Here's a question. How did you get into shooting air to air stuff? I'm a pilot, as well as an aspiring photographer. Most of my shooting to date is concerts and some architecture. I'd love to get the chance to combine my passions/hobbies.
Air to air is just a natural component of most editorial and advertising aviation assignments. While some are still sexy sitting still, they come alive in their element. The ultimate relationship a photographer can have with an aircraft is to fly formation with it, a heart beat away as it were, capturing the beauty that is flight. Being a pilot is a help both in knowing when you're getting the essence of flight in your images and in being familar with all the sensations that are part and parcel of flying in small to medium sized photo platforms.
I won't plow old ground by restating the caveats involving air to air work.
Jim-
What you said in that last sentence is what I've been trying to put to words my whole life. Aviation is about the magic and mystery of being suspended by the simplest of elements... one which not only makes us dream, but sustains life.
Thanks Man! I'm glad you are enjoying our thread. It's funny, but now when I'm shooting, I think about what the image is going to look like when I post it for you guys to enjoy. I've got a couple of assignments this year that are going to be really great, one being the "Gathering of Mustangs" in the fall. We've got sixty some 51's registered already and the T-Birds are coming to perform. Our plan is to get the largest air to air formation photograph of Mustangs since WWII. Three days of Merlins should make for some incredible images.
Spent most of today in meetings forming a partnership with a couple of very talented and creative good friends. Can't give the details at the moment, but suffice it to say that in the next month or so, we'll have a web presence that will take all of our passion for photography and aviation to a level not seen to date on this medium. I'll give you all the details as soon as we have put the final touches on this new venture and it's worthy of your talented eyes and attention. You're going to like it!
This is extremely humbling viewing, yet entirely incredible. I wish by the time I finish my photo career that I can get stuff even close to half as good. My hat's off to you Jim, incredible work.
Thank you! Bill, in answer to your question, there are a number of platforms that I shoot from and they all have their challenges. The absolute best, hands down, incredible platform is the tail gunner position in a B-25 hat has been modified for photography. That's also the most expensive and most difficult to coordinate because everyone doesn't have a Billy Mitchell in the hangar. My next favorite platform is a Beechcraft A-36 Bonanza with both baggage doors removed. The Model 36 gives you plenty of shooting room, club seating so you can sit in a comfortable aft facing seat while you shoot, and the huge open side gives you a great deal of latitude in the angles you can capture. A Piper Lance or Saratoga is a very nice platform as well, but is slightly slower than the Beech. Ive shot out of Cessna 210's too and they have some advantage because there's no wing struts to get in the way. In the Cessna's you remove the screw on the window brace and the window will "fly" in the slipstream and be out of your way. I don't know what the FAA regs are on removing doors from Cessna's but there are some stringent rules and procedures that have to be followed or you void the aircraft's airworthiness certificate. Patty Wagstaff's Beech Baron is modified with a camera port in the belly so you lay on the floor and shoot down and back for some very interesting angles. As you might imagine it's a bit challenging to be laying in the floor shooting through an open camera port and pulling g's in vaious climb and bank attitudes. You can get modified camera windows for Cessna aircraft that allow you to remove a section of the center of the rear window by unscrewing the attaching knobs. My friend Jim Koepnick and the EAA photo staff have a 210 with these windows installed and they get some beautiful images. As far as bufetting, the slightest amount will affect the quality and sharpness of your image so you have to develope a feel for just how far you can poke that particular lens out in that specific platform before you start to get image degradation. Image stabilization technology will not help you at all if you've got slipstream shaking your lens barrel.
Darian, just enjoy what you do and immerse yourself in every aspect of it and shoot, shoot, shoot. You'll amass a collection of very satisfying images, I'm sure.
Once again guys, I appreciate your kind comments regarding my work.
When this scene began to unfold I had a hard time deciding whether to go fly in it or photograph it. It was captured with Fuji's GX 617 panoramic camera on Velvia 50.
Well done Jim! I know I look forward to all the glorious images you and other unselfish avaition photojournalists provide here. I use the term photojournalists versus photographer because each and every image and response here characterizes the passion and dedication you, and the others, take in presenting your subject matter. Well done indeed!
Dan
Just returned from a week of shooting architecture in Austin. I'm looking out my office window at the world headquarters of Jim Wilson Photography (ho, ho!) in Allen, Texas and it's snowing like a Courier and Ives painting.
Just got notification of the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends event in late September, here's the link, www.gml2007.com Should provide some incredible aural and photographic opportunities. Might be worth the drive in from MD.
Once again, thanks for all your kind comments throughout this thread, I appreciate you!!
Hey Jim, Want to go halves on this P51? http://www.provenancefightersales.com/N151TF.htm We both would have to sell a lot of pictures! Nice day dream though! Thanks for keeping my dreams alive with your wonderful photos. Bob Price
BakerPrice wrote:
Hey Jim, Want to go halves on this P51? http://www.provenancefightersales.com/N151TF.htm We both would have to sell a lot of pictures! Nice day dream though! Thanks for keeping my dreams alive with your wonderful photos. Bob Price
I can attest that this plane looks even nicer up close.
Just returned from a week of shooting architecture in Austin. I'm looking out my office window at the world headquarters of Jim Wilson Photography (ho, ho!) in Allen, Texas and it's snowing like a Courier and Ives painting.
Just got notification of the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends event in late September, here's the link, www.gml2007.com Should provide some incredible aural and photographic opportunities. Might be worth the drive in from MD.
Once again, thanks for all your kind comments throughout this thread, I appreciate you!!
Jim
Jim,
This is "do-able"! Am marking my calendar for this. Columbus is about 6 hours away..not far! Please keep me informed of any/all info concerning this show and any others in the MD/VA/WV/PA/Ohio areas.
Dan
Edited by mdbassman on Feb 02, 2007 at 01:08 PM GMT (Reason: spellg)
That one would be great but Su Su is for sale and it's cool too! The sad part is once you come up with the 1.7m then it really gets expensive. If that RR Merlin makes it to TBO (800 hours) then there's a $150,000.00 bill waiting for you after overhaul. Insurance has to be about the same annually. Makes the T-6 look like a Yugo!
JW
Edited by JWilsonphoto on Feb 02, 2007 at 09:36 AM GMT
Edited by JWilsonphoto on Feb 02, 2007 at 12:19 PM GMT
Edited by JWilsonphoto on Feb 14, 2007 at 10:58 AM GMT
