ISNAP 2011-12

Welcome to ISnAP Season’s Greetings from the ISAP Board!

This has been a great year for the organization, and 2012 promises to be just as exciting. In this issue we are featuring images taken by our members during 2011, along with our regular monthly features.

We are continuing our efforts to deliver news and information to members, including photography events, equipment, and member accomplishments, on the website and here in ISnAP each month. Your feedback will help us to better keep you in contact with each other and with ISAP. If you haven’t logged into the website, take a moment and check in—new updates and features are being added each week. In 2012 an ISAP member forum will be added to the website to help keep our members in touch.

Photo credit © Jay Beckman

All ISAP members are encouraged to submit photos for a portfolio on the site. Instructions on how to format your portfolio images are available on the new ISAP website, in the members-only section.

In January the ISAP board will hold its annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. We will be working on the upcoming symposium and other ISAP business.

We would like to hear from you. Email us with your questions and suggestion at info@aviationphoto.org On behalf of the ISAP Board, I’d like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. See you in 2012!

Larry Grace, Chairman

ISAP News / Symposium: Mark your calendars! ISAP-XI is scheduled for May 17 through 19, 2012, in Virginia Beach, VA. Member news / updates Cover Photo on Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine (11/26/11): ISAP member Jim Wilson Centerfold image in PilotMag Nov/Dec issue 2011: ISAP member Jay Beckman Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen in the December 2011 AOPA Pilot magazine: ISAP member Mike Collins Air & Space Magazine January 2011: Cover Photo ISAP member Chad Slattery, Article about: Design by Rutan, photography by ISAP member Jim Sugar, Article on ISAP members Bruce Moore and Jim Koepnick: Pointer and Shooter ISAP Membership Renewal 2012 You can now conveniently renew your ISAP membership online!

If your membership expired during 2011, ISAP has extended your membership through December 31, 2011.

To renew online, simply go to our website: http://www.aviationphoto.org. Renewal information (either online or by mail) is located under the Member’s Area. You do not need to login in order to renew your membership.

Memberships will no longer be calendar year memberships, they will be on an anniversary basis, meaning your membership will be up for renewal each year on the date that you signed up.

Connect with ISAP Facebook and LinkedIn (International Society for Aviation Photography) http://issuu.com/isaporg (current and back issues of ISnAP)

Meet the Member

by Justin de Reuck

Being a fine art wedding photographer didn’t really help me much in the beginning as far as aviation went but now I’m able to blend the creativity of that genre with my aviation work.

In 2009 I met Frans Dely, the legendary aviation photographer whom you all know so well. He became my mentor and my aviation photography went to another level. We did the UK air show circuit in 2010 and he became a very good friend. His tragic passing in an aircraft accident in August 2011 left a huge gap in my life. I can only hope to become the photographer he was.

Myself on an air to air shoot from one C-47 to another.

My passion for aviation started before I can remember and then the lure of photography started some 25 years ago. I got my Private Pilot’s License when I was 18 years old, did my national service in the South African Air Force and then worked as a professional photographer from 1991 – 1995. I needed something more solid in my life and went off to study Electrical Engineering. The photography had to settle for becoming a hobby at that time.

A few years down the line, I couldn’t resist the call of the lens any longer, and once gain flicked the switch of my professional photographic career.

As for my equipment, I shoot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark 11 and Canon EOS 1D Mk1V….both great cameras, both delivering what I need when I need it. For air to air work, the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM and my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM are my lenses of choice. On the ground, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM, a 1.4x Mk111 converter, the two previously mentioned lenses and a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L make up my bag.

It’s not often that one gets to mix your passion with your job and then added to that, mix two of your passions into one. Aircraft and photography together… I just love it!

And in closing sometimes I have to reflect on the immortal words of photographic legend, Ansel Adams: “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”

Since I started out in photography everything has changed, my darkroom has been replaced by a PC and we still reminisce about the good ol’ days of film, how exposure and darkroom techniques were so hard-core and unforgiving. The truth is…they were…but I much prefer the digital age. I will never regret those days in the darkroom as it taught me more about photography and light than digital ever will.

I started back then doing weddings and corporate shoots, but it was up in the air that I really wanted to be. So in 2006 I decided that aviation photography was something I really wanted to pursue. Looking back at those images now make me realize just how far I’ve come in five years, those early air shows and air to air to shoots were…well, let’s just say I won’t be publishing those images anytime soon. Aviation photography was a huge learning curve and for the first time was forced to use shutter speeds that I would never dream of doing handheld. But after hours and hours spent on the sides of runways practising, it all started coming together. Forums and online galleries became my outlet for my photos until an editor of a local magazine called me up one day looking for me to go and cover and shoot a story here in Cape Town. The rest just started to fall into place after that. Make no mistake, I still need to go and make things happen, stories and photo shoots don’t normally just fall in your lap.

One of my favourite images, this one is of Dave Stock taking off in his English Electric Lightning T5 in 2009, Dave was killed in this aircraft the next day during a display.

The South African Air Forces Silver Falcons with whom I have an awesome working relationship with.

Air to air with a C47 TP-Dak over the beautiful backdrop of Table Mountain in Cape Town. This is my playground and it doesn’t get much better than this!

The Red Arrows during a performance at the Royal International Tattoo 2010 in Fairford, England.

Air to Air with the Howard DGA-15, the only one in South Africa.

After an air to air with this formo consisting of a South African Airways Boeing 737-800 and the Silver Falcons, I managed one more shot from the back of a Harvard before the formation broke away.

Air-to-Air

by Bruce Moore and Jim Koepnick

Boeing B-29 (Jim) A definite highlight of AirVenture 2011 was being able to photograph Fifi, the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29 enroute to Oshkosh.

Our main mission was to get shots of the bomber over the AirVenture grounds, but the flight to Oshkosh provided a lot of collateral photos of the aircraft in the clouds and over Lake Winnebago. Considering the size of the aircraft, a wide angle lens was my first choice. A 24-105 gave me a lot of flexibility for keeping the aircraft fairly tight while still being able to zoom out for a shot to show as much of “Oshkosh” as I could.

Timing was also an issue on this flight because I was sharing the open baggage door with our videographer. I needed my shot, and he needed his. To our advantage were the side windows in our 210 that open and allow one more shooting port. Our first turn over AirVenture was a little backlit, but we were able to get one more turn before landing. The sun and aircraft lined up much better and most of the grounds were visible in of the final shots. [24-105L on a Canon 1DM4. ISO 100;1/125@f14] (Bruce) David Oliver of the CAF and I coordinated for a rendezvous point 40 miles south of Oshkosh. The way to join up on a fast airplane is to put him into a turn and use the geometry of the circle to cut inside his turn and close in. How to do this on the B-29 which had a show ETA over OSH and wanted to keep on course? As we approached hear-tohead David slowed to 150 mph and I turned the photo plane away and chandelled up to do a low G turn-around in front of the bomber.

As the B-29 came abeam I descended off the perch and was able to take up position in the bomber’s 2 o’clock. With the bomber’s size and four R-3350 radial engines we had elected to have the bomber always be the leader and have the photo plane fly in him.

The key shot Jim needed was with the B-29 over AirVenture grounds.

The trick was to get the afternoon sun in the southwest behind us as we came around over EAA Oshkosh. I set the B-29 up for the run-in to the airport and called his turn where I hoped he’d be above the grounds as we came into the shooting light. By being able to move up and down or forward and back on the B-29 I could control the placement and perspective of the bomber over the grounds.

Rutan Boomerang and Catbird (Jim) One thing that will bring a smile to my face is when we are recognize a better opportunity and change plans accordingly. Our usual morning mission takes us to the west end of Lake Poygan, but on this morning, we noticed the clouds and fog over Lake Winnebago, just east of AirVenture. That looked like a much better background to me, so after checking for approval by all the pilots, we had a new destination. One thing I always do on a shoot is see how the subject looks backlit. Sometimes it works…sometimes it doesn’t.

It worked perfectly as Mike Melvill and Doug Shane followed us in a circle over Lake Winnebago. The sun was still low, and with the light diffused by the clouds, we came up with an image that almost looks 3D. I used my 70-200 for tight shots of each aircraft, but chose the 24-105 to a wider shot to bring in more clouds to the photograph. This was also a flight where I shot video with my Canon 5DM2. [24-105L lens on a Canon 1DM4 body. ISO 100; 1/200@f13] (Bruce) We had briefed to shoot NW of Oshkosh with a 06:00 launch. As we took off I could see areas of low clouds and fog over Lake Winnebago and moved our shoot location to over Winnebago instead. Planning is essential but many times a great photo comes from gifts of the weather and serendipitous discoveries of light and backgrounds. A formation with multiple subjects can be difficult, but Mike and Doug are great formation pilots and could put their planes wherever we asked; and they also were agreeable to a sunrise take-off which gave us the golden light.

shutter speed, was just after we had passed in front of the subject. My lens choice was the 70-200 (with a Ken-Lab 6 gyro) because it gave me the ability to stay tight on the plane as it touched down on the lake.

[70-200mm f2.8L IS II on a Canon 1DM4. ISO 100; 1/60@f13]

Republic Seabee (Jim) This was a perfect morning to shoot...beautiful light, light winds and Lake Poygan was pretty calm.

After doing our regular workup of shots for Sport Aviation, we followed the plane for several touch and go’s. With an opportunity like this in front of me, the question becomes fast shutter speed to freeze the water spray...or slow to give a feeling of movement. Since we had several passes with the aircraft, I tried both. This shot, with a slower

(Bruce) To get “splash-down” pictures I give the formation lead to the subject aircraft and take up position in their 5 o’clock. As the Seabee does his landing I slow up as much as I can, trying to time it so that I pass him just before he touches down so that the photographer is shooting back at the front of the plane. If the subject pilot is good and can keep his plane on the step and not slow down too much I can sometimes hold position in his 2 o’clock until he lifts off again.

When we do splash-downs I rely quite a lot on my right seat observer, since I am flying the touch-down looking over my shoulder and can’t see what’s ahead of us. As the subject plane slows I am using the feel of the controls and the pitch angle of our wing-tip in my peripheral vision to tell me the C-210’s energy and how close to stall we are, the observer also calls off my airspeed every 5 mph. Before we get below 65 mph I need to start my go-around.

Bell UH-1B SeaWolf (Jim) If I had one goal with the SeaWolf, it was to keep the shutter speed slow enough so that there was some movement in the rotor blades. I also didn’t see this shot as just an aircraft in the sky, but wanted to give more of a feeling of what it might have looked like on duty. We did a lot of shooting over a marshy area north of Lake Poygan.

By staying low, and using a low shutter speed, I not only got a bit of

blur in the rotors, but also a background blur to show speed. This is an instance of playing the odds. Since the shutter speed is so slow, and both aircraft are in motion, there are bound to be a high number of images out of focus...but it’s the ones in focus that count, and we came away with some great shots. [24-105L lens on a Canon 1DM4 camera.

ISO 100; 1/30@f10. Ken Lab 6 gyro stabilizer] (Bruce) This Huey was a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam. To make the background look like the Mekong River we took him over an area of marsh and reeds on the Wolf River where it empties into Lake Poygan.

For the Huey to fly at low altitude they needed to be the formation leader and not have to watch us. When flying on a helicopter you need to think of the rotor-disk as if it were the wing (which it actually is), then bank to match the angle of the disk. The best the technique to stay on the Huey when they went into a hover was to slow to 65 mph with full flaps and do on-pylon turns above him. With a pivotal altitude of less than 300 feet were able to stay on the Huey, keeping him in frame for multiple turns.

Bruce Moore and Jim Koepnick Jim Koepnick Photography LLC 320 N. Westhaven Dr., Oshkosh, WI 54904 Cell: 920-216-3870 www.koepnickphotography.com

Maha Powerex MH-C801D Eight Cell 1-Hr PRO AA-AAA Battery Charger

Quest Kodiak (Jim) In addition to our standard fare of angles to shoot during a photo mission, Bruce and I are always on the lookout for the unusual. One unusual background we occasionally encounter is when the water is calm, the sun in the right position, and the cloud make beautiful reflections on the surface of a lake. Luck was with us and we had all those conditions on this flight. I told Bruce about it so we could work it and see what kind of background it would make. The first series wasn’t very dramatic, but the second time we shot it, the reflecting clouds gave the composition a very surreal look. I shot this with a wider lens so I could capture as many cloud reflections as possible around the Kodiak. 24-105L on a Canon [1DM4. ISO100; 1/80@f7.1] (Bruce) This airplane was not one of our EAA editor’s assignments but one the photo staff saw while cruising AirVenture grounds. With its custom tiger paint scheme we knew it had photogenic potential.

When Jim noticed the cloud reflections on the calm morning water we then maneuvered to keep the clouds and highlights behind him for a string of pictures. I rely on Jim to give me instructions on what he is looking for, and on what he is seeing, to be able to move the subject into the right position and background for his envisioned shot.

There’s no going without electrical power for just about everything involving cameras and their peripherals. From tripping a shutter to firing a flash, at one level or another electrons are required to make things happen. Part and parcel to this are batteries of every size and shape and voltage, and for many of us, that means rechargeable.

Susan and I are serious proponents of a greener world. Whenever possible, we practice what we preach. As part of this mantra we use rechargeable batteries wherever and whenever possible. Most of our requirements are met with industry standard AA’s, but on occasion we use AAA’s when required. There are an almost uncountable number of companies manufacturing AA and AAA batteries (with a variety of amperages). Almost all of them offer rechargeable variants. As might be expected the rechargeables are two to three times as expensive as their conventional counterparts - but over the long haul, they are cheaper on a per battery basis. A good rechargeable can be recharged several hundred times over the course of its life, and if disposed of properly, will have minimal impact on the environment.

Anyway, without further pontificating, the main thrust of this review is to tell you that I spent a lot of time and a fairly healthy pile of money trying to find a good, semi-portable battery charger that was both fast and dependable. I won’t bore you with a list of all the different chargers I tried, but suffice it to say most have found their way to Goodwill not because they didn’t do their job, but because they charged too slowly. As a pro shooter, I often do not have time to sit around waiting for a charger to work its magic. Though I keep a large number of spare batteries on hand at all times, I do not like to go on assignment without several layers of back-up. Unfortunately, I can not always predict when a client will call - and sometimes assignments bump up next to each other in such tight intervals that recharging becomes an issue of considerable concern.

Six months ago, after waiting nearly ten hours for a set of eight AAs to recharge in a charger that had been a frustration since the day it arrived, I decided to get serious about recharging and acquire, no matter what the cost, a charger that would get the job done in two hours or less. At the time, I had no idea as to whether such a charger was even possible, much less available. A Google search, somewhat to my surprise, netted some quick responses, and after a detailed reading of all the specs, I slowly narrowed my choice down to one product - the Maha MH-C801D Eight Cell 1-Hour AA/AAA Battery Charger.

Everything about the MH-C801D sounded good, including the various reviews, but I wasn’t going to believe it until I saw it and watched it charge a set of AA’s in less than an hour. It arrived a day or two after I placed my order (via Amazon). The first thing I noticed was that it required a fairly hefty power supply (included). No big deal except for the fact the power supply would take up some extra room in my camera bag - but regardless I thought that was a bit unusual for a charger.

Within ten minutes of its arrival, I had the MH-C801D plugged in and ready to tackle a big batch of batteries. It accommodates eight at a time (I have had chargers that handle up to ten) and it is recommended that the batteries be inserted starting with the left slot and working toward the right (each slot has an independent circuit and is displayed on the LCD screen independently). Got that done and then sat back and waited. Forty-five minutes later, all eight batteries were fully charged and ready to go. I loaded them into my Nikon SB900 flash units and took off on an assignment shooting aircraft interiors.

Let’s just say that I was not disappointed. The batteries proved up to the job, they were obviously fully loaded when I pulled them from the charger, and by the time I got back from my assignment, a second batch of eight was fully charged and ready to load.

The MH-C801D has three charging modes. One is a quick charge, one is a slow charge, and one is a reconditioning charge. All work as advertised, with the latter capable of bringing many old rechargeable batteries back to life and the slow-charge (taking about two hours, max.) prolonging the life of others. It is, in fact, probably best to use the slow charge when time is not of the essence. Quick charges run a lot of amperage through a battery and can, over time, shorten its recharging life.

The MH-C801D accommodates either or both AA and AAA batteries.

It is 7.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide by 1.75 inches tall and weighs

2.2 pounds. The LED display, as noted, addresses each battery slot independently. Unfortunately, it is also the only weak aspect of the charger, as it is extremely difficult to read, particularly in dim lighting situations (it is not back-lit). The heavy duty switching 100-240V, 50/60Hz AC power supply very conveniently is designed to operate just about anywhere in the world; all that’s required is a plug adapter to accommodate a specific outlet type.

So, yes, I would very highly recommend this charger. I now have two of them (one for home and one for the road) and I use them constantly.

To date, neither unit has disappointed me at any level. Price, through Amazon, is $64.75 plus shipping.

Jay Miller

Tech Tip: Powder for your tripod legs?

Here is a tip from John Sexton’s News Letter: During our recent Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra workshops I was amazed at the amount of sophisticated (and expensive!) equipment participants had. We had a number of participants who had the new, state of the art, Phase One IQ180 digital back. Let me tell you, they don¹t give those babies away. There are quite a few new automobiles that can be purchased today for less money than one of those backs.

Along with the camera hardware, we see a greater number of the excellent Gitzo carbon fiber tripods in use on the workshops. I was very flattered when Gitzo asked me to field test one of the earliest of their carbon fiber prototype tripods in 1992, and I¹ve been using those tripods ever since. I¹ve been very impressed with the way the product has evolved over the years.

One of the things I found early on with the carbon fiber tripods - which has been improved by a change in the leg-lock mechanism and the bushings - was that the legs did not extend and retract as smoothly as the older style aluminum Gitzo tripods. Paul Wild, who at that time was the President of Manfrotto (the company that owns Gitzo), offered me a great suggestion I want to pass on to you.

He suggested LIGHTLY applying some talcum powder (baby powder) to the tripod legs. I got some powder, sprinkled a bit on an extended leg, and then brushed it all off with a soft, natural bristle paintbrush, leaving just a ghost-like coating of the talcum powder. This really improved the smoothness of extending and retracting thetripod legs. I still use this procedure today from time to time.

When you¹re looking for powder I recommend you get powder based on talc, rather than cornstarch. Remember, a little bit goes a long way.

Unless the tripod has some type of problem, I normally do not remove the legs for the application of the powder. I would NOT recommend putting the powder in the threads of the locking mechanism, just coating the extension legs themselves and then removing as much of the powder as possible. It¹s cheap, it¹s easy, it doesn¹t attract grit, and you don¹t need to do it very often. It just makes things work a little bit better.

Thanks to Arnold Greenwell for sharing this tip.

Various Shooting Perspectives Yield Different Results

by Jake Peterson

Well it’s certainly no big surprise that if you capture an image in different angles, light, or perspectives then they will turn out looking different. Knowing when and why to use those different angles, light, and perspectives are very important and not always understood.

When working with planes there are certain perspectives that can really make a big impact on what look you’re going for besides just going tighter and wider in the composition. Generally when working with statics there are three different ways to look at the subject; looking up, looking down or eye level. Most common shots are eye level shots. It’s not too surprising considering most shots at airshows are taken with little time available and often surrounded with clutter. It’s a rather boring shot from an artistic standpoint but it is a very good I.D shot or documentary shot.

The one that seems to favor Aviation Static Photography the best is looking up at the plane and the best way to get that angle is from being on the ground. When you lie down or even kneel down and look up you are changing how much information is in the background.

What’s happening is the amount of information between the foreground and the horizon line starts to shrink as it gets compressed and the result is less background information. Now depending on where you have composed the plane in the picture you might have more foreground or more sky as the background.

Here’s an example. These two images, of a Ford Trimotor, were both taken at Fantasy of Flight, Polk City, Florida. Both images were taken with a Nikon D3 and one was with an AF-S 70-300 and the other an AF-S 24-70 VR. Now that would matter if they were taken from the same perspective but they weren’t. If you look closely at the background you will see one image has water in the background and the other doesn’t.

Also notice that the same image that has the water had more detail in cement than the other. The photograph with the water was shot straight on with the 24-70 and the other was looking up with the 70-300.

When you look up at something it looks bigger and when you look down it looks smaller. By looking up at the plane not only does it affect the amount of information in the background especially in the amount of earth visible but it also makes the plane look stronger. By looking up it seems bigger, stronger, more dependable and not like a display.

The reverse happens when looking down, from say a ladder, everything looks like a model. Notice also the tail position. When looking up the tail is above the tree line straight out it’s below the tree line. This gives the image more of a flighty, free feeling. As for the foreground of the cement being less detailed, it’s because you are closer to it and the details in the cement become less sharp, less distinct and more out of focus. The depth of field just isn’t going to pick up that information as everything gets condensed.

Now here’s the last piece of information that’s crucial. If you have an awesome sunrise and sunset and you want to capture more of that sky without the ground then getting low is the best option. Getting low minimizes what’s behind the plane which can take focus away from the subject. Having sky in the frame upon capture is one of the best elements to add for romantic static shooting. It says “freedom” and that’s what is trying to be conveyed in these photos, at least for me it is. Whenever you can convey to your audience that a plane isn’t just a piece of metal, something used for fighting, or worse travelling nightmares, then you win.

Full Power! We Take Off!

5:48 in the morning. Hands inside, canopy closes and suddenly everything is crammed and quiet. A very cloudy day, first days of March. First light rays emerge from the dark. I am seated on board the F16: flight suit, pressure suit, torso, helmet, oxygen mask, two cameras, memory card, batteries and a lot of Adrenalin flowing in my veins. Cameras and equipment are checked for the last time. Left breast pocket of the flight suit: two full extra batteries and two empty memory cards, right breast pocket: empty. Used batteries and full memory cards will go into it, to avoid confusion during the flight.

The choice of equipment for shooting from the inside of an F-16 cockpit is problematic. On the one hand, conditions change constantly and you want to have maximum options, therefore you want to have as much equipment as you can with you. On the other hand, conditions do not allow such luxury, as the cabin is tiny and cannot contain much, not to mention the safety hazard of loose equipment. Taking a telescopic lens (70-200 F2.8) on board is out of the question, it is too big, there’s no room for it when unused and based on past experience it is not really useful, its bumping into the canopy is certain, moreover, when taking flight conditions into consideration the number of frames it would be possible to achieve with such focal length is minimal. The ideal lens under these conditions would be an 18-135 on one body. As I do not own such a lens, primarily due to the quality aspect, I take two bodies: one, a Series 1 Canon with 1.3 crop factor and a 16-35L 2.8 lens on it, which will enable me to get wide frames, and the second body with a 1.5 crop factor and a 24-70 L 2.8 lens will get the best range with a short telelens.

Flash and other accessories are absolutely unnecessary. I always take a polarizing filter to prevent the reflection of the canopy, which is a major problem on the F-16 with its bubble-shaped canopy. I put the filter inside my right leg pocket. I also keep an airsickness bag, in case my stomach betrays me (it hasn’t, to date…). For security reasons I put the cameras’ straps inside the bag I leave on the ground.

We are already at the take-off position at the end of the long and lit runway, waiting for take-off clearance. I check the radio switches, the oxygen and go over the emergency procedures when I hear Major I talking with the control tower. I try to imagine and prepare myself for what is about to happen in a few seconds: A flight to the unknown.

Yes, I did fly abroad on a Boeing, on a Cessna in flying lessons, even

on choppers and other nice aircrafts, but an F-16, a fighter aircraft, is a different league – the jet club.

We are number three in a three F-16 formation. Number one and two, ahead of us, get clearance. They leap lightly as if they did not weigh ~20 tons each. Their take-off run is short; their burner spits a 5-6 meters fire flame on the runway. An impressive spectacle. Like two fireballs they rapidly disappear in the heavily clouded sky. It is awesome, especially because I know how much noise they make, and being locked in the cockpit I am in complete silence and get the “video” without the “audio”. I barely get to hear the tower say:”Number three, you have clearance” when Major I, my pilot, says:” Nir, ready? Don’t forget to lean your head back. We’re taking off.” At that instant the whistle of the engine coming to life is heard, all the monitors and gauges get an energy boost and the dials go wild. Then I realize that Major I has pulled the throttle to its maximum…Here we go! A tremendous blow of power which intensifies in a second, when the afterburner kicks in, I am sucked into my seat, to which I am already strongly strapped, and understand why Major I told me to lean my head back…

What tremendous intensity this machine has! I feel like I’ve been shot out of a cannon. The F-16 leaps frantically and accelerates to take-off speed of approximately 250 km/h. Seconds later we are airborne and Major I pulls upwards and left. My stomach is not enthusiastic as the flight proceeds and the earth is seen from a distance. At this point I notice that my right hand hurts and I find out that I’ve been holding the camera very very tightly…Now I also have to shoot!? We keep accelerating and gaining height to join Number One and Two. Height is average and speed is high, the morning mist does not clear and it is still quite dark but it is already possible to see most of the coast line from south to north of Israel.

The cockpit is serene and quiet compared to the immense noise this aircraft emits outside. From the corner of my eye, facing the emerging sun I see the two fighters. They get close and allow me to take a few silhouette frames against the rising sun. Maybe except for sunrises in exotic sites around the world, this is the most exciting sunrise that I can remember.

We switch sides for better lighting and formation, but the weather is not favorable today. The sun is already out but the mist is still heavy and it hinders taking good shots. In order to take maximum advantage of the situation I shoot some more silhouettes and sunrise colors frames.

A fighter, yes, a fighter: a war machine. The slightest touch of the controls makes this iron bird maneuver and move in the air like a broken roller coaster on stimulants. That’s the only thing I could think of after thirty minutes of having my head stuck in the camera and the world turning and rolling over around me.

At this point the fact that I have stopped looking out through my lens starts affecting my feeling and stomach. I am not in a state of throwing up, but my head spins a bit. Major I asks how I feel and suggests that we make a sharp maneuver, which will make me feel really bad and vomit, and then I’d be fine.

From past experience I know this does not work for me, but I don’t get the chance to tell Major I about it when he takes a hard pull of the stick while opening the throttle. The aircraft is almost vertical with its nose upwards. I feel the acceleration force and the pressure suit as it inflates. I get a glimpse at the accelerometer, which reads approximately 5g, and the speedometer is on almost zero when Major I stops pulling. This feels weird, like we’ve stopped flying in mid air, almost hovering with no gravity force and everything is quiet. And then – boom, another strong push of the stick, this time in the opposite direction.

Major I is pushing the aircraft’s nose down and in an instant we change position from vertical with nose up to vertical with nose down with a sharp turn to the right to align back to the horizon. In spite of the uneasy nausea this maneuver was absolutely amazing! While Major I is

cruelly abusing me I notice one of the aircrafts following us closely against the sun, I manage to steal another silhouette frame.

We’ve been in the air for almost an hour, and the sun has gracefully agreed to grant us some rays in favor of filming one of the fighters in the formation. I ask Major I to get as close as possible and manage to take some relatively well lit frames of the Barak which is armed and heavily loaded.

We continue, but understand that today’s morning sun is unfavorable.

A quick look at the camera’s monitor gives the impression that the last frames are precisely what we wanted, and we decide to call it quits for today. We leave the two other Barak aircrafts, who continue to their daily mission.

Major I is heading for landing and I take the time to document myself in the cockpit: it’s a pity to miss the sunrise lighting…Minutes later I see the runway, as Major I aligns towards it and lands us in grace that does not fit what this aircraft has done in the air a few minutes ago.

That’s it. Solid ground. This was undoubtedly an intensive, impressive and unforgettable experience. Later, on my computer, I get to identify my reflection on the flight computer’s monitor, while I was taking a few shots of the cockpit…kind of a self portrait.

Writer and photographer Nir Ben Yosef (xnir) www.xnir.com

A SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE

While looking through his dad’s old negatives, Claes Axstal came across a special photograph taken in 1951. The picture is of a Tummelisa single seat trainer, now exhibited in the Swedish Air Force Museum called Flygvapenmusem. The Swedish Air Force Museum is a modern museum of cultural history tasked with preserving and displaying artifacts, as well as increasing popular awareness about the history of Swedish military aviation. The date 1951 is significant because it was the 25th anniversary of the Swedish Air Force.

According to Wikipedia, Captain Gosta von Porat initiated the single seat trainer as a replacement for the Albatross aircraft used by the Swedish Army Aviation Corps. The aircraft was designed by Henry Kjellson of the Swedish Army Aircraft factory (FVM) at Malmen, Sweden and first flown in 1919. When the Swedish Air Force was created in June 1926, it was taken over and designated as an advanced trainer. After retirement all but one of the aircraft were scrapped, and the survivor (1928 built c/n 147 serial 3656) was retained for preservation. It last flew in 1962 and is now in the Swedish Air Force Museum, Malmslatt, Sweden.

Larry King - Aerobatic Pilot

by John Slemp

This image of Larry King was shot on June, 2011 at Briscoe Field (LZU) in Lawrenceville, Ga. Larry intends to use the image for promotional purposes at his booth during the ICAS show this fall in Las Vegas.

Larry was lit using one Profoto strobe head, with a “beauty dish” light modifier.

It’s a shallow, circular dish about 22 inches across that yields a beautiful soft light. Since it’s rigid, it works well in the wind, provided the stand/boom is well sandbagged. Power was provided by a Honda 2k generator, which allows great flexibility in using my studio strobe gear just about anywhere, something I had long wanted to do. If memory serves, it was set in the 600 watt/second range.

How to Price Your Ebook

by Tyson V. Rininger

With the ever growing popularity of the tablet, anyone who has ever dreamed of publishing a book now has the means. Owners of iPads, Kindles, Tabs, Nooks, and others are purchasing eBooks at a record pace due to their portability and environmental conscientiousness. But who would have predicted the actual creation and implementation of an eBook would be the easy part?

product. Customers at first didn’t understand why they were paying the same price, if not more, for a digital image when the expense of film was no longer a part of the process. As most photographers know, the price of technology skyrocketed, the responsibilities of processing film simply transferred from the lab to the photographer and storing images digitally on hard drives replaced the cost of purchasing film.

Pricing a book used to be relatively easy. Take all the parts of the book like printing costs, marketing expenses, advances and other author related fees, publisher fees, distribution fees and desired profits, add them up, divide by the number of printed copies, end it with a ‘5’ or a ‘9’ and voila, you have a price. With eBooks, some of that process is still in place, but there is no longer a physical book along with printing costs, or distribution fees and thus the basis of pricing is flipped on end.

In many ways, the growing eBook industry has much to learn from the

Producing an eBook is no different. Instead of a publisher working to lay out the book, the author now does the work. Although a publisher may no longer incur the expense of printing the book, the author may instead be tasked with hiring a pre-production company to digitize and troubleshoot any layout inconsistencies. And of course there’s time invested.

Those looking to get their books published have been eased into the market through ‘Print-on-Demand’ publishing companies like Blurb, Flickr, Lulu and CafePress just to name a few. Unfortunately these markets allowed little room for profit but enabled new publishers a base from which price from.

The eBook market has no standard. Typically ‘How-To’ books are priced higher than your fictional love story so in the online world, entertainment isn’t quite as valuable as information. Expect to pay about $2.99 for an entertaining novel by an unknown writer versus $7.99 and up for an informative ePub. The consensus to arriving at a competitive price comes down to what you want out of your project. Selling an eBook is no different than selling anything else in this world; there are pros and cons.

Regardless of the size or amount of time you’ve spent on your publication, the consumer will only spend what they feel the eBook is worth. digital photography business. When film disappeared, photographers needed to find a new way of justifying prices based on an intangible

People will tell you to price your work at next to nothing so you can sell hundreds, thousands, even millions of copies and possibly make a profit from bulk sales. Others will suggest taking a loss so you can get your name out. And still others will claim testing the market by setting a high price only to gradually lower it until sales improve is a great way to operate. Unfortunately all of these have a downside.

We all dream of selling millions of books, so do the other millions of people who have uploaded their books. Selling your book for nothing or next to nothing will still get you nothing. Why not make a little money

The most important part, check out your competition. If you’ve completed a stellar cookbook, check out other highly rated cookbooks with similar content and structure and price your book accordingly.

If this happens to be your first book, price it slightly lower than authors with multiple books. Research has shown that up to 80% of consumers that have purchased one book from a particular author will go on to purchase additional books by that same author if they like the work.

So, pricing your first eBook slightly below theirs may put you on the same level playing field and at least get readers to acknowledge your skills.

So why end in ‘5’ or ‘9’? Most of it is psychological and if anyone has ever been shopping, you know the psychology works. Would you rather buy something for $19.99 or $20.00? Furthermore, many of the eBook distributors require a pricing structure that ends in $.95 or $.99. Apple’s iTunes, for example, happens to require an ending price of $.99.

And don’t forget, you don’t get to keep all the dough. Suppose you print a book through Blurb and then submit it to iTunes. Blurb will keep their operating cost, about $1.40 and Apple will keep about 30% of the purchase price. If you’re selling a novel marketed through Amazon’s Kindle, pricing it at $2.99 or above will enable you to keep 70% of the profit, but if you price it below $2.99, you only keep 30%.

Most importantly, don’t underprice yourself. Your knowledge and ideas are valuable. Just spend some time doing a bit of homework and browsing the eBook store to get a better idea of what the market will bear for titles similar to yours.

To best figure out what your book is worth, do a little homework and check out other books similar to yours featured on eBook sites.

The more unique your publication, the more people will pay for that knowledge. while your name gets out there? After all, we’re talking about a digital book, not a physical one that people will share with their friends. If your book is good, they will e-mail their friends about it and your book will go viral regardless of the price, so long as it’s a reasonable one. And gradually lowering the price of your book will only lead to upset buyers who purchased your book when it first came out. Remember, those buying your book are still customers and you want them to eventually buy more books, so don’t burn your bridges with poor customer service.

With that in mind, keep your pricing economically viable. In other words, it may be unrealistic to get $29.99 for your book just because you’ve invested six months to a year of your time in its creation. That kind of pricing may need to be saved for the physical copy and your eBook price may have to drop to $4.99. It’ll be a hard pill to swallow, but eventually worth it.

And congratulations on becoming an author!

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2011

A Year in Review

© Katsuhiko Tokunaga

© Philip Makanna © Doug Prange

© John Slemp

© Herb Morrison

© Gary Daniels

© Bill Fortney

© Mariano Rosales

© Jim Wilson © Gar Travis

© David Leininger

© Andrew Beaumont

© Andrew Thomas

© Ben Kristy

© Bonnie Kratz

© Chad Slattery

© Dale H Moody

© Angie Stansbury

© Arnoud Schoor

© Brent Clark

© Bruce Croft

© Dan Beauvais

© Dave Layland

© Dave Niino

© David Henry

© Eric Vorstenbosch

© Francoise Guilé

© Gary Chambers

© George Kounis

© Dylan van Graan

© Ed Dorroh

© Frank Crebas

© Gary Barndt

© Gerard Isaacson

© Glenn Bloore

© Glenn Watson

© Greg Meland

© Hayman Tam

© Isaac Lebowitz

© Jake Peterson

© James O’Rear

© Gregg Stansbery

© Hal Scott

© Ismael Abeytua

© Jack Tyson

© Jay Beckman

© Jay Miller

© Jeff Greger

© Jeff Welker

© Jim Koepnick

© Jim Raeder

© Kai Hansen

© Ken Reid

© Jessica Ambats

© Jim Froneberger

© John Ford

© Justin de Reuck

© Kevin Ash

© Kevin Brown

© Kevin Hong

© Kim Bolan

© Marco Tricarico

© Mark E Thompson

© Mike Gagarin

© Mike Green

© Larry Grace

© Lynn Cromer

© Mehdi Nazarinia

© Michael P. Randazzo

© Moose Peterson

© Neville ‘Ned” Dawson

© Nir Ben-Yosef

© Rob Edgcumbe

© Ron Malec

© Owen Ashurst

© Robert “Ted” Black

© Ryan Lunde

© Paul Dumm

© Peter Steehouwer

© Robert Driver

© Rod Reilly

© Ryan Turner

© Scott Snorteland

© Sheldon Heatherington

© Simon Fitall

© Susan Koppel

© Terry Moore

© Tom Wightman

© Tyson V. Rininger

© Steve Durtschi

© Steve Kurtz

© Timothy Pruitt

© Tom Pawlesh

© Paul Bowen

© Gary W. Jones

It’s “Airplane ID” time!

Here’s your next challenge:

Jay Miller Photo Collection

Answer to last month’s trivia

The Mystery Aircraft for last month is the de Lackner Helicopters HZ-1 Aerocycle. It was developed using intuitive control technology developed by Charles Zimmerman during the 1950s. Zimmerman earlier had developed the well-known but dead-end Vought V-173 and its full-scale successor, the Vought XF5U-1 - the former being well-known by its “Flying Pancake” moniker.

Using Zimmerman’s ideas, tested and proven viable by the NACA, de Lackner began development of a prototype one-man flying platform referred to in-house as the DH-4. In addition to its single crew member, the DH-4 would also be capable of lifting a 120 pound cargo load or a 5 gallon auxiliary fuel tank (giving it an additional 50 mile range).

The DH-4 was powered by a 40-horsepower Mercury Marine 20H engine developed originally to power small boats. This engine drove a 15-foot-diameter contra-rotating rotor system via belt drives and a chain reduction unit. Stabilizers in the form of extended arms with air bags at each end and a larger rubber float type bag in the center served as the DH-4’s landing gear.

Following initial static tests by de Lackner, the DH-4 was turned over to the Army where it was given the YHO-2 designator. This later was changed to HZ-1.

The first tethered flight took place on November 22, 1954. The first free flight followed not long afterwards during January of 1955 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Eventually, some 15 hours were logged over the course of 160 flights. The consensus following the test program was that the DH-4 had considerable merit.

As a result, twelve pre-production aircraft were ordered.

Flight test work using the pre-production HZ-1s quickly revealed that, though neophyte pilots could learn to fly it in as little as fifteen minutes, it had aerodynamic and mechanical issues that were not so easily resolved. Blade intermeshing failures led to two major accidents (neither causing serious injury to the pilot) and those, coupled with a loss of interest on the part of the Army in a “personal lifting device”, led to cancellation of the program.

Today, a single HZ-1 survives. It is currently displayed at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Ft. Eustis, Newport News, Virginia. Specifications include a height of 7 feet (including air bags), an empty weight of 172 pounds, a gross weight of 454 pounds, a fuel capacity of 1 gallon, a main rotor diameter of 15 feet, a maximum speed of 75 mph, a cruise speed of 55 mph, a service ceiling of 5,000 feet, an endurance of 45 minutes, and a range of 15 miles.

ISAP Chairman -

Larry Grace

lgrace@mm.com

ISAP Secretary -

Joe Olivia

joe@jetpix.com

ISAP Treasurer -

Bonnie Kratz

bonnie@bonniekratzphotography.com

ISAP Lawyer -

Albert Ross

alross@sbcglobal.net

ISAP Board Member -

Jessica Ambats

jessicaambats@gmail.com

ISAP Board Member -

Mike Collins

mike.collins@aopa.org

ISAP Board Member -

George Kounis

george@pilotgetaways.com

ISAP Board Member -

Katsuhiko Tokunaga

tokunaga@dact.co.jp

ISAP Board Member -

Richard VanderMuelen richardvm@aol.com

ISAP Board Member -

Jim Wilson

jw@jimwilsonphotography.com

ISAP Chairman Emeritus -

Jay Miller

aerofax@sbcglobal.net

ISnAP Editor -

Frank Landrus

viggenja37@sbcglobal.net

ISnAP Staff -

Kevin Hong

kevin@sectorkmedia.com

ISnAP Staff -

John Ringquist

jjringquist@gmail.com

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