The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery...part DEUX

[Jim123]

Kow, what is the story behind the five small ensigns?

Took this a while ago, but thought it would be appropriate~

 

[Renegade One]

They went to every Air Station for the memorial for the Hawaii crew. Not sure what they signify, but they were sent to every Air Station for photos.

Link sez they're one for presentation to each of the 4 lost aircrews' families, and one for presentation to Barbers Point. So I gather the "same set of 5" was moved around and flown once at every CGAS...

 

[KODAK]

 

[Renegade One]

Beautiful shot…great lighting...

 

[KODAK]

Beautiful shot…great lighting...

Thanks! Just 45 seconds of ambient light tends to do the trick on the ramp in Smyrna, TN (KMQY) every time..

 

[KODAK]

Some more recent shots around middle TN:

 

[wlawr005]

What's up with the fancy tip caps?

 

[Renegade One]

Thanks! Just 45 seconds of ambient light tends to do the trick on the ramp in Smyrna, TN (KMQY) every time..

KODAK: Just so I'm clear…was the B-29 also shot with ambient light, or some artificial? Doesn't really matter…still one of the nicest twilight shots I've ever seem...

 

[KODAK]

KODAK: Just so I'm clear…was the B-29 also shot with ambient light, or some artificial? Doesn't really matter…still one of the nicest twilight shots I've ever seem...

Yes, everything I shoot at night is just with the natural light that exists when I 'see' the scene - the B-29 and UH-60 shots were all taken at about the same location on the ramp. Both FBOs in Smyrna are located just to the right of the frame so they provide a lot of light..

Some folks use vehicles or even light trees to set the scene but sadly I'm not that well connected yet.

 

[Renegade One]

Yes, everything I shoot at night is just with the natural light that exists when I 'see' the scene

Well, very "Sierra Hotel" stuff...

 

[xj220]

Honestly, I prefer the "natural" scenes. That being said, are you doing HDR? How do you get such clear low-light shots?

 

[Gatordev]

Yes, everything I shoot at night is just with the natural light that exists when I 'see' the scene - the B-29 and UH-60 shots were all taken at about the same location on the ramp. Both FBOs in Smyrna are located just to the right of the frame so they provide a lot of light..

Some folks use vehicles or even light trees to set the scene but sadly I'm not that well connected yet.

Honestly, I prefer the "natural" scenes. That being said, are you doing HDR? How do you get such clear low-light shots?

I'm guessing some sort of low-pro tripod. Which brings me to my question: what are you using to stabilize the shot for 45 seconds (or whatever)? It looks small since you're able to get the lens down on the deck.

Timed exposures have always been of interest to me. You can do some cool stuff with both the image (see above) and displaying the passage of time with varying the exposures. Nice work.

 

[KODAK]

I'm guessing some sort of low-pro tripod. Which brings me to my question: what are you using to stabilize the shot for 45 seconds (or whatever)? It looks small since you're able to get the lens down on the deck.

Great guess - I am actually fortunate enough to get to borrow a very solid Bogen tripod from a good friend and I can expand the legs and get the camera lens to about 1' 6" off the ground. I recently forked over the dough and purchased a "tabletop" tripod with a ball head mount as in investment for the future - it will easily fit in my backpack for travel and will hold the camera just inches above the ground.

Most folks take photos from about shoulder level - it's just the natural perspective our eyes see from every day. When able I try to get really high up or really low down, just something different..

Well, very "Sierra Hotel" stuff...

Thanks so much, that means a lot!

Honestly, I prefer the "natural" scenes. That being said, are you doing HDR? How do you get such clear low-light shots?

Several photographers I follow online are HDR pro's but I have never really tried it myself.. That said, a friend took this relatively bland MC-130E shot of mine and used PhotoShop to 'tone map' which artificially creates the effect of an HDR image after the fact. The technique saved an otherwise throwaway shot and I think the end result looks very sharp:


When it comes to 'tack sharp' long-exposure images the key is using a rock-solid tripod. Using a shutter release is also important so I never actually touch the camera from the moment the shutter opens until it closes. Nerdy, I know, but if don't do this kind of stuff the end result looks horrible..

Sweet shots. You do nice work, and get a chance to see and share cool things
My 2 cents on night shots.
Use High ISO's for shutter speeds that are compatible with motion:
Low ISO, slow shutter, and a tripod to amplify ambient light:
Or a combination of both, depending on the situation

I great source of aviation photography knowledge is the International Society of Aviation Photographers and one of their members Mike Green wrote a short piece on night shooting which is available here: http://www.issuu.com/isaporg/docs/isnapmar2012finalc

On pages 19-21 Mike details the basic settings to use and I usually start at F8.0 (sharpest setting for my 24-105mm lens), ISO 200 (optimal ISO for my Canon 5D MkIII), and set the camera to 'Bulb' mode while using my remote shutter. I then vary the exposure length for as long or as little as the scene requires, anywhere from 10 sec to several minutes based on the individual lighting conditions.

Thank's again to everyone for the kind comments. If anyone finds themselves in the middle Tennessee area I do a decent amount of photography for military folks (for free) around KBNA, KMQY, KTHA, etc. I really enjoy the subject matter and really enjoy meeting like-minded folks who are living the dream I hope to be a part of someday..

 

[SynixMan]

What's up with the fancy tip caps?

UH-60Ms have a new blade design and tip caps that are swept back and down. Plus 701D engines and a better cockpit setup (IMO) than the Navy's design.

 

[wlawr005]

Pretty impressive. I've also heard that it can run vibration data with on board sensors, so no ATABS gear.

http://m.cnet.com/photos/photos-armys-black-hawk-now-flies-digital-skies/6219628?ds=1