Welcome to our thread and thanks for your kind remarks! I'll dig up a couple of images for you. My personal best in the slow shutter speed olympics was 1/40th of a second up until a few weeks ago. The shot was a new Mooney Acclaim long after sunset and it was done while in a series of very tight 360 degree turns at 170 knots. Out of 20 frames, 15 were tack sharp. I kind of set a personal record at GML in the tail of Pacific Prowler. There were five or so of us sharing vantage points and everyone was being very courteous as far as not monopolizing the two best spots. Everyone was beginning to pack up their gear because there was literally no light left. I always hate to quit, but especially when you have a B-25 and a gaggle of Mustangs at your disposal, so I kept on shooting. The Good Lord and years of preparation were with me, this shot is at 1/20th of a second. I did have my recently purchased Kenyon Gyro stabilizer screwed to the bottom of my Canon for this image. To get this, everyone has to be in sync and obviously he air has to be rock solid.
I still haven't answered your question. My hit ratio has always been pretty good when it comes to sharp v. soft and that's why I never could bring myself to spend $3,000 on a stabilizer. I would guess that in smooth air at those ridiculously slow shutter speeds, I'm around 80% tack sharp, 10% slightly soft and the balance look like Monet did them. In rough air, the ratio probably goes to 50/50. I've just always had a feeling for when everything is in sync and that's when I push the envelope a bit. Having thousands of hours as a pilot and then thousands more shooting air to air helps. I have roughly the same ration shooting my 500 and 600 lenses from the ground, handheld. People just laugh and think I couldn't be getting anything worth a flip without a Wimberly or something equivalent, but it works for me.In a few weeks I'm demoing the new Canon 800, we'll see how long an old man can hold that beast vertical and shoot something recognizable!
They are making major improvements to TKI over the next month and decided it would be easier to close the airport for that period. Thanks to the kindness of my good friend Joe Dobransky, my birds have a temporary home on a beautiful little grass strip. Here's a shot (handheld @ 1/4 John) of "The Great Dobransky" closing up shop the other evening. Brian took the T-6 to our AI for annual and the biplane remains locked up at TKI for the duration. I don't know if the Cub and the 182 re going to want to leave after a month at Dobransky International!
Once again, sorry for my long silences, still working my lens off trying to get assignments complete before fall has fallen. Thanks for the praise! The only one that's true is the Solid Rock part, thank The Lord! But I can delude myself on the balance of your points!!
You're right about the Pitts looking like a big RC model. Here's another from the same sequence...
Welcome to our thread and thanks for your kind remarks! I'll dig up a couple of images for you. My personal best in the slow shutter speed olympics was 1/40th of a second up until a few weeks ago. The shot was a new Mooney Acclaim long after sunset and it was done while in a series of very tight 360 degree turns at 170 knots. Out of 20 frames, 15 were tack sharp. I kind of set a personal record at GML in the tail of Pacific Prowler. There were five or so of us sharing vantage points and everyone was being very courteous as far as not monopolizing the two best spots. Everyone was beginning to pack up their gear because there was literally no light left. I always hate to quit, but especially when you have a B-25 and a gaggle of Mustangs at your disposal, so I kept on shooting. The Good Lord and years of preparation were with me, this shot is at 1/20th of a second. I did have my recently purchased Kenyon Gyro stabilizer screwed to the bottom of my Canon for this image. To get this, everyone has to be in sync and obviously he air has to be rock solid.
I still haven't answered your question. My hit ratio has always been pretty good when it comes to sharp v. soft and that's why I never could bring myself to spend $3,000 on a stabilizer. I would guess that in smooth air at those ridiculously slow shutter speeds, I'm around 80% tack sharp, 10% slightly soft and the balance look like Monet did them. In rough air, the ratio probably goes to 50/50. I've just always had a feeling for when everything is in sync and that's when I push the envelope a bit. Having thousands of hours as a pilot and then thousands more shooting air to air helps. I have roughly the same ration shooting my 500 and 600 lenses from the ground, handheld. People just laugh and think I couldn't be getting anything worth a flip without a Wimberly or something equivalent, but it works for me.In a few weeks I'm demoing the new Canon 800, we'll see how long an old man can hold that beast vertical and shoot something recognizable!
You Guys all shoot great stuff. Everyone has some soft images occasionally. There are days when I just can tell I'm not in sync with my camera and lens, then there are others where I just can't miss. Those low shutter speed images with the background just a whoosh and the plane tack sharp are some of the toughest to get, but some of the greatest when you nail it. I don't have a clue what to expect from the 800, but it's got to get you some amazing perspectives if you can tame it.
I don't know if I ever told you Guys the story of my first trip to Reno. I had just gotten my 600 and it was before anyone had imagined IS. I was shooting away on the ramp and in the pits, made daily multiple trips out to the pylons. The second day into the event I was riding out on the pylon bus and there were four or five photographers talking about the guy that was shooting the 600 handheld at the pylons the day before. Much laughter and speculation ensued. The conjecture among the group was that the guy couldn't possibly be getting anything worth a flip and was he going to be disappointed when the film comes out of the soup. As I said, I had just gotten the lens and so I began to doubt what I felt was a great feel for the 600. There I sat several seats behind the group, cradling my new lens and wondering if they were right. Several days later on the lightbox at my lab in Dallas, I had the quiet satisfaction of louping hundreds of razor sharp images taken through my beautiful 600mm Canon. Don't limit yourself to what someone else thinks is possible, cause you just might be able to blow them away.
Hey Jim and All the air to air followers.
Sorry I haven't been posting since GML, But I just got my CD together for Stallion 51.
I got a chance to meet up with Jim while in Ohio at Rickenbacker. We spent a couple of days on the Platform together shooting with gaggles of other photographers. I think a good time was had by all.
Jim
Here is a link to my air to air stuff. Sorry its so late I haven't had much time to contribute here due to a computer problem which had me in the weeds for a while that said here is my air to air that I finally made, as you remember 2 days prior Prowler was racing down the runway 15 minutes early without me, and come to find out that was a quick up and down paid flight. Goes to show you that air time during pre air show hours is hard to come by. look Here
One of these days I need to get my ground to air stuff up also.
Once again it was really great to meet you and hang together for a couple of days. Sorry we didn't get to fly together. If you ever come to the Orlando Florida area give me a ring , and we can head over to Stallion 51 together.(lots to do there) Soon they should have a seat mounted in back of an OV10 Bronco an awesome air to air platform.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
, I had just gotten the lens and so I began to doubt what I felt was a great feel for the 600. There I sat several seats behind the group, cradling my new lens and wondering if they were right. Several days later on the lightbox at my lab in Dallas, I had the quiet satisfaction of louping hundreds of razor sharp images taken through my beautiful 600mm Canon. Don't limit yourself to what someone else thinks is possible, cause you just might be able to blow them away.
JW
Exactly let them laugh we now better and we can proof it trough this awesome topic
Here a couple from me from Reno from the public side
Still, very, very impressive stuff. I take it the gyro stabiliser has been a very worthwile investment for Mr. Wilson. Which unit were you using Jim, the KS-4 or KS-6?
