Tag Archives: Erickson Aircraft Collection

Monochrome Therapy

13 Wednesday Apr 2016

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I have no idea why, but I always get some relief from any mental anguish from converting an image to black and white. There is something about eliminating the color from an image and creating drama through tonal contrast and separation that soothes my mind.

The secret to a compelling monochrome image is usually contrast. In monochrome, there are two ways to create contrast; there is contrast the same as in the image before you make the conversion and then there is separating tone based on color by using color filtration in the editing software. The second method, is always foremost on my mind when I shoot for b&W, which I rarely do. My method usually means that I sort through my existing images looking for one that will look dramatic after allowing for the color filtration etc.

For the process, I use Silver Efex Pro2, now available for free from Google. It is easy and powerful. I’ve tried to get similar results just as a test in Lightroom, and it takes a lot of work, but honestly can be done. Silver Efex Pro2 comes with such a great variety of presets that it is usually a matter of choosing a preset and then making tweaks. I rarely go with the preset alone; doesn’t provide the exact look I want, and deprives me of some of my therapy.

My most used preset these days is the High Structure (smooth). I usually apply a yellow or orange filter to it, red is usually too contrasty. In most pics, yellow, orange, red filters provide increasing contrast as you move through the list. This is dependent on the color makeup of the image however and sometimes blue or green are the appropriate choice. One thing to watch for is that due to some characteristic of digital images that I don’t understand, blue usually will make noise more visible.

If you want a closer look at these images look at this gallery.

 

Flag Day at Erickson Aircraft Collection

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

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On June 14, 2015, Erickson Aircraft Collection dedicated a very large flag to the Madras community for Flag Day. EAC published this event on their FB page and I received a personal message from somebody there saying I should give it a look.

I already had a pretty darn busy weekend, but figured this would be worth it, so added it to my schedule. The drive over there was an incredible experience, the weather was great, I had the open road in front of me and was listening to ‘70s tunes on my iPhone.

The event itself was really cool. The local JROTC were the primary handlers of the flag and veterans and others in the community also chipped in. The flag itself is beautiful and inspiring. Only downside is that I had difficulty finding a vantage point I was entirely happy with, except for when they were folding the flag inside the hangar, great vantage points easy during that time.

Of course, I can’t go to Erickson Aircraft Collection without photographing some planes also. I concentrated on the planes that were outside. I definitely feel that planes definitely look better outside, so I photograph them outside when possible.

Take a look at the images from the ceremony, or the airplane photos I also made that day.

 

Make the Most of Bad Weather: Madras Maiden Engine Tests

03 Wednesday Jun 2015

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On April 24, 2015, Erickson Aircraft Collection performed engine tests on Madras Maiden, their B-17G Flying Fortress, for the first time since some maintenance work. There was some talk of flying that day also, but it didn’t happen for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons was the weather kind of sucked.

I went over to photograph the day’s events and was a bit frustrated by the weather, but came up with some stuff I like pretty well.

I used too basic methods for accomplishing this in these less than ideal weather conditions. The number one challenge was preventing getting a washed out sky combined with a too dark airplane. Method number one for dealing with this was to shoot carefully making sure that the sky retained detail. This was followed by processing in Lightroom to make the most out of the dynamic range. This included bringing the highlights down and the shadows up along with judicious use of the clarity slider. Graduated filters applied to the sky were also sometimes used.

The other thing I did, that gave me results I preferred, was to use alternative “retro” processing. On some of the images I applied presets in Nik’s Analog Efex Pro2. On my favorites however, I went in to Silver Efex Pro2. There I started with the High Structure: Harsh preset. I then let the sky go very light and optimized contrast. I was shooting for an almost etching look. I finished it off with a little sepia toning.

Please take a closer look at these images, or the conventionally processed Madras Maiden images, or my aviation portfolio.

What Lens Do I Use for Air to Air Photography?

18 Wednesday Feb 2015

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One of the biggest topics of discussion in the aviation photography world is what lens to use for air to air photography. Personally, I don’t think there is one solid answer, so I am here today just discussing my opinions on the matter.

 

The 24-105mm lens, my personal favorite. I am a huge fan of the camera in tight to the subject with a huge background behind it look. Once upon a time I hated this look, but came to love it while photographing volunteers working in habitat conservation. It makes your subject, whether it’s a person or an airplane, look powerful and important. Of course, for this to work well the pilot of the subject plane is going to need to fly very close formation, so make sure he or she is a very qualified formation pilot. This look is sure to be dramatic, and will make getting sharp images with slow enough shutter speeds to get prop blur as easy as it can be without a gyro. The above image was shot with this lens at 40mm, the widest shot I can find in my catalog. Probably why it is my favorite.

 

The 70-210mm lens. This is the other very popular choice. While I don’t like it as well, it does have its uses in aviation photography. One of the most important in my opinion, is when you are photographing multiple planes and you want to use optical compression to deemphasize the distance between them. This is often great for formations of warbirds. It is slightly more difficult to shoot with this lens, but don’t worry, it’s not as big a difference as you might fear. The above image of the FW190 and Mustang was made with this lens for the purpose of optical compression. The focal length in use at the time was 210mm.

 

Other lenses. Theoretically, you could use any lens for air to air photography, at least if you can fit it in your space in the camera plane. One I use sometimes is the 100-400mm. Probably the biggest reason I do this is that my 70-210 is very old and my 100-400 is quite a bit better. However, it does have the added benefit of allowing you a bit more reach if your subject pilot won’t be flying quite as close. The above image I shot with my 100-400mm, because I decided that the presence of IS in this lens vs. my very old 70-210 was an asset I wanted on this flight. I’ve heard some say IS makes no difference in air to air photography, but personally I found a noticeably higher keeper rate.

My first opportunity to learn these things was due to Madras A2A X. 2015 will see the second iteration of this event and I suggest that if you are interested in air to air photography, you attend. The event is organized by Lyle Jansma and instructed by Scott Slocum. The Erickson Aircraft Collection hosts the event in conjunction with the Airshow of the Cascades.

Most importantly, if you get the air to air opportunity, use your own judgment, but do remember what you’ve heard from others. Photography is a creative endeavor, so your personal vision is what is most important, but your opportunities in air to air photography are probably going to be limited enough that you don’t want to fly blind – don’t want to mess up your one opportunity by taking too short of a lens and the plane is a tiny speck in all your photos.

You can also see more images from my Madras A2A X experience, or take a look at my aviation portfolio.

Madras A2A X

30 Saturday Aug 2014

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I finally did it! I finally flew in a light plane. I finally photographed some planes air to air. What do I plan to do now that I’ve achieved these goals – work towards doing a whole lot more of it.

Several years ago, I read an article in Digital Photo Pro about aviation photography. Aviation photography had long been a field that I was interested in pursuing, but knowing that professional level aviation photography usually requires some special access I had no idea how to go about it. This article gave birth to a kernel of an idea of a way I might be able to make it happen.

This made me hyper alert to any further information I ran into online of ways I might be able to make this happen. I saw several things online early on that inspired me that this may be possible. One of the key items was there are actually workshops out there that teach photographers how to do this sort of photography. Here it was the key thing that would allow me to demonstrate ability in the field in a method that the only thing I needed was money to make it happen.

Unfortunately, money was in short supply and I had to let several opportunities pass me by. I was afraid every time that the opportunity might be my last. Finally, when 2014 rolled around, I received word that a friend, Lyle Jansma, was arranging an event known as Madras A2A X in conjunction with the Erickson Aircraft Collection. Here was the best opportunity yet. It was closer to home than any of the others, reducing travel costs. It was with a collection with which I was very familiar, although I knew them as Tillamook Air Museum up to that point. I was determined that this time it was going to happen.

I threw together every dime I had. I discussed the issue with family and mentioned that for the time being I’d prefer a contribution to this venture to any birthday, Christmas, etc., gifts. Together, we made it happen.

The night before the first flight was quite interesting. I couldn’t sleep to save my life. I was very excited about the next morning. I was also scared that I might be very frightened by aspects of flying in a light plane, most notably, sitting in the open door of the plane in flight. Turns out, none of this scared me when I flew. In fact, I found that there’s nothing like flying in formation with a couple of warbirds while skimming along the tops of the clouds. It is beautiful and strangely peaceful. (Ok, it’s also dang cold, but well worth it.)

In addition to the absolutely incredible flying – first hop with an FM-2 Wildcat and F4U-7 Corsair skimming the clouds in the late morning, second flying close formation with two incredible aerobatic pilots in the late afternoon, and the final hop right at dawn with a P-51 Mustang and a Focke Wulf FW190 replica) – we had lots of fun on the ground. There was the grand opening and dedication of the Madras Maiden party, several lunches with the group, and finally a real cool bbq with the airshow crew to close out the weekend.

Now it’s time to get back to work incorporating aviation photography into my editorial/commercial photography business, where I specialize in people, the cool things they do, and the machines that help them do it; in simpler terms, portraits, planes and cars.

I’d like to thank the organizer Lyle Jansma, our instructor Scott Slocum, and the pilots Scott Slocum, Brent Conner, Mike Oliver, and Greg Anders.

Please check out a bigger selection of my images from Madras A2A X or my aviation portfolio.