s not a wrinkle in the aluminum; it’s light reflection on the polished aluminum plane. Black & white helps accentuate the planes lines.
The Back Story My second year at the Blakesburg AAA Fly-in ended with a few long exposure images. This image was captured just before the last rays of sunset light faded on the first day of the fly-in. For a still shot in fading light, this image required numerous clicks for getting the nice combination of light, exposure, and angle. They were captured without a tripod, but with steady hands and the patience to capture numerous images.
Details…
| Event | Back to Blakesburg AAA Fly-in |
| Location | Antique Field |
| Date/Time | 9/01/2017 8:23 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 59°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Walk along the flight line, pick a nice plane, wait to catch the light, try a tripod then handheld. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 10-30mm lens |
Jan 25, 2021 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon D3x
Fine Art Portfolio | B-25 Champaign Gal The B-25 Champaign Gal was taxiing for takeoff at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH before the 70th Doolittle Raider Reunion. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion the next day on 17 Apr 2013. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. Still, similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942. The image in black & while seems more realistic for a WWII image.
The Real Story On 18 Apr 1942, sixteen brave flight crews took off from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in B-25 bombers to strike the Japanese mainland in a daring mission early in WWII. Of the 80 men on the mission, five still remained with us to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their successful mission. This reunion remembers them and all the brave WWII air crews who fought and sometimes died to keep us a free nation. For a first hand account of B-25 activities at the 70th Doolittle Raider reunion: B-25s at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion. To see the nose art of all the B-25s at the reunion: B-25 Nose Art at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion.
The Back Story Luckily, for this event, I was able to get a media pass so I could get out to the end of the taxiway for possibly a better shot. After capturing hundreds of images, this image is one of my favorites.
Details…
| Event | 70th Doolittle Anniversary |
| Location | Grimes Field at Urbana OH |
| Date/Time | 4/16/2012 12:48 am Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy / Windy | 70°F | Moderate to High Southwest Winds |
| Method | Take tram to media area at end of taxiway, wait for B-25s to taxi out for takeoff, reposition, clicks. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with a 70-200mm lens |
Jan 24, 2021 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon 1 V3
Fine Art Portfolio | Night Before Takeoff Look under the wing of a B-25 into the cloudy night sky. This B-25’s next mission will be a “milk run” to the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH to participate in the 75th Doolittle Raid Anniversary. Just think of how many WWII airmen had a similar view the night before their next mission. Will tomorrow’s mission be a “milk run”? Unfortunately, many missions were not milk runs. Black &white makes the night look more foreboding.
The Back Story Photographers like pilots must sometimes get up at o’dark thirty and retire late to capture the image. As I knelt down behind my tripod to capture this image, I wondered just how many times my father saw a similar scene during his tour of duty in the south pacific. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | 75th Doolittle Anniversary |
| Location | Grimes Field at Urbana OH |
| Date/Time | 4/16/2017 8:34 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Cloudy | 68°F | Light to Moderate Winds |
| Method | Position at runway’s edge, watch the backgrounds, pan to keep shutter speeds down, clicks.. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 10-30mm lens, tripod |
Jan 23, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon 1 V3, Waco YKC
Fine Art Portfolio | Waco Time to go back to the golden age of aviation! This beautiful Waco made several takeoffs and landings on Antique Field the day I was able to attend. Notice the nice the backgrounds on images. The soft sepia finish adds to the old image look.
The Back Story Positioning at the Blakesburg AAA Fly-in, is easy. There are no crowds and the planes fly all day. Like all propeller plane shots, the shutter speed must be low enough to make the prop blur. Needless to say, it’s all about keeping the plane in the frame whiling panning and clicking with the hammer down. For more images and information about the AAA fly-in, see Back to Blakesburg AAA Fly-in.
Details…
| Event | Back to Blakesburg AAA Fly-in |
| Location | Antique Field |
| Date/Time | 9/01/2017 2:39 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 73°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Position at runway’s edge, watch the backgrounds, pan to keep shutter speeds down, clicks.. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 30-110mm lens |
