Aug 9, 2020 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.4-5.6 PD-Zoom, 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 7 Image Stories, AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S TC 2.0 E III Tele-converter, Aviation, B-25 Mitchell, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x, Piper J-3 Cub, Piper PA-18 Super Cub, Spartan 7W Executive, The Moments During the Clicks, Waco YKC
The Moments During the Clicks | a 7 Image Story Many great aviation images come from fast action. Obviously air to air or ground to air images require panning skills no matter what type of aircraft. Propeller planes require really good panning skills to keep the plane in focus while blurring the prop. Even prop planes taxiing require some panning. Jets tend to be a bit easier since there’s no prop. Many images are required to insure a decent photo. Clicks! Clicks! Clicks! There’s really no calm in the moments during the clicks. Things are moving fast. Generally, I don’t even look at many images in camera. I wait until the end of the day when processing them in post. Each of these images has its own back story on my journey. This post will be updated each day after the post of each image.
The Moments During the Clicks | F/A 18 Super Hornet Capturing just the right image of a fast mover like the Super Hornet requires good panning skills and dozens of images from burst mode shooting. It’s all about keeping the plane in the frame whiling panning and clicking as the plane zooms past. Clicks! Clicks! Clicks! It’s an exciting day with few calm moments. Calm comes during post processing when reviewing your great images. The Chicago Air & Water Show is a really nice venue for capturing aircraft images along the beach, particularly if you like jets. You can’t always pick the background, but even with these bald skies, the vapor trail provides some contrast. Notice the “F/A” in the F/A-18 designation since it’s both a fighter and an attack aircraft. The Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multi-role fighter and attack aircraft. It has an internal 20 mm M61 rotary cannon and can also carry air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons. Turn & burn!
Super Cub on Floats The Piper Super Cub, Alaska’s favorite bush plane, makes for great fun. This Piper Super Cub is taking off by lifting one float up first then the other. Although the waves are small, it’s excellent training. Capturing this image on Floatplane Weekend took some planning, good technique, and more than a little luck. The problem, of course, is getting a clear image while blurring the prop. The plane is moving forward, the waves are moving it up and down. The boat I’m riding is moving forward as well as up and down. Yet, 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. Clicks! Clicks! Clicks! Calm comes back at the dock.
Cub & Super Cub Two iconic airplanes flying in nice snow make for memorable images. The Cub and Super Cub are having fun on Skiplane Weekend. Getting just the right spacing with just the right blowing snow while the camera and I were freezing meant several hundred burst mode images. Clicks! Clicks! Clicks! Of course, the difficulty to capturing good airplane images in the winter with snow, is to keep the shutter speed low enough to blur the prop and pan well enough to keep the wings and fuselage in sharp focus while dealing with bright, hard mid-day light. A 1/125s shutter speed is about as high as I like for a click like this one. Luckily this day had bright overcast in between snow showers.
B-25 Miss Mitchell This image was captured right after a heavy rain shower at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion. While walking near the hanger door immediately after the rain shower, I noticed Miss Mitchell’s crew looking over the plane to make sure everything was OK. A simple click captured the moment. During WWII, the B-25J “Miss Mitchell” completed more than 130 combat missions over North Africa and Italy without any crew fatalities. After a 12 year restoration by the Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, “Miss Mitchell” continues to fly. Of course, the B-25 became famous when Lieutenant Colonel “Jimmy” Doolittle took off from the aircraft carrier Hornet in April of 1942 to bomb Tokyo. Those 16 B-25s became the first U.S. aircraft to bomb the Japanese mainland.
Spartan Executive 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. 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. For a still shot in fading light, this image required numerous clicks for getting the nice combination of light, exposure, and angle. Click! Click! Click! They were captured without a tripod, but with steady hands and the patience to capture numerous images. Then, a slow walk along the flight line followed admiring more beautiful old flying machines.
B-25 Champaign Gal The B-25 Champaign Gal, along with another B-25, 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. Luckily, I was able to get a media pass so I could get out to the end of the runway for possibly a better shot. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942.
Waco This beautiful Waco made several takeoffs and landings on Antique Field the day I was able to attend the Blakesburg AAA Fly-in. Notice the grass runway and nice the backgrounds on images captured at Antique Field. It’s like going back to the golden age of aviation! The soft sepia finish adds to the old image look. 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. Clicks! Clicks! Clicks! Calm comes back at the end of the day.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category The Moments During the Clicks.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Jun 8, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Aviation, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2020, Nikon 1 V3
Aviation | B-25 Champaign Gal In this image, Champaign Gal is taking off at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH before the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH in April 2012. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion with the five remaining crew members from the raid. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. For the whole story with all images, see Aviation | a 7 Image Story.
Jun 7, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, AF-S TC 2.0 E III Tele-converter, Aviation, Aviation, B-25 Mitchell, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, F-4 Phantom II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Martin JRM Mars, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x, Perth Amboy Bird CK, Piper J-3 Cub, Piper PA-18 Super Cub
Aviation | a 7 Image Story Picking seven aviation images from the thousands in my database was difficult. These images were primarily chosen because they represent some of my best compositions. Like these images, many of my favorite aviation images come from airshows and fly-ins. My favorite events include Oshkosh, Chicago Air & Water, the AAA fly-in, and the Lake City fly-in. See more wildlife images in my Aviation Portfolio.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner This image, captured several years ago at Oshkosh before the 787 had entered service, shows the Dreamliner on its takeoff roll. The Dreamliner can carry around 300+/- passengers 6,000 to 7,500 nm. To help passengers on those long hauls, the cabin pressure and the humidity are higher than most airliners. Passengers feel like they are at an altitude of 6,000 feet instead of the industry standard of around 8,000 feet, which may help passenger fatigue.
B-25 Champaign Gal In this image, Champaign Gal is taking off at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH before the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH in April 2012. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion with the five remaining crew members from the raid. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum.
F/A 18 Super Hornet This image was captured at the Chicago Air & Water Show. If you have never gone to it; it’s a really nice venue for capturing aircraft images along the beach, particularly if you like jets. You can’t always pick the background, but even with these bald skies, the vapor trail provides some contrast. Notice the “F/A” in the F/A-18 designation since it’s both a fighter and an attack aircraft. The Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multi-role fighter and attack aircraft. It has an internal 20 mm M61 rotary cannon and can also carry air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons. Turn & burn!
Cub & Super Cub Two iconic airplanes flying in nice snow make for memorable images. Of course, the difficulty to capturing good airplane images in the winter with snow, is to keep the shutter speed low enough to blur the prop and pan well enough to keep the wings and fuselage in sharp focus while dealing with bright, hard mid-day light. A 1/125s shutter speed is about as high as I like for a click like this one.
F-4 Phantom This F-4 Phantom II image was captured during the Oshkosh fly-in several years ago. The F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range, supersonic fighter-bomber. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2.
Perth Amboy Bird CK This Perth Amboy Bird CK image was captured a few years ago at the Annual Antique Airplane Association Fly-in in Blakesburg, IA. Only 50 Perth Amboy Bird CK aircraft were built in the 1930s and only four are registered in the USA today. It’s powered by the five cylinder Kinner B-5 radial engine.
Martin JRM Mars This Martin JRM Mars is dropping 7,200 gallons of water on runway 18/36 at AirVenture 2016. The Martin JRM Mars flying boats are the world’s largest flying boats ever flown operationally. Although seven were built, only two remain flying, the Hawaii Mars JRM-3 pictured here and the Philippine Mars. They have been refitted as firefighting water bombers carrying 7,200 gallons of water.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Aviation.
Click any image below for a slide show.
May 30, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2020, More WWII Nose Art, Nikon 1 V3
More WWII Nose Art | B-25 Berlin Express This B-25H Mitchell bomber was completed in late December of 1943. It was flown mostly in training and administrative roles during and after WWII. Finally in 1972, after changing hands many times and after being used in filming the movie “Catch 22”, it was donated to the EAA Air Museum Foundation. After a full restoration in 1975, it flew as “The City of Burlington” with a B-25J nose, but was put on display after a landing gear collapse. Then, after another complete restoration by the EAA, it was renamed Berlin Express. Its first flight as Berlin Express was on April 20, 2019. For the whole story with all images, see More WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story.
May 28, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2020, More WWII Nose Art, Nikon 1 V3
More WWII Nose Art | B-25 Lady Luck This B-25J Mitchell was built by North American at Kansas City, Kansas, USA in 1945. It was immediately declared surplus and changed hands many times. After finding its way to C and P Aviation at Anoka County Airport, it was renamed Lady Luck, polished, and restored to military standards. For the whole story with all images, see More WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story.
May 26, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2020, More WWII Nose Art, Nikon 1 V3
More WWII Nose Art | B-25 Barbie III Barbie III is a B-25H Mitchell bomber operated by History Flight. It’s one of the rarest B-25s still flying. The B-25H was designed mainly for strafing with a 75 mm cannon in the nose, four .50-caliber guns in the nose, four .50-caliber blister guns on the forward fuselage, two .50-caliber guns in the top turret, two .50-caliber guns at the waist stations, and two .50-caliber guns in the tail turret. For the whole story with all images, see More WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story.
May 24, 2020 | AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2020, More WWII Nose Art, Nikon D300
More WWII Nose Art | B-25 Miss Hap Miss Hap, a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, is the oldest B-25 still in existence. It was one of the first B-25s delivered to the USAAC in February of 1941, where it was assigned to the 17th Bomb Group, 34th Bomb Squadron. Throughout WWII it served as an administrative and training aircraft as well as a VIP transport including the personal transport for General Henry “Hap” Arnold, Commander of the USAAF during WWII. Since 1989 the American Airpower Museum has been flying it to air shows throughout the country. For the whole story with all images, see More WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story.
May 24, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 7 Image Story Posts, AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Aviation, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, B-29 Superfortress, C-47 Skytrain, More WWII Nose Art, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x
More WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story During WWII, nose art could be found on many fighters, bombers, and sometimes on other planes like transport and observation planes. The most popular were the bombers since they had more space around the nose to paint. This post only contains images of the B-24 Liberator, the B-25 Mitchell, B-29 Superfortress, and the C-47 Skytrain. More planes with nose art are posted in my portfolios. Also, see WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story for history and more information on the practice of painting art work on the noses of WWII aircraft. For more nose art see B-25 WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story and More B-25 WWII Nose Art | a 7 Image Story.
B-25 Miss Hap Miss Hap, a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, is the oldest B-25 still in existence. It was one of the first B-25s delivered to the USAAF in February of 1941, where it was assigned to the 17th Bomb Group, 34th Bomb Squadron. Throughout WWII it served as an administrative and training aircraft as well as a VIP transport including the personal transport for General Henry “Hap” Arnold, Commander of the USAAF during WWII. Since 1989 the American Airpower Museum has been flying it to air shows throughout the country.
B-29 FiFi During WWII, 3,970 Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers were built. The B-29 began active service in 1944. It was needed in the World War II Pacific theater due to its long range and large bomb loads. Later, it was also used in the Korean War and remained in service until the late 1950s. Today, only two B-29s, “FIFI” & “Doc“, are airworthy. “FiFi” is maintained and operated by the Commemorative Air Force.
B-25 Barbie III Barbie III is a B-25H Mitchell bomber operated by History Flight. It’s one of the rarest B-25s still flying. The B-25H was designed mainly for strafing with a 75 mm cannon in the nose, four .50-caliber guns in the nose, four .50-caliber blister guns on the forward fuselage, two .50-caliber guns in the top turret, two .50-caliber guns at the waist stations, and two .50-caliber guns in the tail turret.
C-47 “That’s All Brother” On 6th of June 1944, “That’s All Brother”, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, led the airborne invasion of Normandy. It led over 800 C-47s that dropped over 13,000 paratroopers into Normandy the night before the D-Day invasion. The Commemorative Air Force restored “That’s All Brother” to its 1944 flying condition both inside and out.
B-25 Lady Luck This B-25J Mitchell was built by North American at Kansas City, Kansas, USA in 1945. It was immediately declared surplus and changed hands many times. After finding its way to C and P Aviation at Anoka County Airport, it was renamed Lady Luck, polished, and restored to military standards.
B-24 Diamond Lil This B-24 Liberator was the 25th plane out of almost 20,000 built. After a long and varied history, it found it way to the Commemorative Air Force in 1968. In 1972, the CAF painted the Liberator the colors of the 98th BG and renamed it Diamond Lil.
B-25 Berlin Express This B-25H Mitchell bomber was completed in late December of 1943. It was flown mostly in training and administrative roles during and after WWII. Finally in 1972, after changing hands many times and after being used in filming the movie “Catch 22”, it was donated to the EAA Air Museum Foundation. After a full restoration in 1975, it flew as “The City of Burlington” with a B-25J nose, but was put on display after a landing gear collapse. Then, after another complete restoration by the EAA, it was renamed Berlin Express. Its first flight as Berlin Express was on April 20, 2019.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category More WWII Nose Art.
Click any image below for a slide show.
