Glad to see the event was great, sad to have missed it but perhaps next year?
I should be in walking form by then, and (I hope) a better camera operator...
And y'all know how partial I am to the T-6. Gunny has told me more than once, " a Mustang is an excellent trainer to transition a pilot into a T-6". The P-51 other than power management is pretty docile on the ground compared to the Texan.
There's the nostalgia of the old birds and stuff like the WWII garb'ed silouette. There's the high-tech of the modern jets. There is amazing detail like the Mustang cockpit with modern avionics. (Which, to me, is beautifully tongue-in-cheek.) There's the wild dynamics of air ballet in the form of smoke trails, framed brilliantly. There's the simple physics aspect of heat-haze, condensation trails and motion blurr. There's the artful play of colors with all the paint jobs.
Some of the stuff, well it's damn near immaculate. Thank you all for sharing.
And I need to get me a triple dose of those envy pills. Again.
ExxWhy wrote:
Thanks for the kind words all. Airplanes sure seem to love a camera!
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JBear, I'm happy for you that you were able to take your dad along. I would have loved to take mine, but he can't make it for an outing like that anymore. I'm sure you'll treasure your memories of being there with him far more than anything else. I was able to go to the AF museum at Wright Patterson about 8 years ago with him and my brother and it was a fantastic day for the 3 of us. He was in the AF in the early 50's and worked on B-29's. It was amazing to see the years come off him when we walked around Box Car and went through the cutaway fuselage they had on display. He just had that look in his eye of seeing some things up close he knew so well and had not seen in so long either. Well anyway, I hope you guys had a great time together. And I see you managed to snap a few frames. Nice stuff!
Thanks Eric,
My dad and I have been the best and worst of friends over the years. But I must say - this last weekend is one I will treasure. Anyone who's father is still alive NEEDS to spend time with him - even if they have been at odds or had more than their share of ill feelings over the years. You won't have them much longer and the ops to fix stuff are slipping by.
My wife's best friend committed suicide last week - before this trip - and I was so close to canceling so I could be with my wife. Deb was the last person this girl talked to before she killed herself. To say the least - its been a very tough week or so. When I got off the plane back to Atlanta, I got home and changed clothes and went immediately to the funeral.
Tough decision as it was - I thought I would stay with the living and bury the dead when I got back. Sounds sorta harsh - i know - but that is the way I had to handle it.
It was worth the time and effort to take dad. He had never used a digital camera before and once I showed him the basics - he was off to the races. He shot nearly 400 images... not too many to make this forum - but some he'd be proud of. Of course he isn't a photoshop wiz - so I spent today just going through his shots.
Here is a shot of my dad with the 100-400 on the 20D:
JIm Berry - served on a Merchant Marine ship that ferried a number of P-51 Mustangs to the war in the Pacific. This weekend was a highlight in his life to see and experience an unforgettable air show.
Well done Jon! I wish I would have had the pleasure of meeting your Dad. He raised an outstanding son near as I can tell! Sorry about the loss of your wife's friend, that's a hopelessness I pray I'll never understand.
Hey Jbear my sincere condolences.
But thats very cool that you had the chance to visit this event with your father.
i think it was a once in a livetime experience and for someone who never used a digital camera that is a very crisp photo.
I wish you and your familiy strenght in the coming time.
And feel free to post some more photo's from your father.
I would like to see them.
I want to send my condolences to you and your wife. I personally think you did the right thing. The living should take precedence over the dead, for they too may soon go on us. I lost my Dad a few years ago, we had a good relationship and I learned a lot from him. We didn't see eye to eye on most things in life, but never stopped us from loving and respecting each other. My Dad was a navigation instructor during the war and photography was his passion. I took up photography because of him, he wanted me to be an engineer!
You just never know how long you have, best to enjoy what little time we have on this earth.
Terribly sorry to hear about your family's loss. That's a really tough one. On the plus side you got a really special time with your dad. One of the great things to do in life. Good luck.
Funny thing - on Friday the 20 had the 17-40 to use on static shots and he started with that one. By Sunday, after taking the 100-400 off, i had switched to the 24-70 in the bag and he complained he couldn't get a whole plane into the frame like before. He was convinced there was something wrong with camera. I told him to shoot three shots and I'd photoshop them. He just looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't spend any time on photomerge but this is my initial attempt... I'll have to work on it before I give it to him...
he shot this from two wonky angles...
That's a tough spot to be in Jon, my condolences as well. Dad looks great with the camera!
Jim, that morning shot is truly outstanding and to my thinking is the difference between being a shooter and a photographer/artist. I think can shoot well enough, but just don't have the eye for stuff like that. Thus I shoot sports, all the setup is already built in for me.
I'm already wishing I would have taken more time to get some better static shots. Ideally, I needed another day to walk around. My daughter had a softball tournament that weekend, so I was with her on Saturday and Sunday. Not that I am complaining, the kids grow up too fast and I didn't want to miss it either.
These are some of the nicest air photos I've seen. I try to make a couple of airshows a year and get my share of keepers. Although after seeing your posts here, I feel both humbled and inspired. Thanks for sharing!
Mike
You are very kind, thanks for the wonderful comments. You have to be an artist to catch the action in sports, I'm sure I couldn't do what you do in your chosen subject.
I just got to this image and happen to glance at the exif info. I don't know if you remember but I set my personal record for shutter speed air to air last spring with a Mooney Acclaim. I think it was 1/60th at 150 kts. Well if it wasn't digital and I couldn't prove it to you, I'd just let this one go. The image of this Mustang was shot at 200 mph at 1/20th! We were really pushing the light so I pulled out all the stops, pretty unlikely I'm going to beat that one!
What a bunch of knockout shots Jim! The silhouette of the model/pilot is absolutely beautiful and all the way to this last one - and especially your new record - are so good - its hard to describe how inspired we (speaking for all of us) are and blessed to be numbered among your friends. Keep shooting and posting - we are learning as we go and appreciate your good leadership.
Thank you all for sharing.
