WELCOME TO ISnAP ISAP Members, I hope this issue of ISnAP finds you well, and that your photography has been successful as we sweep into the fall airshow season with cooler temperatures but more temperamental weather. We chose to depart from our usual article-heavy format in order to showcase the photographs taken by our members of the historic flights of the Space Shuttles during their delivery to their new homes. A lot of changes are still in-process both on the website and with how we are using Social Media as an organization. I would also like to encourage each of you to take the time to log into our members-only online forum at: http://aviationphoto.org/forum/ This forum has become our online Library, as it offers us a more permanent solution to maintaining the answers to questions asked by members and a repository of techniques and advice given by members to assist other members. Please take the time to check these forums out and give us feedback on both the format and content. This feedback should be sent to us at info@aviationphoto.org so that we can provide it to the ISAP staff and Board of Directors. Our website changes are also well underway, primarily to the organization of the Portfolio and Symposium sections. In the coming months we will also be revamping how videos are hosted and updating some of those videos for a wider release. If you have any feedback, please let our webmaster, Tony Granata hear your opinions and recommendations. He can be reached at: webmaster@aviationphoto.org.
Social Media will remain a key focus of ours during the coming months, so if you haven’t already, please visit our public Facebook Page at: http://www.facebook.com/ISAPorg. We will continue to feature the work of members via this public Facebook page, while bringing you photography news from our sponsors and from around the web. Additionally, if you are not a member of our Facebook group for ISAP members, please join at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/83013491465/ Planning is still ongoing for our upcoming Symposium, and while many of you are anxious to hear the format and plans for the event, please be patient as some of the core details are laid flat to enable a successful event. Expect that in the coming month we will release a survey to the membership so that you can give your feedback and desires with regard to guest speakers, field trip events and overall Symposium format. At the end of the day, we want to host an event that you, the members, feel meets your needs for both classroom instruction, photography opportunities and social interaction. Keep up the outstanding photographic work, and thank you all for sharing your images and your techniques so that we can advance the skills of our membership while garnering a wider audience for their work.
Regards, Larry Grace, ISAP Chairman
This month cover image ISAP member Matthew Short Senior Aerial Photographer with Lockheed Martin capture this image of the F-35 flying over NASA 747 & Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards AFB Image Š Lockheed Martin / Photographer Matthew Short Back cover image: Air Force F-35 at Edwards AFB, Calif., gets an up-close view of Space Shuttle Endeavour on Sept. 20, 2012.
F A R E W E L L
ENDEAVOUR
Thank you to everyone contributing photos for the historic event. Listed are the names of contributing photographers. Gar Travis Matt Genuardi George Kounis Thomas Bunce Hayman Tam Timothy Pruitt Jessica Ambats Tyson Rininger John Lackey
Riding herd on the
Texan Roundup by Gary Daniels
Deep in the heart of Texas lies the historic town of Fredericksburg, a tourist destination for folks from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston seeking good German food, shopping and a little peace and quiet from the rat race of the big city. But, one summer weekend a year the locals and tourists wake up to the sound of throaty radials roaring over the city. The aviation buffs in town make their way to the local airport wondering if an air show is underway that they haven’t heard about. What they find is a scene reminiscent of a busy World War II training airbase. Twenty some-odd vintage warbirds being readied for flight, props turning through, aircraft taxiing out and four ship groups launching from the 5000x75 feet of pristine concrete of Gillespie County Airport (T82). What they are witnessing is the annual Texan Roundup. A gathering of pilots, and their Texans, to spending a weekend sharpening their formation flying skills, talking airplanes ad nauseum, and enjoying great food with good friends at this perfect aviation venue.
Gordon Richardson, II, is responsible for riding herd on the Roundup. He and his father, Gordon, Sr., are long time Texan owners. The concept of a formation-flying clinic for Texan owners began in 2007. These vintage warbirds are constantly requested to fly at airshows, Memorial and Veteran’s Day flyovers, and special events. Texan owners also enjoy keeping the history of these aircraft alive with younger generations. The best way to show the aircraft is to fly the aircraft, and even better, fly the aircraft in formation flights. So, the importance of flying safe formations is paramount. Gordon, along with other Texan owners, realized there was not a venue for ‘weekend’ formation-flight training to provide recurrent training for a wingman or leader, or to produce a new wingman. And, Texan owners also have an added incentive to be formation rated. They have an abundance of like aircraft to fly formation with. For example, it’s difficult to get a formation of ‘51’s together. But, there are many Texans that can gather for events and being formationrated makes the experience for the pilots, and spectators, that much more special. Gordon knew the town of Fredericksburg through family connections. With its exceptional airport and expansive surroundings, Gordon felt the town would be an optimum location for a formation-flying clinic. Gillespie County Airport, on the southwestern edge of town, has a large tarmac to handle many aircraft, a long and wide runway to practice two ship takeoffs, and is just mere minutes from wide open and gorgeous Texas landscape to carve out a space in the sky over and practice until they get it right, or until they have to return to base to refuel. Plus, the Hangar Hotel and Airport Diner are on the airport property and are a pilot’s dream with impressive accommodations. What could be better than waking up in a great hotel less than 300 feet from a big breakfast
and your dew covered aircraft! So, with the perfect location determined, the first Texan Roundup was held in 2008. This past July, 19 Texans attended the clinic along with a FM2 Wildcat, a P-51 Mustang, and a T-28 Trojan. Mike Anderson, Roundup check pilot, conducted a formation-flying ground school on Friday afternoon. Flying began afterward and through out the waning sunlight of the day. Flying started at sunrise on Saturday. Instructor and ‘student’ teams were paired up for the day’s schedule and two and four ship groups were assembled. Pre-flight briefings laid out expectations and post-flight critiques put the polish on the practice. The goal of the Texan Roundup is to make better pilots and to adhere to the mission of The Formation And Safety Team (FAST): facilitate and promote safe formation flying for pilots operating aircraft through a review of criteria to be utilized by its members to standardize formation flight performance evaluation. In Gordon’s words, “Promote safety, keep sharp, fly right and fly tight, and create a constructive debrief environment.” Gordon clarified, “Don’t come to the clinic as a formation novice and expect to be checked-out over the weekend. Because of the short time frame the pilot has to have a certain level of formation experience to begin with. He may go through the weekend and not be recommended for a check ride. But, he’ll gain additional formation-flying experience, and training, that will help him earn his wingman card in the future.” In short, these aviators come together for a weekend in the true spirit of aviation, on their own volition, on their own dime, to advance their flying skills to enhance the spectator experience. And, getting to do this deep in the heart or Texas is a well- deserved bonus. This story and photos will run in the October/November issue of Warbird Digest.
HOW I GOT THE SHOT by Justin de Reuck
I was called in to do a photoshoot of the South African Air Forces National Display Team, The Silver Falcons. I was asked by Major Beau Skarda, the team’s soloist and public relations man at the front to come up with something different. My first thoughts was an air to air shoot but due to logistical reasons the air to air was put on hold, we then came up with a mountain top idea, which would have the Silver Falcons flying in formation along the top of a mountain where I would shoot from, all this just to try and achieve something different. After struggling to get permission from the National Parks Board to fly low over their reserves I decided that we could do something unique at ground level. The image started as a picture in my head of The Silver Falcons flying low over one or two of their aircraft on the ground. We got the clearance to do the shot and it was all systems go. After a 90 minute drive out to Langebaan Road, where the Silver Falcons are based, I arrived in a scorching 37 degree Celsius (98.6 Degrees Fahrenheit) heat. This was not good as I knew the heat haze off of the runway would be a real spoiler. We briefed about the idea for the shoot and then took a walk out onto Runway 16/34 as this would probably give the best afternoon light. The heat haze didn’t seem too bad considering the outside air temperature. The two static aircraft were towed into position and the other three got airborne. Myself, the Ground Liaison Officer and the remaining members of the team got into position on the runway. The hard call for me was which camera, which lens and how far from the subject do I need to be.
I started off with the Canon 5D Mk3 and a 24-105mm lens…the Silver Falcons made the first run in, shutterspeed was set to 1/125 sec to get my prop disc but it didn’t work. The forward movement of the aircraft barreling towards us caused a blurry image, not on camera shake but on motion blur. So I upped the shutterspeed to 1/320 (the absolute max I will ever go to on a prop aircraft). The second run in and the image was sharp, but I still wasn’t happy. They were looking too high above the static aircraft on the runway. I needed more compression. I then went to my Canon 1Dmk4, with the APS-H sensor and the Canon 70200mm f/2.8 lens. This meant we needed to take a walk further away from the subject aircraft. I was hoping this would produce a better result but was worried about the heat haze coming off the runway now. The third run in – The Falcons dropped a few more feet, the new position from where I was standing was looking much better. Standing further from the subject and using a longer lens had done the trick. The result is the image you see. I was kind of hoping for a partly cloudy, more dramatic sky, but I didn’t have that so a blue sky it was. We gave it or few more passes and run ins, just for luck and it gave the Falcons something fun to do. Overall I was happy that I achieved the image I set out to get and was even more grateful that a shot like that can be set up and you get a few chances to get it right. What helped considerably as well was having some of the world’s best military aerobatic pilots as my subjects. Not once did I not make the shot because they were off the line, at the wrong altitude and not in perfection formation. Absolute precision from my side and theirs.
by Mike Green
We wait whilst the crew are briefed on today’s mission which will take us over German air space, firstly towards Dresden in the East of the country and then back towards the West of Bremen. The first refuelling track in use for the mission is known as ‘Saxon’, which is 25 Nautical Miles (NM) by 10 NM with a flight level block for ‘other’ traffic of between 14,000 and 19,000 feet, with a minimum flight refuelling level of 16,000 feet. The area is controlled by Munich Radar and the magnetic course of the ‘racetrack’ is 033’/213’. The second refuelling track in use for the mission is known as ‘Rosy’, which is 30 NM by 14 NM with a flight level block between 9,000 to 23,000 feet, with the minimum flight refuelling level determined by traffic within the area at the time. This refuelling area is controlled by Bremen Radar and the magnetic course of the ‘racetrack’ is 019’/199’.
July 17th 2012, it’s 4.45AM local time when we arrive at the main gate to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. Having completed our medical requirements and obtained our base passes the previous day, getting on base is a relative formality. Through the vehicle search area and we head towards the 100th Air Refueling Wing operations building with our escort from Public Affairs and hope that we have another good day with our friends at the ‘Bloody Hundredth’. We had arrived at Mildenhall the previous day expecting to get some Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16’s in front of our lenses, but having been told their mission had been scrubbed we looked forward to some Luftwaffe Tornados to shoot instead. This gave us a great opportunity to obtain some images of the KC-135’s utilizing the USAF’s Multi-Point Refueling System (MPRS), colloquially known as “Mippers” by the mission crews.
With the crew briefing over we’re good to go, so we board the crew bus and head out to the aircraft. Our KC-135R for today is tail number 58-0016 or “Quid 65” as she is known as today, the Quid call-sign being a familiar one to air-band listeners around Europe. Our ride is some 50+ years old and has 23,000 hours on the clock, but with an expected lifespan of 39,000 hours there are a few more years left in the old girl yet! Showtime is scheduled for 06.15Z (Zulu) or 07.15 local time. Zulu time is used by air forces to eliminate any confusion relating to different time zones encountered within a mission and is based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Ironically our routing today is one that would have been familiar to 100th Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress air crews carrying out bombing missions over Germany in WWII, but thankfully that is history and the USAF is now supporting the German Luftwaffe in its peace-
keeping missions under their NATO remit. With all four engines started and our safety briefing complete, we taxi to the end of Mildenhall’s Runway 29 for our departure. With 118,000lbs of fuel on board (37,500 of which will be off-loaded during refuelling) and pretty much bang on schedule we have no problem making a rapid climb out and a right turn to head out towards the North Sea. The next hour or so is spent making sure our equipment is ready for when the action breaks out, although we had already checked this the previous evening, but better to be safe than sorry. There’s no second chances here and once the action starts there is little or no time to be playing around with camera settings or flat batteries, all that means is missed opportunities and you can’t ask them to wait around for you to get the ‘money shot’. We arrive at the first rendezvous point and the action commences. The ‘Boomers’ scurry into position at the rear of the aircraft as we descend to around 18,000 feet. We have two Boomers on board today as one is still being overseen by his instructor. This makes for one less station in the Boom Operators position, but as we have the Mippers in use it is no problem, as several of the aircraft will refuel from them rather than the boom itself. As with many NATO aircraft that are not US-built, the Tornados use a hose and drogue method to take on fuel rather than the rigid boom system adopted by the US Air Force. The 100ARW has three pairs of Cobham/Flight Refuelling Ltd MPRS pods, one of which is attached to each wingtip together with an additional Boom-Drogue Adaptor (BDA) attached to the end of the boom. It looks somewhat ungainly as it dangles from the end of the boom, but once in flight it becomes another valuable asset in the air to air refuelling scenario. The triple hose/drogue method makes it possible for two aircraft to be ‘gassed’ simultaneously on the two wingtip drogues, but if the BDA is in use then the wingtip pods cannot be used due to the necessary wing clearances between receivers not being available. First up over ‘Saxon’ are four Tornado ECR’s of Jagdbombergeschwader-32 (JBG-32), based at Lechfeld. Call-signs ‘Puma 01’ and ‘Raptor 1, 2 & 3’, they appear on our rear port-side and one by one work their way onto either the MPRS on the port wing-tip, or the BDA (known as the ’Iron Maiden’ by the crews) attached to the boom. Their refuel complete we bid them a fond farewell, but not before they have given us plenty of photo opportunities. We then head back in a North-Easterly direction towards our second rendezvous point at ‘Rosy’. Here we have a busier schedule with five aircraft from Aufklarungsgeschwader-51 (AKG-51) based at SchleswigJagel, two from JBG-33 at Buchel and another singleton from JBG-32, giving us a total of twelve for the day with aircraft from all three of the Luftwaffe’s Tornado units. With some time to check the shots we have already bagged we are eager to get some more action in front of our lenses.
Once again a familiar pattern emerges as the AKG.51 Tornados merge with the KC-135 from the port side and commence to guzzle up the tankers gas. With so many aircraft due to meet up with us we have time to move between the boomers position and both the port and starboard side windows as aircraft move from one position to another. We are also greeted with a few bonuses, one is a pristine aircraft from JBG.33 at Buchel, which has clearly just come out of the paint shop, as it bears none of the black soot around the tailfin which is a familiar problem caused by the thrust reversers of the Tornado’s engines. Secondly, an aircraft also from JBG.33 which carries the now almost defunct green camouflage pattern that has been almost replaced with the grey scheme adopted some years back. Then, just as I think everything is all over, the pristine 45-77 dumps a trail of fuel from the top of the vertical fin just as I have him in my sights, “****ing awesome” and a fantastic way to end the shoot. As the last Tornado departs we fall back in our seats to check our shots and recount our day’s work, of which we are very happy. An uneventful flight back to RAF Mildenhall sees us back on terra-firma around midday, and as we exit the aircraft on the taxi-way with the engines still running (the flight crew intend to get back in the air and do some touch and goes) we bid 58-0016 farewell with a quick wave of acknowledgement to the crew on the flight deck. For reference the photographs within this article were shot on Canon 50D bodies with a Canon 28-105 IS L-series lens. I also tried to use a Canon 100-400 IS L series lens but found that it distorted the scratches and marks on the windows beyond what was a reasonable level. To the point that the images looked decidedly blurred and so were dumped! Settings were as follows: Aperture priority (F.8), White Balance-Auto, ISO 100, with the focal lengths between 50 & 105mm. The shutter speeds varied between 320-1250, with the majority in the 500-800 range. We would like to thank the following for their assistance and giving Jetwash Aviation Photo’s exclusive access to a 100ARW mission: Ssgt. Tabitha Lee SrA. Rachel Waller Maj. Jason Redlin Capt. Sean McCurdy 1st Lt. Norman Popp Snr. MsSgt. Paul Wallace Amn. Anthony Ellsworth The Tornado crews of JBG.32, JBG.33 and AKG.51
Many of you want to know more about this thing called video and how to be a better videographer. Well in a nutshell, you as a professional photographer are already years ahead of most people. The reason for this is because you are accustomed to shooting images and framing them into thirds. Now let us expand that into moving pictures. As most video contains 30 still images per second, the still photographer should have no problem with the transition to video. The difference being that all 30 images count. Just like when you are following an airplane in the sky to get that one perfect shot, video captures the motion of that object. To capture that motion, you must learn the technique of “focus and follow.� What do I mean by focus? Focusing is all manual, and you must zoom into the object all the way and get the focus as clear as possible. This will most of the time be the focal length needed to shoot your subject. Then pull out enough to frame the object and follow it the best that you can and as tight or loose as you want. You can even change it up a bit and go from a tight shot to a more medium shot to a wide shot all while the same clip of video is being recorded. It will take some getting used to, but with time you will be able to shoot as tight as you want and get the desired shot needed for your piece.
The next thing I want to touch on is sequencing your shots. Far to many times people go out and shoot the first thing they see. This is okay if it will be the only time you’re going to see that particular event. In reality, setting up your sequence will allow you to still get that shot and still give you the required amount of b-roll (extra shots) needed for your piece. A sequence usually goes like this; wide shots, medium shots, tight shots. The wide shots establish where you are for the viewer, the medium shots allow the viewer to see in a little more detail what they are about to watch and tight shots are your subject. While shooting this sequence, always remember that what is in front of you does not always tell the entire story. Turn around and look behind you! There are possibly people watching the same thing you are shooting and those people are part of the story. While shooting your sequence try to vary your shots also. Don’t always shoot tight; you might want to loosen the shot some to allow the viewer to see what is going on around your subject. Another great part about video is the sound. Video is only a silent motion picture if it does not have sound, and believe me, sound can make or break a good video project. If you have a microphone built into the camera, that is called a natural sound microphone or shotgun mic. It is used for overall sound around you like an airplane flying by, applause or any general sounds. If you decide to purchase a handheld microphone this will take your project to the next level. Imagine a narrator talking about your still photo describing what was going on in that image. That’s what you can get with a handheld microphone and an interview. Don’t be afraid of doing a short interview with the pilot or person you are shooting. Remember the “W’s” of interviewing; who, what, when, where, and why. This will give you a good solid voiceover without writing a script for your editing process. Finally, I want to add one more piece of advice. Video can be captured with many devices, from DSLR’s, home video cameras, to full size television setups. Choose the one that best fits your budget and needs. With a little practice you will be shooting like a pro! Chris Hibben Snap 180 Media
This month’s Photoshop tips… Courtesy of www.planetphotoshop.com
Create a composite layer If you have a multi layer composition and you want to apply an effect to all the layers at once, don’t flatten the layers–use a composite layer instead. Hide the layers you want excluded, and press Shift-CommandOption-E (PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-E). A new layer will be created at the top containing a merged copy of all the visible layers. Another option is to create a new layer at the top of the stack and make it active. Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) each layer you want to include to make those layers active, as well. Press Option-Command-E (PC: AltCtrl-E). By Colin Smith Colorize your favorite commands Do you need every command in every menu for your retouching? You can hide all the commands that you don’t need and colorize all the commands that you use often. Go to Edit>Menus and twirl open one of the menu items. Click on the Visibility (Eye) icon to hide a command, and then on None in the Color column to choose a color for your favorite commands. To see all the hidden commands on a menu, choose Show All Menu Items from that menu. By Calvin Hollywood Expanded view for adjustment layers If you find the Adjustments panel is a little on the small side, you can make it larger with one click. Down at the bottom of the panel is an icon (second from the left) that changes it to Expanded View. Click that icon to get a larger panel. By Dave Cross Change Canvas color The canvas area outside of a document’s boundaries is gray by default. You can change it by Right-clicking anywhere on the canvas and choosing Select Custom Color. Grab your color from the Color Picker that pops up. Beware that color will influence how you see other colors, so that’s why it’s gray. By Colin Smith Pixel Bender (Dozens of free filters you didn’t know you had) Want to try new filters that are incredibly fast and yield unique results? Look no further than http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/pixelbenderplugin. By Bryan O’Neil Hughes See and change the selection area While using the Magnetic Lasso tool, if you turn on Caps Lock, the cursor will change to the brush-size indicator. This lets you see more precisely the area that the tool is selecting from, and you can use the Bracket keys to change its size. By Pete Collins
Lens correction for video If you have Photoshop Extended (CS3 or higher), you have the ability to open and edit video. In addition to any filter or adjustment layer, you can lens correct video! Just turn the layer into a smart object (Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Object) and any filter you add (such as Filter>Lens Correction) will become a smart filter and carry over to each frame. Load the Motion workspace (Window>Workspace>Motion) to quickly prompt the video-specific tools. By Bryan O’Neil Hughes Shortcuts to adjustment layers Here’s another keyboard shortcut change that’s very useful if you use adjustment layers all the time. Go to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts, choose Application Menus in the Shortcuts For drop-down menu, and twirl open the Layer option. Scroll down to New Adjustment Layer and click on one of the adjustments; for example, Curves. Change the shortcut to Command-M (PC: Ctrl-M) and accept that change. Now pressing that shortcut will add a Curves adjustment layer. by Dave Cross Puppet warp for lens correction Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to duplicate the layer you want to correct, and navigate to Edit>Puppet Warp. Now, click to drop a pin in each corner to “lock” the image. Having done this, you can now lift horizon lines, straighten leaning buildings, etc.; you have exact control on small pieces of the image in a way you didn’t before. This is great for userdriven lens correction (useful for multi-image panos or images shot in perspective). by Bryan O’Neil Hughes Drag layers between documents I’m sure that you’re aware that you can drag Photoshop documents between windows to build up a multi layered document. Did you know you can also drag layers, including adjustment layers and layers with masks and effects applied to them? Just drag from the Layers panel and drop into the canvas of the new document. You can even drag multiple layers. By Colin Smith Channel mixer for preview Sometimes it’s very difficult to find all the spots on skin. Try creating a Channel Mixer adjustment layer to turn the image into a high-contrast black-and-white image. Turn on the Monochrome checkbox, and move the Red slider to -100, the Green slider to +50, and the Blue slider to +150. This adjustment layer is just for a preview, so don’t try to retouch on it. Create a blank layer, and retouch on it. By Calvin Hollywood http://planetphotoshop.com/category/tips
A Work of Aviation Art by Jo Hunter
Sometimes aviation spills over into other pursuits in life. While looking forward to a gathering of friends from the Mustang Air to Air group in Allen, TX prior to the Alliance air show in Fort Worth, the thought entered my head that it might be nice to mark the occasion of us all getting together. I’ve been working in fused glass since I took a course back in January, making bowls and dishes. Armed with a kiln and a desire to try making something new, I came up with these glass P-51s to give to the crew. Before they left the house, I took the opportunity to photograph them flying in formation, which is what you see here. If you want to follow my glasswork, I blog about it here: http://drillingholesinthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/glass
ISAP Chairman
Larry Grace
ISAP Vice Chairman
Jim Wilson
ISAP Secretary Mike Collins ISAP Treasurer Bonnie Kratz ISAP Lawyer Albert Ross
ISAP Board Member
Jessica Ambats
ISAP Board Member
George Kounis
ISAP Board Member Richard VanderMeulen
ISAP Chairman Emeritus
Jay Miller
ISAP Staff Coordinator Doug Glover ISAP Social Media Coordinator Jeff Welker
ISAP Website Coordinator Tony Granata
ISnAP Editor Kevin Hong
ISnAP International Editor
Mike Green
ISnAP International Editor
Mark Mansfield
ISnAP International Editor
Justin de Reuck
The ISnAP is a periodic publication of the International Society for Aviation Photography and is used to communicate news, functions,convention information, and other information 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. Please submit photos as a jpg file, sized at 4x6 or 5x7 (200 dpi minimum), and text as a Microsoft Word file as attachments via email to ISnAP@aviationphoto.org
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