Meet the Members Mark Bennet
April 2009
ISnAP
Comments from the Chair
Just back from Heli-Expo ‘09 (Helicopter Association International) in Anaheim, California. Many of us among the 17,000 or so in attendance were surprised to note that this year’s show - even in light of the dour economy - was the largest on record by far. Some sixty-plus helicopters were displayed inside the cavernous convention center alongside multiple hundreds of booths, kiosks, and exhibit stands. It was, by any standard, a successful show. I was personally encouraged by the vast number of photographs I saw hanging from every nook and cranny and wall in the place. And I’m particularly pleased to tell you that more than a few of the images were familiar to me. Many ISAP members’ names came to mind as I walked the row after row of exhibits. Included were Greg Davis, Mark Bennett, Claes Axstall, Sheldon Cohen, and Bob Ferguson, to name just a few. But alongside the photos were also many hi-end flat-screen video displays. So many in fact, that I began to realize that for those of us who have concentrated for years on still imagery, the day is coming - and soon - when our skills will have to be broader in spectrum if we’re hoping to stay in the game. As I’m sure all of you are well aware, Canon, Nikon, Sony, and several other major still image camera manufacturers have recently launched new camera bodies that integrate hi-end digital video capability as an integral part of the camera package. These are not just fun-and-games accouterments piggy-backed to the still camera’s standard fare, but rather serious pro-grade capabilities that give this new generation full-up dual personalities. When a hi-resolution full-frame digital sensor is coupled with the hi-quality glass of most contemporary still-photography lenses - and the whole system, in turn, is given video capability - the end product is of such quality that it far outstrips the hi-end dedicated video systems that have been so prominent in the past. Somewhat ironically, some video shooters are now switching to the hi-end digital still cameras in order to get the terrific capability the latter offer. Moral here is that we, as still photographers (as I presume the majority of us to be), need to look to the future and plan accordingly. Videography is whole new breed of cat. It demands skills that are different and peripheral to those we’ve developed as still image photographers, and we need to educate ourselves accordingly. And believe me when I say it’s coming whether we like it or not. Everywhere I looked at Heli-Expo the writing was on the wall - both figuratively and literally. Clients not only want videos of their products in action, they are demanding it - and you and I better be in a position to respond accordingly. Until next issue… Jay
Meet the Members Mark Bennett
A life on the edge of aviation
My love of aviation came built-in. The third of five children, I was born on Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, near the middle of the last century. (That sounds like a long time ago!) I lived on and near Air Force bases until my father retired in 1970, and have drifted steadily toward photography and aviation ever since. My father was a fighter pilot, flying the F-86 in Korea with Gus Grissom and in Europe with Chuck Yeager’s squadron. He sat in the cockpit of his F-84, on the flight line at MacDill AFB with his engine running, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and flew night missions in the F-4 as a Night Owl, out of Thailand and over the North. As for us kids, it was a string of bases from one coast to the other, with our own “tours” in Oklahoma, Florida, New Mexico, California, and South Carolina. While we were stationed at Shaw, in South Carolina, we made trips Pope and Fort Bragg for a demonstration of firepower called Brass Strike, which included live ordnance. Napalm, bombs, rockets, and gatling guns. Howitzers, pistols, Bangalores and antibunker explosives. All capped off by an F-4 flying over the grandstands, from behind, at supersonic. Wow! As for photography, I distinctly remember a trip to the Air & Space Museum during which my father let me shoot with his Zeiss Ikon Contessa, and as I write this I can place my hand on that same camera. At high school in Arizona I joined the yearbook staff and put that camera to good use, and spent many long hours, happily, in the darkroom. (By chance a couple of years ago, I reconnected with the student editor of that yearbook and her first comment was how it was one of my photos that opens the book.) Right out of college I started my own photography company, then moved to Chicago for a job designing, building and photographing sets and creatures and vehicles for video game giant Midway Manufacturing. Eventually I had my own company, again, but moved back to Arizona to work for McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company. My main job was graphic design, but over the course of a decade with the company I managed a few photography assignments, learning aviation photography under their lead photographer, and ISAP member, Bob Ferguson. I left what had become Boeing in 1999 to co-found BennettDavis, an advertising agency with a strictly aerospace focus. We have grown to 8 employees and a dozen or so clients, including
Sikorsky, Kaman, Wulfsberg, Westar, and Honeywell. We are particularly strong in the helicopter market and I have photographed many aircraft air-to-air, starting with MD Helicopters and most recently with Sikorsky down in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a magical experience, flying and shooting in a helicopter, one that I highly recommend to any aviation photographer. As for equipment, I’ve been shooting Nikon gear since college — I started with a just-introduced FM2 and a Tokina 28-85 ATX. I really liked that camera, chosen because it had only manual controls, was well built, and could work even if the battery went kaput. Put an MD-12 motor drive on that puppy, and you had a capable, sturdy workhorse. I think I still have that lens around here somewhere, though the body was stolen a few years ago.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety flies over a lot of desert, so the photo puts the aircraft in the right environment.
Early this millennium I added a D1x to my F100, but the D1x couldn’t keep up in air-to-air and the results were only good, not great. Soon after, I got my first D2x I put the F100 on the shelf and haven’t put another roll of film through it. The turning point came when I shot the maiden flight of a K-MAX helicopter with a firefighting tank attached. We were slated for the cover of Rotor & Wing magazine, and I shot on both Velvia 50 and the D2x. I had the digitals right away and sent a few off to the magazine.
They asked for a frame that had a bit more sky, so I searched the by-then processed slides and found a possible candidate. I scanned the slide (with an Imacon 848 scanner) and figured I’d compare the two images in Photoshop to determine if the one did, indeed, had more sky. It didn’t, but the revelation was in comparing the D2x digital to the Velvia scan. The D2x gave better detail and lower noise — it was a striking and convincing. I shot the hell out of those D2x bodies. And my D3s? I totally love them!
A pair of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Davis-Monthan in formation over southern Arizona.
Lest you think I’m a Nikon snob, fear not. My most recent acquisition is a Canon G10. I wanted a quality point-and-shoot but, despite some details in favor of the Nikon P6000, the G10 was the better choice for me. I love my Nikons, but in the end they are only tools, and blind loyalty doesn’t make for good business decisions. If you are getting the job done, then I don’t care what brand of camera you use — it’s all in the eye of the shooter.
cluding nature, construction and events, but also the people and structures of the town, the textures and trash that I see on the ground or up against a fence, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the sublime. It’s a great project, for a great client. Photography is creation for me. I can see and share sights that others don’t see, sometimes because they can’t be where I am, and sometimes because they just don’t see what’s right there in front of them. Aside from my wife, it’s my greatest passion and I work hard to be good at it. (SIDEBAR) Some simple advice on shooting from a photographer who still has plenty to learn. Safety is paramount, and I always stress this in preflight briefings. I encourage my pilot to give me the safety warnings typical for newbie passengers so they are fresh in my mind. It was pointed out to me by my pilot in Louisiana just this January that people have run after their hat that was just blown off by the rotor wash— and they run right into the tail rotor, despite having been warned about tail rotors just minutes before. As for safety in flight, I make it clear to the pilots that I may unintentionally ask for a maneuver or position that is unsafe or makes them uncomfortable, but they should (and always have) told me “no” and we figure out something else that gets us what we need. Having said that, it is often a challenge to get aircraft into the position you want due to lack of formation-flying experience among the pilots. Do what you can to safely, slowly arrange the aircraft to get the shot and still get home safely.
The white blurry swatches are white egrets taking to the air as this Air Logistics S-92 crosses over open water
“I’ve had the honor of photographing the Convair B-36 City of Fort Worth on several occasions as it is being refurbished for display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Here is a particularly impressive view of the the flight engineers’ stations and the flight crew’s workplace. This was shot in June and it got very hot inside.”
I shoot more than aviation, including nature, construction and events. I’m into my fifth year on a project for the town in which I live, photographing pretty much whatever catches my eye — in-
For rotorcraft, your shutter speed is one of the biggest challenges. Namely, it needs to be slow. A solid choice is 1/125 sec. Faster than that and the main rotor blades start to get a bit too “stopped,” not a natural or safe-looking condition. The more edge-on you see the blade, the faster you can shoot, since the viewer won’t notice the extra crispness, but you still have to be careful not to visually stop the tail rotor either. They spin, typically, six times faster than the main rotor, so you have some leeway. If you want a main rotor disk that’s complete — the blurred blades have swept enough to form a complete circle — your shutter speeds drop to anywhere from 1/10 to 1/30.
A Boeing 707-321B sits out a monsoon storm on Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.
Vibrations and bumps are another challenge in a helicopter. Different aircraft have different characteristics in terms of the frequency and amplitude of vibrations, while bumps are mostly a function of the smoothness of the air. Higher speeds usually exacerbate vibration and it is, thus, one of my most common requests during pre-flight briefings: “I don’t need to go fast.” To counteract whatever vibrations you encounter, keep your camera as disconnected from the aircraft as you can. Certainly don’t lean against a structure if you can avoid it, and if seated get your back away from the seat. In all cases, use as much of your body as you can to absorb and dampen those vibrations — legs, back, shoulders, arms — they each further remove the camera from that buzzing, jiggling, shaking vehicle you’re stuck inside. As for the bumps? Shoot when the air is smooth, and be aware that some orientations of your chase aircraft to ambient conditions can add to or reduce your tendency to bump around.
“I’ve had the honor of photographing the Convair B-36J ‘City of Fort Worth’ (52-2827) on several occasions as it is being refurbished for display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Here is a particularly impressive view of the ‘front office’ . These were shot in June and it got very hot in that cockpit.”
“I caught this S-3 Viking while fellow ISAP member Arnold Greenwell and I hung out under the approach end of NAF El Centro. We even caught a vortex, briefly, during one such approach. Good times.”
A pair of A-1 Skyraiders pass in formation at Gillespie Field during ISAP 2006 near San Diego.
Finally, I’m usually looking through the lens as though I’m looking directly at the other aircraft. That may sound, perhaps, either simplistic or cryptic, depending on how you interpret it, but if you look instead at the focusing screen as if you’re seeing a print, you might improve your compositional skills. I know I do.
For a manufacturer of engine air filters, the author photographed this Phoenix PD Agusta A119 against a dust-filled sky.
A complete rotor disk on this Petroleum Helicopters S-76 required a 1/20-second exposure. Photographed over the swamps of southern Louisiana, a cold front had entered the state and so the ride in the back of the Bell 206L3 was pretty chilly with the doors off at 90 knots.
“I caught these S-3 Vikings while fellow ISAP member Arnold Greenwell and I hung out under the approach end of NAF El Centro. We even caught a vortex, briefly, during one such approach. Good times.”
An A-10 from Davis-Monthan AFB practices a precision approach to Libby Air Field.
Gadget Bag by Jay Miller
For more than a couple of years, Arlington Camera, long my local favorite camera store and arguably the best in the Metroplex (as we call the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area) has had a Gitzo tripod sitting on the floor that I have aspired to own. Called the Gitzo Giant Tele Studex G509, it is - in this first iteration (there is a newer version made of composites and called something like “Mk. II”) - the largest and heaviest tripod ever mass-produced by Gitzo. Gitzos have a well-deserved reputation for being as good as tripods can get. Not sure if it’s still true, but until at least a few years ago, when you bought a Gitzo the French company noted in the warranty that it was guaranteed for the life of the owner - and the life of the second owner as well! Now that’s when a manufacturer has confidence in his/her product! Anyway, Gitzos, in all their many variations, are exceptionally well built, rugged to a fault, and fully capable of supporting just about anything in the way of camera gear one cares to mount on them. I have five Gitzo tripods and one Gitzo monopod in my small arsenal of gear, and I have yet to have a single failure of any kind. Admittedly there’s not a lot to go wrong with a tripod, but
it’s not out of the question for a leg to get bent, a quick release to wear, or a part or two to get lost. So far, the only thing that comes to mind in my own Gitzo fleet is a spring hook (mounted on the center post), that unscrewed itself and disappeared somewhere into the great void of lost camera equipment. It was replaced within a week by - you guessed it - Gitzo. Zero charge. So here’s this big Gitzo sitting at Arlington Camera for as far back as I can remember. We’re talking more than a few years here. Enough time, in fact, for the layer of dust to get noticeably thick and black. No, I had not let it sit unnoticed or unappreciated. I had checked on it regularly - verifying it was still on the floor. And I had wheeled and dealed back and forth with Bill Porter, owner of Arlington Camera, for a half-dozen years, but we had never come to a middle ground on price. Truth is, Bill had grown attached to the big Gitzo - and I think he enjoyed holding it over my head every time I visited his shop - which was often! Finally, about two months ago, Bill offered to take back a spare Lowe Pro bag I had returned for repair (Lowe Pro sent a new one rather than mess with fixing the old). When all was said and done, I found myself with several hundred dollars in store credit. Chewing on what to do with it, I had an epiphany (non-religious kind). Why not apply the credit against Bill’s asking price on the tripod - thus making the final price something I could swallow. Shortly after the light bulb lit, I was on the phone. The deal was done in less than a minute. I should have smelled at least a small dead mouse when I walked into Arlington Camera the next day to pick up the big Gitzo. As I passed through the door, all the store employees began to clap and cheer! Turns out, the big tripod had become a store center piece. They had long ago given up on the idea of ever finding a buyer, and some had come to revere it as a religious icon. But the biggest shock was reserved for me. During all the years I had lusted after that big Gitzo, I had never once extended the legs or done anything more than spread the legs and check out the Giant’s weight and rigidity. Never once did it dawn on me that there was a reason it was called the Giant. Well, Bill and his team at Arlington Camera had assumed that was the case - and had extended all three legs to their maximum and had positioned the tripod - all TEN FEET in height of it - behind the cash register. Hanging from it was a very large sign which said, “Hold for Jay Miller”. I was blown away. All these years my mission objective had been to acquire a tripod that was of suitable heft to handle my Nikkor 600/4.0 and 800/5.6 lenses. The Giant is enormous not only in terms of size, but also in terms of weight - weighing in at a very respectable and back-breaking 20-plus pounds. With a 12-pound 600/4.0 and a 4-pound Nikon D3 attached, we’re talking about 35 pounds in one hefty package. Try lugging that up the side of a ten-thousand foot mountain next time you need some exercise. So, I have my Giant and I am a happy camper. I also strut around knowing that it’s going to be a while before I bump into anyone else with anything bigger in the tripod department. It’s a great ego trip! Just a few technical details to summarize: The Giant, typical of Gitzo products, is well finished, super strong, and very rigid. It comes with a flat center plate (with standard adapter options) and a center column that is geared in the vertical axis. A winged collar lock keeps the column in position. The legs are locked in place by the standard twist-type Gitzo leg locks - and like the collar lock, the upper column sections have wings on their locks providing lots of twisting power. Each leg has five sections. When all the legs are retracted and folded, the total dimension from the lens plate to the leg feet is 35 inches. The center column can add another two feet to the total height of the tripod - allowing cameras and long lenses to be stably mounted up to twelve feet off the ground. List price is about $1,250 - but I have seen samples for sale on eBay for less than $550. I paid about $500 for this one.
Jay
Reno National Championship Air Races A Pylon Judge’s Perspective By Owen Ashurst
I had worked with my friend Larry, a retired Alaska Airlines pilot, as a fellow Docent at Seattle’s Museum of Flight for a number of years. One day in early October 2001, we were discussing a variety of things aviation and the topic of air racing came up. Larry’s eyes brighten noticeably as he conveyed his experiences of being a pylon judge at the Reno National Championship Air Races. Now, Larry isn’t a real excitable or chatty fellow in general, but when he began talking about the air races, there was no stopping him. It became apparent that this was obviously something I needed to explore more. I must admit that until that conversation with Larry, I really had no idea that they actually allowed people to stand out in the desert next to 50 foot telephone poles (posing as a pylons with large painted barrels mounted on top), and then flew Mustangs, Sea Fury’s, Bearcats, Tigercats, and assorted other piston and jetpowered aircraft 50 feet over their heads at speeds in excess of 500mph. Where do I sign up for that?! I was soon put in touch with Mr. John Melarkey, Chief Pylon Judge for the Reno Air Race Association (RARA…great acronym huh?). John has been judging air races for more than three decades and while he’s a warm and outgoing gentleman 51 weeks a year, when it comes to race week John is pretty much all business. With millions of dollars of prize money at stake, and many times that many millions of dollars of aircraft involved (not to mention the risk to the pilots), there is no room for error. That said, John retains his sense of humor during race week and to this day I still remember his words regarding what I could expect when I arrived for my first day. With a tinge of delight and a wry smile, John said, “Owen, being on the sticks (pylons) will either scare the hell out of you and you’ll be out of here this afternoon, or it will get in your blood and you’ll be back every year from now on.” Suffice it to say my blood runs fast and low, and turns left a lot. Since 1966, the races have been held each September in the high desert about 10 miles north of Reno at Reno-Stead Airport. Reno-Stead (as in “instead”) once held the dubious distinction
of being home to the U.S. Dept. of Defenses’ desert survival training headquarters. That should tell you all you need to know about the race site! Its natural bowl-like geography, open terrain and large tarmac and hangar areas are ideal for hosting what is beyond any doubt, the fastest motorsport event on the planet. Case in point: the slowest class of aircraft racing at Reno (T-6’s) has an average speed that is as fast as any Indy Car or Formula One race car. Getting the picture, yet? The very select group of individuals who serve as pylon judges are the only group in the world to judge all classes of air racing: Formula 1, Bi-Plane, T-6, Sport, Jet, and Unlimited.
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The smaller two classes, Formula 1 (special built) and Bi-Planes (Mong’s, Pitts Specials, Smiths), run a course measuring 3.11 nautical miles and average around 250mph running modified Continental engines. The same ones shipped standard on Cessna 150’s.
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The next class (in size of course flown) is the T-6’s, comprised of AT-6’ Texans, Harvards, and SNJ’s that average around 220mph around a 4.99 mile course.
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Moving up, we get to the Sport and Super Sport. Special kit-built, high performance aircraft capable of speeds in excess of 400mph around a 6.39 miles course. These engines are typically modified Lycoming’s of 650cc or less.
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Next up, the Jet class. Primarily made up of Czech-built L-39 Albatross’ with an occasional L-39 Delfin or Fouga CM-170 tossed in, this class runs an 8.35 mile constant 3.5G course reaching speeds at or above 500mph.
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Finally, the bad boys of air racing, the Unlimiteds. In a war between radial’s and V-12’s this class consists of P-51 Mustangs, Hawker Sea Fury’s, F7F Tigercats, F8F Bearcats, Yak 11’s, F2G Corsairs, and a Wildcat thrown in for good measure. Flying the same course the Jets fly, the teams push these vintage WWII fighters to the very edge and beyond. In 2003, the P-51 Mustang “Dago Red” with pilot Skip Holm at the controls became the first piston powered aircraft to reach 500mph during qualifying or racing.
Believe me when I say, there is nothing quite like the thrill, sheer exhilaration, and just enough fear to give you “happy feet”, than when one of these machines is headed straight for you at 500mph, and he’s popping up out of the desert floor at eye level! You find religion in a hurry!
A day in the life of a pylon judge begins at 0700hrs each day during race week. (Qualifying begins on Monday and ends Wednesday at 1200hrs. Heat racing begins immediately thereafter and runs through Sunday at 1800hrs). Meeting in the half-light and often bone-chilling cold of a pre-dawn desert morning, this group of 120 judges clutches their Starbuck’s coffee cups and listen intently as the Chief Pylon Judge Melarkey goes over the days schedule, rule interpretations, changes in assignments and various other details about the day’s events. Once adjourned, the judges are off to attend to their various duties. The smaller aircraft (Formula 1 and Bi-Planes) go off first at 0800 hrs each day to avoid the thermals and resulting winds generated by the sun as it warms the brightly colored desert sands. The judges responsible for the pylons for these classes leave immediately after the 0700 meeting adjourns and head directly for their respective “sticks.” These two classes typically complete their qualifying and racing by 1130hrs each day and are finished for the day. During the morning qualifying and racing hours, those judges who man the larger class pylons are free to roam the pits and visit the hundreds of vendors and suppliers located up and down the entire airport tarmac. As the time to man these sticks approaches, the judges trundle across the desert floor to their respective pylon locations. Making sure not to cross under qualifying or racing action on the “inner” courses, and more importantly avoiding driving down an active runway or taxi-way (yes, I know this from first-hand experience, as in “why are the white lines on this road so BIG?!), we make our way amongst the crisscrossed dirt roads carved out in the desert, streaming a trail of dust behind us. The “Home Pylon” located directly across from the main grandstands is show center and the finish line for all classes. A few other pylons also serve all classes as they parallel the active runway in front of the huge grandstands. As the courses turn left and move away from the stands in semi-concentric somewhat egg-shaped circular courses, the pylons become more class specific. Some 3 miles dis-
tant across the sagebrush is “Outer Six”…my home away from home for the week. Sufficient water, sports drinks, food, shelter, sun-block, clothing and everything else one needs to survive in the desert for 8-10 hours had better be on board. Otherwise, it’s a long day in the desert or a trip back to the grandstands during racing action, which is generally frowned upon.
Typically, a crew consists of one pylon captain and four judges. While each crew may have their own methods of recording each aircraft and each lap, the basic are the same. Station judges in such a manner to ensure that each aircraft passes outside the pylon, above the pylon, doesn’t cut-off other aircraft, and be ever vigilant for circumstances or situations that could endanger pilots, aircraft or fellow judges. Usually this requires one judge to stand with his/her back against the pylon itself, looking up through the large ribbed brightly colored barrels, or “cans”, mounted at the top of each pylon. These barrels have had their tops and bottoms removed to permit a judge to look up through the barrels, watching for any part of an aircraft passing over the pylon appearing inside the can. If it does, it is considered a “Cut” and is recorded as such. Other judges are stationed at various angles inside the racing line, typically 50-100 feet from the pylon. These judges ensure proper altitude above the pylon, record aircraft racing numbers and the extent to which an aircraft cuts to the inside of the course, low flying, illegal passes, and assisting other judges. Judges also record each aircraft as it passes by on each lap. While this may sound relatively easy (especially after some separation in later laps), let me assure you that when a gaggle of seven or eight Supersports, Jets, or Unlimiteds passes over your head at close to 500mph in less than five seconds on Lap One, you’d better know what you’re looking for and where to look for it! While the rules place stipulations on where teams place the “Race Number” on the aircraft and the color or size of the number, it is nonetheless challenging to spot them as they whiz by at nearly 80% the speed of sound! All the more reason to roam the pits during your down time memorizing each aircraft, it’s color and paint scheme, Race Number and its location. After each heat race, judges confer to ensure proper recording of each lap and aircraft position and except for a cut called by
the judge directly below the can, all judges must agree on a cut. If it’s not unanimous, the benefit of the doubt goes to the pilot and there’s no cut called. Every pylon has a two-way radio to communicate with the Chief Pylon Judge and all other pylons, as well as security and other officials scattered around the course. After each heat race, each pylon is poled by the Chief Pylon Judge or his designee to relay their reports in to the Home Pylon and ultimately Timing and Scoring. In addition, the judges must complete a Cut Sheet indicating the exact position of each judge, the pylon, the legal racing line around the pylon, and the actual line flown by the pilot(s) who have been recorded as having cut the pylon. While a few rulings by judge have been appealed and overturned, the vast majority of all rulings of the judges are final. Most judges also equip themselves with scanners, binoculars, and of course, a camera. While taking photographs while working on the pylons is permitted, it is strongly discouraged during qualifying runs and during all live racing action, for reasons too obvious to mention.
mixed with pulled pork BBQ, grilled onions and beer. Enjoy the sight of a desert sunrise on beautifully painted and impeccably maintained aircraft treated with loving care. And most of all enjoy the sounds. The ear-splitting, chest-pounding sounds of supercharged Pratt & Whitney’s, Rolls Royce Merlin’s and Allison’s and other power plants roaring to life once again… tuned to the finest edge and running on the ragged one. Man… Machine…One. It only happens once a year, it only happens here, and teams prepare for it all year long. You won’t be disappointed. For more information about Reno Air Races Pylon Judges visit our website at www.pylonjudge.org . Hope to see you there!
Owen
Photoshop Tip Time Smart Object warp If you have a Smart Object made from a Photoshop document or object on a layer, you can warp it any way you like. However, if the Smart Object is a Vector Smart Object from Illustrator, you cannot warp it. The solution is simple, yet odd: convert the Vector Smart Object to a Smart Object (from the Layers panel’s flyout menu) and then it can be warped. If you need to edit the original Illustrator artwork, you’ll have to double-click on the Smart Object’s layer thumbnail to open a Photoshop document that contains the Vector Smart Object. Double-click on its layer thumbnail to open it in Illustrator. (It’s easier than it sounds.)
The week is also filled with dozens of top flight aerobatic acts, static displays, National Aviation Heritage International competition, and numerous other activities. The USAF Thunderbirds or USN Blue Angels are regular attendees each year. Coupled with military heritage flights, private, commercial and military fly-by’s, demonstration flights and dozens of static displays, the week is sure to spoil any other air show you may attend, anywhere. There is literally always something in the air from dawn to dusk every day. It is generally considered the PhD. program for seasoned pilots and crews. And to the over 250,000 people who attend through out the week, it is without a doubt the pinnacle of aviation events. And as a pylon judge, I am fortunate to have an up close and personal relationship to all of it. The “All Access” credentials granted to pylon judges is a priceless benefit that cannot be overstated, nor is it to be taken advantage of because with that privilege comes responsibility and accountability. That said, ask any pilot who visits “Outer Six” and they’ll tell you it’s the best seat in the house without having a stick in your hand! So, come join us. Carve out September 16-20, 2009 and make your way to Reno this year, and for years to come. Enjoy wandering through the pit area breathing in the aroma of Avgas and JetA
Add a second stroke with Smart Objects Here’s a cool way to be able to add more than one layer style to a layer: add a layer style and then convert the layer to a Smart Object. Then you can apply an additional layer style, giving you two strokes, for example.
Copy & Paste blend modes and opacity Not only can you copy-and-paste layer styles from one layer to another, but you can also use the same method to copy blend modes and opacity to multiple layers. Just pick the layer that has the blend mode and/or opacity setting you want, and Control-click (PC: Right-click) on it and choose Copy Layer Style. Then select all the other layers you want to share the same setting, Control-click again, and this time choose Paste Layer Styles. Provided by NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) ® 2008 Kelby Media Group.
ISnAP Sponsors (in alphabetical order):
PowerShot SX1 IS Canon USA http://www.usa.canon.com
Air & Space Smithsonian http://www.airspacemag.com
Delkin Devices http://www.delkin.com
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association http://www.aopa.org
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company http://www.lockheedmartin.com
Boeing http://www.boeing.com
Nikon USA http://www.nikonusa.com
Events of Interest April 2009
11 Apr Bluebonnet Air Show Burnet, TX, USA
21-26 Apr Sun’n Fun Fly-In http://www.sun-n-fun.org/content/ Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, FL, USA 25-26 Apr Wings Over Wayne Seymour-Johnson AFB http://www.wingsoverwayneairshow.com/ Goldsboro, NC, USA
20 May TLP - Spottersday Florennes, Belgium 21-23 May Heli Russia 2009 Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia 21-24 May Chipmeet 2009 Zoersel, Oostmalle, Belgium 23-24 May Bulgarian International Air Fest ‘09 http://www.airshow-bg.com Plovdiv, Krumovo, Bulgaria 24 May Volkel in de wolken Volkel city, Netherlands 24-25 May Southend Air Show Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK
May 2009
02 May MCAS Yuma Air Show http://www.yumaairshow.com/ MCAS Yuma, AZ, USA
03 May Abingdon Air & Country Show http://www.abingdonfayre.com/ Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK 12-14 May EBACE 2009 Geneva, Switzerland 16 May 5th Texel Taildragger & Old Timer Fly-in Texel Airport, Netherlands 17 May Spring Air Show Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK
30-31 May Västerås Flygmuseum Roll Out http://www.flygmuseum.com/ Stockholm-Västerås, Sweden
Events of Interest June 2009
14 Jun Cosford Air Show RAF Cosford, Shropshire, UK 15-21 Jun Paris Air Show 2009 Le Bourget, France 19-20 Jun Koninklijke Luchtmacht Open Dagen Volkel AB, Netherlands
01 Jun Oostwold Air Show 2009 Oostwold Airport, Oostwold, Netherlands 05-07 Jun Meeting de l’air Cazaux, France
20 Jun Walney Air Show Walney Island, Cumbria, UK 21 Jun Ursel Avia Show Ursel, Belgium 21 Jun Kemble Air Day Kemble, Gloucestershire, UK 26-28 Jun Meeting Aérien Reims, France
06-07 Jun Meeting Aérien de l’EA-ALAT et l’EFA Le Luc / Le Cannet, France 13-14 Jun Meeting de l’air Tours-St.Symphorien, France
27-28 Jun Biggin Hill International Air Fair http://www.bigginhillairfair.co.uk/ Biggin Hill Airport, Kent, UK
Code of Ethics
http://aviationphotographers.org
Membership
Since 2001, ISAP has grown to over 400 members representing some twenty countries. We have successfully filed and received a 501 (c) (3) as a tax-exempt status. Our new “official” name is now International Society for Aviation Photography, Inc. The board also determined that ISAP membership will be viewed as a privilege. Accordingly, along with membership comes a responsibility to fellow members. The board has created three types of membership: Full-time professional, Part-time professional, and Associate. All member types will share, educate, and network with each other to continually improve the skills and knowledge base of ISAP as a whole. ISAP, it is hoped, will quickly become a professional organization held in high esteem by the aviation industry.
Membership Types • • •
Pro Full – Full Time Professional Photographers Pro Part – Part Time Professional Photographers Assoc – Aviation Photography Enthusiasts
Membership Benefits
Becoming an “active” member of ISAP by signing and committing to the Code of Ethics and paying your annual dues allows you to: • Access the “members only” area of the web site. • Present your Portfolio to prospective clients via the ISAP Gallery. • Network and mentor with some of the finest aviation photographers in the world. • Carry the ISAP Membership Card which is fast becoming a recognized “icon” in the industry. • Active Membership is a requirement for attendance to the outstanding Annual Symposiums!
Each member is required to sign a code of ethics, which states I agree to abide by the ISAP Code of Ethics and pledge to honor the highest level of professionalism and conduct, with honesty and integrity at all times. I will familiarize myself with the rules and regulations of any facility that I visit and abide by them to uphold and dignify the reputation of ISAP and refrain from conduct that could harm any future opportunities for other ISAP members. I will treat others with courtesy and exercise good judgment in my actions. I agree to share my knowledge and skills with my fellow ISAP members to help increase the level of ISAP’s reputable knowledge base. If I breach any part of the ISAP Code of Ethics, my membership may be restricted or terminated by the Board of Directors. Adult 1 Year, $35.00 For any questions or problems with your membership application/renewal, please contact : av-membership@aviationphotographers.org
Marketplace
Got anything you want to sell or trade? Here’s your chance! Just drop the editor a email at viggenja37@sbcglobal.net . I have the items below available for sale. I will entertain any reasonable offer, plus actual shipping amount. I can be reached at michaeltessler@comcast.net or 925-381-3419 (mobile). Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. o Canon EOS-1N camera body o Canon EOS-1N accessories: o Power Drive Booster E1 o EF 28-105mm f/3.5 auto-focus o Speedlite 540EZ o Canon AE-1 Program camera body o Power winder A (two available) o Speedlite 199a (with wide angle panel) o Vivitar 550FD o Canon FD lenses available: o 35-105mm f/3.5 (two available) o Extender 2x-B (two available) o 100-200mm f/5.6 o 28mm f/2.8 o Vivitar 100-500mm zoom lens for Canon FD mount o Canon A-1 camera body (battery cover chipped, but body works) Thanks very much!
Mike
April 2009
ISnAP
ISAP Chairman of the Board – ISAP Board Vice Chair – ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member – ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Board Member - ISAP Membership Coordinator - ISAP Treasurer - ISAP Web Site Manager - ISAP Field Trip Coordinator - ISAP Speaker Coordinator - ISnAP Editor -
Jay Miller Chad Slattery Paul Bowen David Carlson Denny Lombard Russell Munson Albert Ross Eric Schulzinger Caroline Sheen Katsuhiko Tokunaga Larry Grace Bonnie (Bartel) Kratz Michele Peterson Richard VanderMuelen Andy Wolfe Frank Landrus
aerofax@sbcglobal.net chadslattery@earthlink.net bowen@airtoair.net dcarlson@cusa.cannon.com dennylombard@roadrunner.com higheye@aol.com alross@sbcglobal.net eric.schulzinger@lmco.com csheen@si.edu tokunaga@dact.co.jp lgrace@mm.com photobonnie@execpc.com websupport@aviationphotographers.org richardvm@aol.com viggenja37@sbcglobal.net
The ISnAP is a bi-monthly 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 the International Society for Aviation Photography. The deadline for submissions to The ISnAP is the 25th of the month prior to month of issue. Please submit as a Microsoft Word text file as an attachment via email to your editor.
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