Jim,
The Air Guard pilot, if he was the same guy at Brunswick, puts on a great show! I really had fun watching him fly that thing around. Nice captures, as usual, to everyone.
I met all the demo pilots at one point or another, but it is all a blur. You're right though, those boys were having a good time burning Jet-A. Glad you like the images, more to come.
Great stuff continues to pop up on this thread. But I wouldn't expect anything else
But at the same time it's always unpleasant to hear about someone losing a close person, friend, family member or such. Therefore I would like to dedicate this photo to everyone, who have lost someone in the past.
I took this photo year and a half ago, when my good friend and basically my mentor, Lassi Tolvanen, died in a heart failure at only age of 41. On the eve of the day Lassi died, I just couldn't think of any better way to honour his memory than go up there and do what he loved most right after his family. Lassi was the best A2A photographer in Finland and he was kind enough to "take me under his wings" and introduced me with A2A-shooting. I only knew him for a couple of years but in that time he became a true friend and this was my farewell to him.
On first glance, I thought - wow - another great photo!
After reading your comments it makes one think of "slipping the bonds of this earth and soaring into the heavens."
As a Christian - I know that whatever sickness and suffering this earth has to offer is nothing compared to what awaits us when this life is over. My friend succumbed to her sickness and it overtook her. Today, right now, I know based on the promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, she is healthier, happier and more completed in His presence, than how we knew her in her best days here. That is our comfort and our hope - the hope of glory.
Thanks for the photo - it says a lot!
Edited by jbear2000 on Oct 04, 2007 at 08:21 AM GMT
You articulate the Hope that is within us very well. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that this is a blink of an eye. Someone a few posts ago said we don't know how long each of us has and we should enjoy this life to the fullest. The knowledge that we are vey finite should first and foremost, motivate each of us to develope a relationship with our Creator and our Savior. While I believe we should treasure and enjoy every good gift and every moment here, we should do it with an eternal perspective. Easier said than done, I know, and I stumble a hundred times a day in that pursuit, but it's the pursuit that counts.
I to want to pass on my sympathy to you and to his family. This is a well written line from what I feel is the best poem for a pilot..everyone know it but I have to write it at least the begining.
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth"
Hey - my dad had us leaving before the wheels touched down on the last performance - what is it about old folks that they think they have to get to bed before 7:00? He gets up at 4:00 - I would think adjusting that schedule a bit would work... Oh well - if the security swept y'all out - i guess i didn't miss much.
what ticks me off (not really - but) is Jim can get a tack sharp image at 1/40th of a second with his camera and I can't get one half as sharp at 1/120! Its either the camera or technique or both - but I'm seriously thinking of sending it back. There isn't but a handful of images from this last weekend that are anywhere near this sharp. Everything moving seems soft! I'm just now going through the image folders and when I see mine and then look at a new post from everyone else... ahhh the frustration!
That was too bad, they should have extended it to 7 or so anyway. I think there was some underlying security concern because they had bomb sniffing Shepherds all over the site every morning at dawn and every evening after the gates closed. They are going to produce a hardcover coffee table book with the images from a select group of photographers, and we were allowed 24 hour access to the field. I think they wanted to limit ramp traffic so we could get images without a lot of people.
You made a big sacrifice when you put forth the effort to bring your Dad, it's hard for a serious shooter to split allegiances. I know that when I go to an event with someone, I'm sacrificing images just because you're distracted, talking, eating or roaming the exhibits, it's difficult to do both. I was literally on my feet 17 hours or so each day.
Are you disappointed in your 20D images, or is it just the III that was giving you trouble? Contrary to what I said in our conversations prior to GML, I used the III quite a bit during the event. On the plane going up I got the manual out and tried a whole new set of parameters, then paid extreme attention to tweaking the focus manually as we discussed. Most of the images I have posted are with the III. I actually shot very little with my 1Ds MKII. When you get used to the buffer speeds of the IIn and the III, the 1Ds MkII is painfully slow. Would you like me to go through my current settings for you? Maybe they'd help you. I had the 7-200/2.8 on the MKIIn, the 500/4 on the MKIII and my 100-400 kind of rotated depending upon the circumstances.
I stopped by my camera supplier yesterday for a couple of things and he mentioned that my 1Ds MKIII should be in in a couple of weeks. Rumor has it that the files are higher quality than the Hasselblad H3 with the 39 megapixel back, sure glad I didn't go that route! I picked up a 16-35 series II which is supposed to be a razor sharp "digital" lens design. I find it hard to believe the 1Ds MkIII won't have similar focus issues, it's got to be the same technology, we'll see.
While I was on the road, I just went through things quickly and posted shots that I ran through PS CS1 which was all I have on the laptop. I grabbed the best ones I could as quick as I could, knowing I'd spend some time with them when I got back. I wasn't sure if the softness was the laptop computer screen or the actual image.
Now that I'm back at my desktop and having gone through about 1/2 of Friday's shots - its a revelation.
I didn't use the 20D much since dad had it with him - I did shoot a few statics and they are good. Most of dad's moving shots have a lot of camera shake in them - as he has never used a big lens like the 100 - 400. He got a few keepers but nothing I can compare to the Mark III. Let me post up a 100% magnification of a section of an image of what I'm seeing on even the sharpest of my images.
This is a portion of a static with the Mark III and the 300 2.8 from the bleachers:
There has been no post-production to these files other than resizing them for the web - no sharpening or levels or anything.
I've downloaded the custom functions from the I D Series forum and a few others I found online to help with the problem - but have been reluctant to muck around with the settings until I was sure about the camera as it was shipped. If you're getting good results with yours - and it certainly looks like you are - please send me what you are using and I'll be greatly appreciative for the help.
Thanks Jim!
He Again great shots i realy hope i once get the chance to make some AtoA shots.
And Jim could you keep us up to speed when that book comes out i realy want to have it.
I thinking of making a book myself you ca do that nowadays at the local photoshop in town here.
Here are a couple more from me from GML that for now we be the last i'am going to sort out the photo's from the begining starting with the Reno Airaces.
Again i hope that you will enjoy them.
1.P40 Taking off
2.Kingcobra taking off
3.Raptor vapes
4.P51 Mustang Taxing
Nice captures, as usual, to everyone.
Oh well - if the security swept y'all out - i guess i didn't miss much.
