May 2011 •From the Chair •Gadget Bag •How I Did That ! •Mystery Plane ID •Marketplace
•STS-133 The Final Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
ISnAP
Meet the Member Gary Daniels
Comments from the Chair: Four weeks and counting!
ISAP-X is looking to be the very best we’ve ever had - and if you’re not onboard already, get that way in a hurry. The rooms at the Sheraton Mission Valley, San Diego (1433 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108; reservations phone: 800 325-3535) are going fast. Be sure to call and make your reservations today! Big news to report is that, as of this writing, everything is a go at Miramar MCAS for our field trip day on Friday, June 3. Right now, we’re planning to start things with breakfast at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. After that, we’re off to Miramar for lunch and a tour of their V-22 facility. There’s a fair chance we will also be given a V-22 demo while we’re on the ramp. After that, we’re off to Gillespie Field to catch arrivals for the Commemorative Air Force air show there - and then as the sun sets, we’ll be given a night lighting demo by the acclaimed master, Joe McNally. The guest speaker list is stellar - literally. We have : • • • • • •
Jamie Hunter coming over from England Paul Bowen and Doug Rozendaal to discuss air-to-air Jessica Ambats covering the editorial side Mike Fizer on shooting air-to-air for AOPA Tyson Rininger will be covering air show photography Joe McNally will be giving us insights into his unique photo skills • Liz Kaszynski will be providing insights into shooting for Lockheed Martin • Steven Weinberg will be covering the legal end • Eddie Tapp will be giving his insights into photo technique. And don’t forget the banquet on Saturday night. Noted WWII ace and aviator Bud Anderson is our special guest speaker.
We’ll have the “Famous Annual Nikon Paper Airplane Tossing Contest”, along with its usual cache of prizes; and there will be our annual “Lifetime Achievement Award” going to the grand ol’ man of the business, Phil “Ghost” Makanna. Many door prizes, the annual aircraft identification award competition, and the always popular end-of-the-event auction should make for a very full evening of good food, camaraderie, and entertainment! Don’t miss it! See you in San Diego starting June 2!!! Paul Bowen has asked me to relay to everyone that he would be happy once again to start our symposium with a “Meet the Members” session. Accordingly, he needs a photo of each member and a few select images from each member’s portfolio. E-mail ‘em, along with a two paragraph autobiography to Paul at: bowen@airtoair.net Also, Larry Grace needs photos for the ISAP-X program.We’re on a short deadline, here, so get them to Larry ASAP! Larry’semail is: lgrace@mm.com
Jay
Gadget Bag
Kirk Enterprises Mini Table Top Tripod by Jay Miller
During an aviation event more than a few years ago I stopped my old friend and colleague Katsuhiko Tokunaga and asked him how he got his great low-angle shots. This was back before the birth of digital, so film was still very much in vogue and the costs associated with pushing that shutter release button were still very much in the background of everything we photographers did. Katsu was quick to give me a brief on his technique, which included, among other things a small tripod reduced to its minimal height and a right-angle finder for his camera. Shortly afterwards I acquired a right-angle finder and figured out how to reduce the height of my Gitzo’s to their minimum. The quality of my low-angle shots improved almost overnight, but I was still unhappy with the height afforded by my tripods. Several years searching finally led me to a series of mini tripods, including one truly superb unit manufactured by Leitz and priced accordingly. In the meantime, the world went through a paradigm shift and the next thing I knew we were shooting everything digitally and the price to push that shutter release button fell through the floor. Suddenly I wasn’t afraid to experiment. Many of my low-angle shots, when I’m in a hurry, are made simply by placing my camera on the ground and eye-balling the angle and level. I know that I can correct most of the anomalies in Photoshop and still come up with a presentable image. However, when time permits, I will pull out one of my mini tripods and my right-angle finder, and do things in proper fashion. Several weeks ago, Kirk Enterprises, one of my fa-
vorite after-market camera gear companies, released what they refer to as a Mini Table Top Tripod. Knowing that it would be well-made and portable, I ordered one on the spot. It arrived about a week ago. And as I predicted, it’s everything I had hoped for. It’s small, it’s reasonably light weight, and it’s very well built. The legs are locked in position by the simple twist of a knob at the bottom of the center post. A standard 1/4-20 mounting stud is provided for attaching a small ball head or quick release clamp. I had a spare mini Gitzo ball head with a threaded adapter when the Kirk mini tripod arrived, so I was able to attach it and go right to work. It functioned perfectly, giving me just the right amount of height for the type of lowangle photos I like to shoot. I can also attach remote flash units when required, and suffice it to say the tripod is strong enough to handle overly heavy loads of up to 100 pounds! With legs spread, the tripod spans about 10 inches (circumferentially). Distance between the rubber tipped feet is about 8 inches. Height from ground to top of center post is about 4.5 inches. Would estimate weight to be about a half-pound. It is manufactured from aircraft-grade billet aluminum. Price is $125. For further information, visit the Kirk Enterprises web site at: www.kirkphoto.com/Mini-Table-Top-Tripod.html
Jay
Marketplace Got anything you want to sell or trade? Here’s your chance! Just drop the editor a email at viggenja37@sbcglobanet
How I Did That!
The story behind the photo
A severe storm system was lashing Terceira Island in the Azores with some horrible conditions but Portuguese pilots are not phased by them apparently. This SATA International Air Azores Airbus A310 was seen crabbing down to the runway the last 3 miles of the approach with winds driving at 26 knots across the runway, gusts to 40+ and severe turbulence reported at runway level.
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No wing dip out of the crab, the pilot planted her down at a 45-degree angle. I was hiding behind a small portion of collapsed building trying to stay out of the wind. I removed the lens hood because the wind will often catch inside and tug you back and forth, my camera was inside a Kata E-307 weather cover. Exposure f5.6 1/800 ISO200 on a 70-200 f2.8 @ 200mm Canon 20D.
James O’Rear
If you have stories, tips, photos, items for sales, news release, etc... we would love to share your information with our membership. Each issue we feature a member profile and we would like to showcase you, so email us your bio and photos for a upcoming issue or eblast. (This is a great way to let other members get to know you). There’s a lot of information and more in this current issue, so download your copy anytime, and enjoy. Look forward to seeing you in San Diego! Frank, Jay, and Larry
STS-133
The Final Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
This was my first attempt at placing a remote camera near the Shuttle launch pad. About 32 hours prior to launch, NASA Public Affairs volunteers transported photographers to various locations around the launch pad to place cameras. Many veteran Shuttle shooters use sound or vibration triggers, but I opted to use a simple remote switch/ timer (Canon TC-80N3). I used a Canon 28-135 IS zoom on a Canon 40D, mounted on an old tripod. I wrapped the camera in two layers of plastic for protection, leaving only the front lens element exposed. The tripod was secured by rope and a bungee to three metal screw-in tie-out stakes purchased from a pet supply store. I placed the camera on a small mound a few hundred yards southeast of the pad.
I set the timer to wake the camera from sleep and begin shooting at 1fps about a minute or two before the scheduled launch so as not to cut it too close in case the timer or my clock was off. With an 8 GB CF card, I had plenty of space for enough RAW images to keep the camera shooting all the way through the seven or eight minute launch window. The camera kept shooting until the card filled a few minutes after launch. I set the zoom fairly wide at 33mm to be sure I captured as many images as possible before Discovery left the field of view. The settings were manual focus, 1/1000, f7.1, ISO 100. That exposure wound up being ever-so-slightly slightly under exposed, so a bump of about ¼ stop plus a little “Fill Light” in RAW conversion in Lightroom brought out the details in the shadows a bit more. The shot with the Shuttle higher in the sky (next page) is the uncropped 33mm framing, while the other one is cropped. Out of 770 shots the camera took in about 12 minutes of shooting, the launch itself takes up an eighteen-shot sequence from just before main engine ignition, through solid rocket booster ignition, until the Shuttle left the frame on its way to the International Space Station on its last-ever flight.
Jim Froneberger
Photoshop Tip Time
Setting A Default Camera Profile If you checked out the previous tip and you’ve become fond of the Camera Profiles then you may find yourself repeatedly setting the profile to one of your favorites. If this happens, then go ahead and tell Camera Raw to always make this your camera profile setting. First change your profile to the one you like most. Then click on the Camera Raw flyout menu toward the right side of the panel names and choose Set New Camera Raw Defaults from the menu. Now every time you open a photo (shot with the same camera), Camera Raw will apply that profile for you by default. Where Did Lighting Effects Go? Well you may notice that in the Filter menu under Render there used to be a filter called Lighting Effects. Unfortunately in CS5 this filter will not work in 64-bit mode. You need to go to the application folder and locate the Adobe Photoshop folder. Click on the application icon and press Command-I to get info. Then check on Open in 32bit mode. Quit Photoshop then re-launch. The filter should be available now. - Provided by Corey Barker Provided by NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) ® 2009 Kelby Media Group.
Airplane ID!
For the first time in the history of ISnAP, there was not a single correct guess. The 1932 Boyd Model C was a variable-camber ‘safety plane’ that featured corrugated metal constuction. X2062 was Boyd c/n 3. Built by Chester M & W Hunter Boyd of Logan Field, Baltimore Maryland, the Boyd Model C was a two-seat design utilizing probably a 210hp Lycoming R-680 (one reference is to a 225 hp Jacobs R-755 engine, but that was not introduced until 1934). The Boyd Model C c/n 2 may have been referred to as the Hunter Boyd Experimental.
Meet The Member It’s Never Too Late! by Gary Daniels
My story is not too exciting. I was not a military pilot. I don’t have my PPL. My career has not been in aviation. I just love airplanes. It’s that simple! Why I feel drawn to lurk around local small airfields and bother the pilots, I suspect, has its roots in the fact that I was a boy in the 60’s. And, like any boy, I was attracted to the latest technology. In the 60’s, that meant jets. To add to that, my grandfather was a WWII vet. He and all his WWII buddies were in the prime of their lives, just 20 years removed from the war. Whenever they gathered, the cigarettes would light up, alcohol would flow and the stories of their time as young American heroes would fascinate me. It was those stories that sparked my love of WWII aviation. By the time I was ten, I could name practically any aircraft from any angle. The controlled airspace above my
bunk bed was crowded with models in a perpetual holding pattern, hanging by string, some even trailing smoke made from painted cotton balls. I would lay in bed each night and stare up at them wondering what it would be like to fly the real thing as I drifted off. Yes, I was hooked at an early age. The love of the flying machine has stayed with me all these years. Along the way I became a designer and photographer, always looking to the sky when I heard the sound of powered flight. As a designer, I appreciate the perfect design and critical engineering the laws of physics and aerodynamics demand of a machine created for flight. As a photographer, I look for the elegance of an aircraft’s beauty and commit it to imagery. The graceful joining of a wing faring to a fuselage, capturing the power of a four blade prop ready to chew through the air, the morning light glistening off of a dew-covered canopy. You know what I mean. You have the bug, too. This year, I have stepped up my involvement in pursuing my hobby of aviation photography. In October of 2009, my successful marketing career of 29 years in large corporations augured in. I became a victim of this rotten economy when I was shockingly laid off. I have to admit it took me about 6 months to get back on my feet. Now, I am wondering what will be next. It appears no one wants a highly skilled, 50-something, marketing
guy. But, on the bright side, I have my life back. My career has been one of racing from one fire to another. To the office early, home late. Complete absurdity now that I look back. In between all of that, my wife and I have raised two children, both in college now. Another reason I need to get a job! So now I can do more of what I would like, and that means stepping up my aviation shooting. I even went to Oshkosh for the first time this past summer, something that I had talked about for many years but my workload prevented from happening. I hitched a ride in a V-tail Bonanza belonging to a local pilot from 52F. However, heavy weather turned Oshkosh into Sploshkosh and saturated the parking grounds in the North 40 which, in turn, scrubbed our formation fly-in…no place to park once on the ground. We repositioned at RFD, rented a car, and drove to Oshkosh instead. We made it and it was awesome. A side note about my wife, Kim. Way back when we were dating, I would drag her to any air show that was around. She would happily go. What could be better for a guy than being at an air show with a really cute girl carrying his camera equipment, right? So, we had been married about six months when I got up one bright Saturday and said, “Let’s go to the air show today.” She informed me then that she would never, ever attend another air show. And she hasn’t. I had been thoroughly scammed. She had hooked me and no longer needed to appear interested as I talked about a liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Merlin or how many .50 cals a ’24 carried. Believe it or not, there are actually people walking this
planet that never look up when a heavier-than-air machine passes overhead. Kim, sadly, is one of those people. But she does understand my need to be at the small local airport most Saturday mornings, having coffee with the pilots and taking all of the shots I can. By the way, now that the kids are almost out of the house I may tackle my PPL soon. Kim said she would fly with me. Once again, I need to get a job! Back to pictures of flying machines…the majority of my imagery is of static aircraft. I concentrate on the design and beauty of the aircraft and create most of my glicee prints in black and white on heavy, archival watercolor paper. I like removing the aspect of color from the images so that the viewer focuses more on the elegance of the subject matter. My clients are FBO’s, aviation related companies and private collections. My two goals are to develop a website this year and to move into more air-to-air photography shooting. I have done a few aerial shoots and truly appreciate how difficult it is to capture aircraft in flight. I have to say, I am in awe of the amazing work I see in the ISAP member portfolios, both aerial and static photos. I am honored to be a part of this organization, assured that being a part of ISAP will make me a better photographer. I hope to attend the conference in San Diego this summer, having the opportunity to meet all of you and talk aircraft and cameras would be a joy. – Gary Daniels – 940.395.9512 – ddesign@integrity.com
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
Canon USA http://www.usa.canon.com
Delkin Devices http://www.delkin.com
Northrop Grumman http://www.northropgrumman.com
Think Tank http://www.thinktankphoto.com
May 2011
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 photos at a jpg file (240 dpi minimum) and text as a WORD file as an attachment via email to your editor.
*****Membership Renewal Time! Email Larry Grace Now at: lgrace@mm.com ***** It's "Airplane ID" time! Here's your next challenge:
Jay Miller Photo Collection