December 2010
ISnAP
Tucson Triple Play James O’Rear
Off To The Races! Moose Peterson
Comments from the Chair:
Been a while since my last update, so there’s a lot to report.
Gadget Bag by Jay Miller
For starters, it is with considerable regret that I note the resignation of Chad Slattery as Vice Chair and ISAP Board Member. Chad’s decision was his own and was officially accepted by the Board of Directors during the first week of November. His position has been temporarily filled by Larry Grace who will concurrently also continue to serve as ISAP secretary until a permanent replacement for Chad can be found. More on this within the next few weeks, but for now, that’s where things stand. I am pleased to announce that ISAP-X is now scheduled for June 2, 3, 4 of 2011 in San Diego, California. Our base of operations will be the Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel, 1433 Camino Del Rio S., San Diego, CA 92108-3521 (Sheraton.com). Our special rate is $99 per night and the reservation number is 619 260-011 (make sure to mention you’re with ISAP). We already have an excellent list of guest speakers going together as well as a very fine field trip planned. Triple ace Bud Anderson, I am very happy to say, has accepted our invitation to be our special guest and banquet speaker. We’re also planning on some expanded presentations this year, not the least of which is a panel event tentatively scheduled for Thursday evening. We feel there is a need for more such panel events per the co-presentation by Nikon and Canon a few years ago. These will consist primarily of question and answer sessions relating to equipment and technique. We feel there is a need for more attendee direct participation and that panel events provide that opportunity. So, come equipped with your questions! 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of US Naval Aviation. Thus our reason for holding the next ISAP symposium in San Diego - which is arguably U.S. Naval Avaiation’s birthplace. We are hoping to be able to participate, at least in part, in the activities scheduled around this centennial celebration. We’ll keep you apprised of plans in forthcoming ISnAPs and via this column. Let me also say there are myriad issues facing ISAP that impact you and your ability to photograph airplanes at airports, airshows, and other similar venues. There will be more on this in upcoming issues of ISnAP. These are serious and timely topics for discussion and you will be requested to give us your input. Among these is whether ISAP should serve as a clearing house for aviation photographers in general - and whether we should interface with various government authorities and entities accordingly. Again, more on this in forthcoming editorials, so be sure to watch for ISnAP when it shows up on your desktop. That’s about it for now! See you in June!
Jay
Pocket Wizard Caddy I’ve come to think of my four Pocket Wizards as an essential part of my photography repertoire. There was a time when the infra-red beam generators and associated sensors were sufficient to handle what was then my limited need for firing flash units remotely. As time passed and I began to understand the importance of fill flash in the field and highwattage studio flash systems for indoor work, I concurrently began to understand the limitations of line-of-sight infrared communication and the nightmare represented by extension cords and associated “hard-wired” electrical systems.
Pocked Wizard to the rescue. It took me a while to understand the basics of wireless communication for flash, but once the realities of the other options began to soak in, I took the big leap and bought my first Pocket Wizard. A month later, I had bought a second, and as noted previously, I now own four. Can’t work without ‘em and already have plans to buy several more. Having Pocket Wizards and using them is one thing, but what to do with ‘em once you have ‘em hooked up to your flashes and cameras is something else again. Though they aren’t particularly large (about four inches by three inches excluding their little flexible antenna), they are usually left
dangling from their attached strap and thus banged around whenever whatever it is they’re attached to is moved. Even worse, on occasion they are left hanging via their electrical attachment cable. The latter isn’t a good option, primarily because a Pocket Wizard can be damaged if the cable is accidentally jerked from its connector port. Additionally, those little cables ain’t cheap - at about $16 apiece. So, it was with some relief that, about three months ago, I discovered the PocketWizard Caddy. Manufactured by Hildozine (http:// www.hildozine.com/Hildozine/ Products.html), they are essentially a grooved (for tripod legs) plastic plate that facilitates mounting a Pocket Wizard to just about anything you can wrap the Caddy’s integral elastic cord around. The plate itself is attached to the Pocket Wizard using the unit’s 1/4-inch threaded socket and a screw that’s an integral part of the Caddy. The Caddy, which is available in several models to accommodate the several different Pocket Wizard variants that now are available, conforms to the Pocket Wizard’s external shape. It’s about a quarter of an inch thick, so it does add a small amount of bulk to the basic Pocket Wizard, but you won’t find that an issue. Only downside is that the Caddy covers the Pocket Wizard’s battery door, so the Caddy has to be removed whenever you need to replace or recharge the two AAs. I found the elastic bungee cord to be much better at holding the Pocket Wizards in place than I at first imagined. I couldn’t see how it could keep the Pocket Wizard from sliding down one of my Gitzo tripod legs. Miraculously, however, there is no slipping or sliding (the cords have a rubberized coating that really gives ‘em a grip) and they work as advertised. Attaching or detaching the unit to/from a tripod leg - or just about anything else for that matter - is very simple. No rocket science is required. Price of these nifty little units is about $15. In my opinion, they’re a bargain at that.
Jay
Marketplace
Got anything you want to sell or trade? Here’s your chance! Just drop the editor a email at viggenja37@sbcglobal.net.
Airplane ID Winners!
The winner for last issue was Tom Bunce who nailed it as the 1911 Battaille Triplane. This must have stumped everyone else since he was the only one to guess. César Battaille, b.1882, in Basècle, developed engineering and artistic skills at an early age and in 1909, following a visit to an ‘Aviation Week’ at nearby Tournai, set himself on a course of study and construction which culminated in his triplane of 1911. The first flight took place on 16th August 1911 and between 1911 and 1914, the machine was tested, updated and flown by César Battaille and the French pilot Jean Chassagne. After WWI, César Battaille took to sculpture and concentrated on the technical management of his family’s factory. The Bataille Triplane is now housed in the Brussels Royal Armed Forces Museum.
Photoshop Tip Time Vibrance Eyes
Bring excitement and pumped up color to your subject’s eyes by adding a Vibrance adjustment layer from the Adjust-ments panel (Window>Adjustments). Move the Saturation slider all the way to the left until it reads ñ100 and every-thing turns grayscale. In the Masks panel (Window>Masks), click the Invert button and the image returns to normal. Grab the Brush tool (B) and paint on the layer mask with white over the irises of the eyes turning them to grayscale. Now drag the Saturation up to 0 then increase the Vibrance until the irises dance. Provided by Zorana Gee Provided by NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) ® 2009 Kelby Media Group.
Tucson Triple Play James O’Rear
Tucson has not one but three aviation attractions that can make for a few full memory cards. Pima Air & Space Museum PASM recently opened their new hangar expansion “Flight Central” which houses a Thunderbird F-4E, F-14A Tomcat, Vietnam Huey and the A-10 Warthog nose from the Terminator 4 movie among other artifacts. PASM is also where you can take the tour of the 309th AMARG “Boneyard” facility. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas but the AMARG tours only run Monday-Friday and not on Federal holidays. AMARG tours are given on buses that have tinted windows so be aware of that. Staff state that photography for your own personal use is unrestricted.
Davis-Monthan AFB Home to the A-10 Thunderbolt II school house, D-M is usually a flurry of Warthog activity with multiple active squadrons and tenant units. Also based at D-M are the EC130H Compass Call Electronic Warfare and HC-130P/N King Combat Search and Rescue Hercules variants as well as HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters. US Customs and Border Patrol runs an air operations center from there as well so their stable is often seen: Eurocopter 350B & EC120B, UH-60 Blackhawk, Hughes OH-6A, Citation II, Cessna 210L, Piper Super Cubs, etc.
The 309th AMARG facility not only takes in aircraft but also will repair/modify/regenerate aircraft and that means check flights! AMARG-associated aircraft can be darnnear anything but most often are the McDonnell-Douglas RF-4C Phantom II (regeneration to full-sized aerial target drones), F-16A/C Fighting Falcons (regeneration to fullsized aerial target drones as well), B-1B Lancer (upgrade to carry SNIPER pods), C-130 Hercules (upgrade/refurbishment often seen in all-metal finish), P-3 Orions (foreign military sale FMS to Brazil) and the occasional T-37 Tweet (refurbishment for FMS).
Operation Snowbird runs in the winter months for both US and foreign units preparing to deploy to SW Asia and have brought in various Guard and Active Duty aircraft in addition to RAF Tornado/Harriers. Antonov AN-124s will often ferry foreign helicopters in/out for training purposes. Photography is usually accomplished from the west of the airfield for arrivals, late afternoon often sees the pattern “flip” due to noise abatement concerns; photography is best accomplished from south-east of the field during these conditions. Departures are problematic because of the deep runway position, aircraft are usually way up by the time they’re in your vicinity.
Tucson Int’l. Airport Home to the 162nd Fighter Wing, KTUS has nearly 80 F-16 Fighting Falcons. Two resident units fly F-16C/D in the Block 25/42 air frames. Also present are a small number of Fighting Falcons assigned to the Air National guard/ Reserve Test Center- AATC wearing the AT tail code. The current big draw is the Block 60 Desert Vipers belonging to the United Arab Emirates wearing conformal fuel tanks, integrated SNIPER pods and more strange lumps and bumps that you can see on a swamp toad. The UAE unit is returning home in the fall and will be replaced with the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 training unit.
Raytheon Missile Systems is located adjacent to the airport and will use some unconventional aircraft on occasion such as the Convair 580 and the Douglas DC-9 as flying test beds. There is a civilian pilot re-certification facility that brings in a good assortment of business jets. There are multiple locations to photograph from depending on the lighting conditions. Transient traffic at both DM and KTUS runs the gamut from the diminutive MC-12W Project Liberty to the Boeing Dreamlifter and everything in-between it seems. The area is an aviation box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna’ get. James O’Rear
Off To the Races! Moose Peterson
We’re in the Press Room, suiting up as if heading off to battle. 200400VR cleaned, set and ready. Check! Camera body cleaned, loaded and charged. Check! The bag has a couple of extra lenses packed inside with spare flash cards, battery and water. Sunblock is applied, sunglasses cleaned and packed, wide brim hat on and ready. Vehicles are assembled outside and the call is made. 08:40 we depart, be on the road ready to go at 08:35. The level of activity cranks up a couple of notches as everyone double checks their gear, and then heads for the assembly area. The smell of AV gas wafts over the air as the sounds of motors turning over and props chopping at the air can be heard. We head outside just as the P40s and P51s take to the air, their roar bringing smiles to our faces. Nah, this isn’t the European theater of war, it’s the Reno Air Races.
For fifteen years, I’ve lived just three hours away from this adrenalin fueled photographic experience and had never made it to the tarmac. It wasn’t until my good friend, Scott Diussa of Nikon Professional Services said he was going and graciously asked me to join them did I make it. Five minutes after hitting the Press Room, I was hooked!
The excitement, fun and thrill of the Reno Air Races doesn’t need to be explained to the members of ISAP. The camaraderie and friendship that is Reno is something we all treasure. So what can I contribute to say thanks to everyone for bringing me and my family into the fold? I want to share just a couple of things I’ve learned from all of you that I combined in my own head along with camera gear, which helped me make the images I now cherish.
Stopping those birds
One skill that I could apply at pylons is panning. This is a technique I use every day so it’s very much second nature. It starts with proper handholding. The lens rests in the palm of the left hand, gravity holding it in place. The camera body with an eyecup is pressed against the forehead and elbows are brought in and braced against the sides (some of us have greater waistlines than others). With those basics in place, all that is left is the panning.
I set up my stance so when the plane is in the place I previsualize where I want it (based on the background) then twist at the trunk to do the actual panning. I prefocus the lens at the distance where I first want to pick up the plane in the viewfinder. With that done, when the plane comes around the track, I throw the lens up just before it gets to that locale I prefocused on, get the plane in the viewfinder and then twist at the trunk to pan/track it. I pan with the plane until while twisting I’m back to shooting straight in front of me, the post I felt was the best background. Then the finger comes off the shutter release but I continue to twist, watching the plane. If I
don’t see a shot, I stop twisting / panning once the camera is no longer making any noise. If I see an “up the butt” shot, I reset my feet and shoot as the plane leaves the pylon, stopping the panning again only after the camera is no longer firing.
Making them purty
We all know and feel the romance of flight, which is probably why we’re all there. I want to bring that to every click the best I can. This is where background and movement in the image even though it’s a still image comes into play. Background selection is essential in this pursuit. To communicate the speed, a background that blurs really cleanly is essential. The blur comes from panning and the clean look comes from the tones. Thankfully, that’s easy to find at Reno. The romance comes with them big, gorgeous puffies that float by. Staying within the boundaries while working in the clouds is always a challenge for me at Reno. Another challenge is one started by our good friend Richard. Blurring the prop is important I feel to communicate the power of flight. Richard shared with me the 1/250 maximum and 1/60 full 360 blur formula and it works for my images. The camera is in Shutter Priority, the appropriate shutter speed dialed in based on what’s in the air and the aperture is set by the camera. With that, it’s just click time.
For Nikon users, here’s a little more trivia. The camera’s AF is set to AAA and the body set to AF-C. In custom settings, A1 is set to Focus and Release. These settings make the D3 family, D700 and D300 series AF really fly (sorry, had to work in at least one bad pun).
I know that most of the veteran photogs know this stuff. I know this because you are all such a sharing and supportive group. I’m hoping that some of the new “kids” on the block though might benefit from what I’ve learned combined with what you’ve shared with me. And if we’re ever at an event together and your need an assist, please don’t hesitate to ask. Helping fellow photographers is the ISAP way!
ISnAP Sponsors (in alphabetical order):
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company http://www.lockheedmartin.com
Air & Space Smithsonian http://www.airspacemag.com
Nikon USA http://www.nikonusa.com
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association http://www.aopa.org
Northrop Grumman http://www.northropgrumman.com Canon USA http://www.usa.canon.com
Delkin Devices http://www.delkin.com
Think Tank http://www.thinktankphoto.com
December 2010
ISnAP
ISAP Chairman of the Board –
Jay Miller
aerofax@sbcglobal.net
ISAP Board Member -
Paul Bowen
bowen@airtoair.net
ISAP Board Vice Chair – ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member -
Larry Grace David Carlson
Russell Munson Albert Ross
Jessica Ambats Caroline Sheen
Katsuhiko Tokunaga
ISAP Membership Coordinator - Larry Grace
lgrace@mm.com
dcarlson@cusa.cannon.com higheye@aol.com
alross@sbcglobal.net
jessicaambats@gmail.com csheen@si.edu
tokunaga@dact.co.jp lgrace@mm.com
ISAP Treasurer -
Bonnie (Bartel) Kratz
ISAP Field Trip Coordinator -
Richard VanderMuelen richardvm@aol.com
ISAP Web Site Manager -
ISAP Speaker Coordinator - ISnAP Editor -
Michele Peterson Andy Wolfe
Frank Landrus
photobonnie@execpc.com
websupport@aviationphotographers.org
viggenja37@sbcglobal.net
The ISnAP is a periodic publication of the International Society for Aviation Photography and is used to communicate news, functions, convention information, and other events or items of interest on the local, regional, and national scenes. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and should not be construed as the views or opinions of International Society for Aviation Photography. Deadline for submissions to The ISnAP is the 25th of the month prior to month of issue. Please submit as a WORD text file as an attachment via email to your editor.
It's "Airplane ID" time! Here's your next challenge:
Jay Miller Photo Collection