jamesnelms

Meet Colonel Callahan

Posed by the very jet he flew in combat, retired USAF Col Drury Callahan talks about his years of service during the Vietnam war....
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Posed by the very jet he flew in combat, retired USAF Col Drury Callahan talks about his years of service during the Vietnam war.
Read less

NIKON D90

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 320 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 18/1

upload_date

Sep, 2015

Views

2537

Likes

+391

Awards

Contest Finalist in In Uniform Photo Contest

Featured

Contest Finalist in Grit And Glory Photo Contest

Peer Award

+139

Superb Composition

+32

Top Choice

+25

Absolute Masterpiece

+16

Love it

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Genius

Superior Skill

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Categories

Excellent photo.

Where did you take this at? It didn't happen to be at Atwater Airbase (Castle Airport) Was it?

Also... Great image! Well balanced and I like the story it tells.

awesome shot - great reflection in the canopy !!

Great photo takes me back to the 70's with the F4 Phantom. Brilliant thanks or the memory

Platinum

The phantom is 1 badass airplane

Awesome

Awesome photo I love to see the twinkle in the eye of a veteran's eye when the pose for a photo or you salute or thank them for their service!! This photo says it all..

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Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was taken at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison Texas, during a special photo session with Col. Callahan.

Time

Very late in the afternoon.

Lighting

Late afternoon lighting, all natural light diffused by the whispy clouds.

Equipment

Camera: Nikon D90 on a monopod, bracketing for HDR.

Inspiration

It was a special photo shoot set up for members of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum's 'Photo Squadron', which is a club for local photographers and aviation enthusiasts. I had received an email earlier in the week that Col. Callahan was going to pose by the same F4 Phantom he flew in the Vietnam War. I had actually photographed the colonel at a previous event the year before, but it was inside a hanger with poor lighting. The colonel posed for many shots, but in this particular shot, he was talking to the photographers about air battles he experienced during the war.

Editing

Bracketed shots processed in Photomatix HDR software.

In my camera bag

I tend to keep my Nikon D90 in the car so I don't miss an opportunity for an impromptu photo. I typically have a polorizing filter in the bag, a flash, a tripod and a monopod.

Feedback

I love to photograph people and their machines. In this case, the two together tell more of a visual story than just the man posing alone. In this case, the colonel was wearing his USAF flight suit which immediately identified him as the pilot of the jet, and not just someone posing with a plane. His relaxed stance and thoughtful expression is due to the fact he was talking to the group of photographers before him.

See more amazing photos, follow jamesnelms

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jamesnelms

Meet Colonel Callahan

Posed by the very jet he flew in combat, retired USAF Col Drury Callahan talks about his years of service during the Vietnam war.... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jamesnelms

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Posed by the very jet he flew in combat, retired USAF Col Drury Callahan talks about his years of service during the Vietnam war....
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.