Infamy - Thoughts and Shots

It is hard to believe that 80 years ago, the war to end all wars was started.  I was not around, or even thought of, in that era and will not pass judgement on what happened or the response.  If those who were involved can find a way to live with what happened, I can.  It is strange that over the years, our enemies of the time have become our allies today and some of our allies at the time have seen it necessary to part ways with us today.

But what I take away from what I've been told about the time is the term 'greatest generation'.  What a shame it will be when the last are gone - and those with second-hand knowledge pass as well.  The further away we get from the era, the more likely is that history will fade and become blurred.  I think of the scene in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome where Max is 'rescued' by a band of feral kids and they recall what they know of history.  Maybe not be too far from the truth in the future.

I digress.  

I'm also about the air power that evolved during the conflict.  To survive, the process of design, production and creation had to be shortened.  Just about every aircraft had a modification in design in development when it rolled off the assembly line.  I think about all the change control I have in my paying job today.  I often joke about R&D in the field these days.  But in the early 40's, people lost their lives in aircraft crashes because of this accelerated practice.  But airpower was created and used and was a big part of final victory.

Again, I digress.

One of my favorite activities during an airshow is the Heritage Flight.  A Heritage Flight is a formation or two or more aircraft from different generations.  I have posted Heritage photos before:  Wings Over Northern Michigan Thunder Over Michigan (USN) Thunder Over Michigan (AF)  

Any flight formation of WWII aircraft will get my attention.  When I get out to Reno for the races, that seems to be the heart of aircraft restoration operations.  One of the groups that shows up is the Commemorative Air Force, Southern California Wing.  

The aircraft in these shots are a North American PBJ Mitchell, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat and a Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero.

Technically, no some of my better shots, but the memory of seeing the aircraft in flight makes the post worthwhile.

Radial piston engines with straight pipes, the sound of Music to me.

Honors to the Greatest Generation.

Heritage Flight - P51 and F35

As I've mentioned before, and most definitely reserve the right to say over and over again, Heritage Flights are difficult to photograph.  Not that these are once in a lifetime events, but half of the show is disappearing and will be gone at some point.  So you don't want to miss the opportunity.

It seem as if I have settled in on 1/160th second for WWII aircraft.  I'd like the get 360 degrees on the prop blur, so may have to slow to 1/100th.  But at what cost?  But you don't know until you try.  And try I will.

One of the nice things about going to an airshow three days in a row, you have a good idea of what is coming.  For a one day adventure, I will have to be much faster.

In these two Heritage Flight shots, I have a cheat and a save.  For the cheat, I waited until the P51 was perpendicular to me.  Took the shot at a normal 1/1600th sec.  Nice and sharp - and the prop unless you are really looking for it  is tough to tell it is frozen.  Cheating, eh?  Maybe.  And the save?  Had to sharpen the shot more than I'm usually comfortable with.  But it turned out OK.  Never know what you get unless you try.

The Cheat:

Heritage Flight - P51, F35 and A10

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

202 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 160

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

And the Save:

Heritage Flight - P51 and F35

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

570 mm, 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160 (ND 0.9 filter)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

B17 Yankee Lady - Low Pass

One of the benefits of photographing aircraft from our location at the Thunder over Michigan show at the end/beginning of the show flight path was the banking profiles of the aircraft that were flying close to us lining up for flight in front of the spectators.  The prevailing winds for the show generally put us at the entrance to the flight path.

One of the last photos for me of the event was of the Yankee Lady doing her thing.  At two and a half days in the books, I was truthfully photoed out.  For Sunday, I had put the long lenses away and was going to work with only subjects close to me.  But I'm a sucker for the local B17 and anytime I see it flying, I will try for something.

As to the photo, finally had some decent sky to work with.  But what really got me was the tack sharp image.  On the aluminum skin, it is rivet peeping.  Prop blur, check.  No sharpener needed for this one.  And the nose art, perfect.  So it gets posted.  Noting fancy, just technically good.

The Yankee Lady in a low pass.

B17 Yankee Lady Low Pass

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

202 mm, 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

By the end of the show, I had a few things figured out.  Nailed the ISO at 100.  I usually don't like using any aperture setting above F/11 - but the F/14 did its job and I can't find any issues with it.  With this lens, I'd use it again.

Heritage Flight - F4U Corsair and EA18G Growler

I am a big fan of World War II air power.  What a time for the development of aircraft.  By the time an aircraft was designed, produced and landed for the first time, there is a good chance it was almost obsolete.  But I do like the lines of a slide rule designed aircraft.

One of my favorite WWII aircraft is the F4U Corsair.  The distinctive design gets to me.  Big engine, big engine noise.  And a TV show.  But mostly the design speaks to me.  It is so different, unique.  See it from miles away.  Two years ago, I saw this plane fly in SC.  Great show, and a good photo.  

I am also a big fan of the Heritage Flights during air shows.  History in review.  In the Thunder over Michigan show, there were three sets of such flights.  All were fun to watch.  Most were not so much fun to photograph.  First, you have to photograph for the slowest aircraft.  Usually prop driven.  And in the case of this past weekend's A10 flights, the aircraft color matched the sky.  No contrast.  There will be other opportunities.

This is a good USN pairing, the F4U Corsair and the EA18G Growler.  This was taken on the Sunday.  On the third day of the show, I was going for for more quality shot than distance.  I was using the 70-200 f/2.8 lens on the D500.  Not enough reach for most of the show, but when they turned in close I could get some nice shots.  The issue with close in shots, it is more difficult to catch a clear image at 1/160th second as the pair are moving aster across the sky the closer you are to the target.  So there were a lot of blurry throw away shots - and one keeper.

The keeper.

Heritage Flight - F4U Corsair and EA18G Growler

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

That gray sky is a killer.  Almost looks like a B&W with a F4 color insert.  That 1/160 sec shutter speed is just right for that aircraft.

Mix 650+ MPH and Humidity and you get..... The F-35 Vapor Shots

I have a number of photos of fast jet tail pipes from last weekend at the Thunder Over Michigan show.  Seriously, most every demonstration show team has a speed run.  Don't hold your breath for the A10.  But I'll get to the Warthog later in another post.  But the fast jets will definitely get the Mach meter going.  We were close enough on the flight path for these speed runs, you can not turn fast enough through 150 degrees.  

Most of the time during the weekend event, the F-35 was the early show, which means there was humidity to work with.  Just like having mother nature as a partner.

You know the run is coming.  You can see everyone looking down the flight path.  You are on the right side if this.  Those poor folks at the other end of the show will miss this entirely.  But you catch a glimpse of a small dot against a cloud.  The dot gets larger.  You get the dot in viewfinder.  You hit the focus.  You press the shutter release button - and if you are lucky you will get more than the tailpipe.

It is close to that fast.

In the humidity, the air pressure around the speeding aircraft changes quickly.  This makes possible art to be captured.  The air being pushed causes a vapor area to be created, then the vapor will disappear almost as quickly as the aircraft moves forward.  The vapor cloud may last only a second or two.  You just press the take photo button and hang on.

And with a bit of luck, you can get your shot.  The luck comes in that one of these vapor clouds happens at the same time you have the camera in action.  If you see the cloud, it is often too late to catch it.   Although you might catch the one forming right after the one you saw disappear.  

My lucky shots.  Both are pretty much the same - fast jet in a cloud.

F35 Sonic Cone

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

465 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 180 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

F35 Sonic Cloud

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

615 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Lots of room for improvement, such as maybe a bit more light via sunny skies.  I get to see the team at Reno in a few weeks.  The sunshine will be plentiful - the straight line vapor not so much.

Almost Perfect Blue Angel Cross

In photographing the service Demo Teams, you could argue that once you've seen them perform and have some photographs of them - what else is left?  To a certain extent that might be true.  I have some great photos of the Blue Angels from two years ago at MCAS Beaufort.  Blue skies, with just a hint of haze.  And the only reason I know there was haze, is because when the skies in Reno are clear, it is really clear blue.  Again, I fall back to the Best Buy TV conundrum.  Then you get a hazy Michigan sky, flat as can be.  Even Photomatix can't do anything with it.  Couple a flat sky with the air show smoke which didn't evaporate this weekend and photography is a real challenge.  Doh!  With that, many of my Blue Angel shots are throw aways.  Practice.

I have a number of good team formation shots.  When these formations go by now, I mostly enjoy the show.  And looking for the next cross maneuver.  It is an art.

What I don't have, is the perfect cross shot.  Frankly,  I'm not sure the perfect cross shot exists.  It's not my white whale, but close.  So when I get the almost perfect cross shot, I can't let a flat sky, slight motion blur issue and a bit of distance get in my way.  Like most projects, just break it down and attack what you can.

The distance issue is easy - Gigapixel.  If this was just going to be a web post, this step wasn't necessary.  But this shot is going to be screen saver so gave it a bit of a push.  This shot also had a bit of motion blur.  And yes, motion blur is possible at 1/3200 second.  

When setting up for a cross shot, you follow either the left or the right aircraft until they intersect, then press the button.  I find it is easier to follow the aircraft from the right.  Following this aircraft, as you pan left with your right eye in the viewer, you can see the aircraft on the left coming in when it is close with your left eye.   With practice, it becomes easier.  This would be really great if the aircraft coming in from the right was closest to you.  The aircraft coming in from the right will remain in focus, while the passing aircraft will have just a hint of blur.  The closing speed on these aircraft is over 900 MPH.  But it always seems that I'm following the wrong aircraft.  Must be a pilot union thing.  But we are talking just a bit of blur - and a touch of sharpening will save it.

Replacing the sky is the tricky part.  I've found that to really be successful with sky replacement, just tweak it a bit, don't go overboard.  In this case, I need something that is 10 degrees from flat,  Something with just a bit of definition.  I will often take sky photos for just this purpose, replacements.  I had a shot of some storm clouds that with a bright adjustment would fit the bill.  The aircraft have nice edging so the mask was very easy.

Put it all together and:  The Almost Perfect Cross

Blue Angels - Almost Perfect Cross

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/3200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 140 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

While technically the shot is Photoshopped, the aircraft are real.  I can live with that.

The Atlas A400

Over the winter of Covid, I spent a lot of nights exploring different subjects on YouTube.  Many of these nights, I's start around 8:00 PM.  I'd watch a few videos and next thing you know it was 2:00 AM.  On the good side, I could have been eating the whole time.  On one of these adventures, I found myself in the Mach Loop.  Search it in YouTube,  It is not what you think.  While watching, I saw an aircraft I thought was a C-130 doing low level maneuvers.  But it looked a bit odd.  And as it turned out, it was an Atlas A400.

Atlas A400 Airshow Static

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

24 mm, 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

The Atlas 400 is a European military transport aircraft, built by a division of Airbus.  Cargo-wise, in terms I can understand, it is designed to slot in between the C-130 and C-17.  The customer base is primarily European with about 95 units produced at this time.  It looks like the fleet could grow to as many as many as 170 units.  They are out there.  Unfortunately I did not get a chance to enter and tour the aircraft at this show.  Just more reasons to go to another airshow.

The aircraft is prop driven by four Europrop TP 400-D6 engines, each moving 8 Ratier-Figeac FH385 and FH386 variable pitch tractor propellers.  I started looking at the design of the propellers and to be honest, I got lost.  Props have come a long way in design past a simple slat.  But the key word is props and what it means to me.  Slow shutter speed.  Between this aircraft and the other prop driven aircraft, I threw away most of the air shots as not viewable.  I've gone to the if there is not prop blur, with few exceptions, there will be no kept photo.  The best inflight shot of the A400 I have is at 1/160th of a second.  Most of the other shots are at 1/200th of a second.  So that is the shutter speed range.  The ground shots are much easier.

In selecting what shots to keep from the Thunder Over Michigan air show last weekend, one of the positives to the decision is to catch multiple subjects in a shot.  In the airshows, if I can get viewers in a shot with an aircraft in flight - I like it.  So a take off in the distance is a great way to line up the viewers to get in the shot.

A400 Airshow Take Off

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

750 mm, 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 560 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I was too far away to catch the vapor trail coming off the props very well, but if you pixel peep up close, they are there.  The take off 842 RPM was doing its best to show off the circular vapor trail, but I was just too far away to really capture it.

This is the best shot of the group, taken at 1/160th shutter speed.  Cruise setting is designed to be 730 RPM.  The shutter speed really did a nice job.

A400 Slow Pass

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I don't get to see many aircraft outside of the US inventory.  And a cargo aircraft too.  I enjoyed watching this aircraft do its thing.  

I do get a kick out of aircraft naming.  Still going with Galaxy is the largest.  Call me a Homer.

Thunder Over Michigan - Saturday

Today was a full day.  There was early for cast of rain that never materialized, never the less the morning was quite muggy.  The photo effects were incredible for the fast jets.  The clouds moved enough to make the day borderline comfortable.  Enough about the challenges.

The high humidity has an effect on fast moving aircraft.  Essentially the aircraft will create its own mini weather system.  With a jet flying straight and level, the closer to the sound barrier the jet's wings get, the more the low pressure is created in pockets along the jet's wings and fuselage.  Low pressure clouds are formed.  And for some reason, they move along with the jet.  It's an illusion.  The point is, when you see the clouds on the jet, you are moving along.  Plus, regulations forbid breaking the sound barrier in populated areas.  So you want to go just fast enough.....

I had been trying for this shot since yesterday, lucky for me the winner is a fast jet.  Adds more to the story.  And this frames out well.

Fast Jet Fly by

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

480mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size, DX

This needs more than a laptop edit.  This was around 11:30 AM, not this dark.  They laid down a lot of smoke. (It looked lighter in the edit, seriously.)  But you get the idea.

I like the two stories, fast jet and photographer on a stand.

My day was good.  Lots of work with the 200-500 lens on props.  And I had more success that I originally thought.  Need to get the real equipment on the case when I get home.

The shots today were good enough to allow tomorrow as a video experiment day.

2021 Thunder Over Michigan - Friday

 Friday is in the books.  Great day, lots of fun.  And I found some new friends.

Yea, we flock together.

I had a pretty good day.  Got lots of walking in.  I might have more than four or five good shots.  Most of the day was spent figuring out what camera/lens combo I needed for where we were.  We are not located at show center.  We are off to one side completely.  On the good side, we are on the taxiway for some of the aircraft to access the active runway.  Awesome.  Less than 30 yards away.  But that takes up one camera.  What is the best action combo?  I had really good results with the D500 and 70-300.  I had some good results with the D500 and 200-500.  But that thing is heavy.  If I go with that Saturday, there will be a monopod attached to it.

I also nailed the ISO to 100.  Didn't let it float.  Initial observation that on the D500, it helps.  That might be more of an issue with the beast lens, it has a fixed aperture.  It did OK today, and it wasn't total sunshine.  Just have to see how the days plays out.

I have to work more with the flat sky.  Was horrible today.  At the end of the day, started to overexpose a wee bit.  Did it help, not sure but made me feel like I was doing something to combat the issue.

Looking forward to Saturday.  Slight chance of a passing storm.  Hopefully not as hazy.