Electraflying
Lockheed Electra on a wildfire bombing run in southern British Columbia. The light angle and compressed depth of field yielded a very powerful image and I was v...
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Lockheed Electra on a wildfire bombing run in southern British Columbia. The light angle and compressed depth of field yielded a very powerful image and I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
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Nov, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in an area close to my home in Southern British Columbia. We are in a very dry area, and fires are frequent in the summer months..Time
This photo was taken late in the afternoon, facing in an easterly direction.Lighting
The lighting was kind of flat and diffused from the smoke in the air, however the sum was coming in from the right and I was fortunate enough to be in the right line to catch the bomber on its drop run. The sidelight added shadow into the colorful retardant to enhance the effect and bring outEquipment
My camera was a Nikon D5100 at ISO 100, 1/250 sec. Lens was a cheap model mirror 500 mm , with a fixed f6.3 aperture, which on my crop sensor camera related to 750 mm. I opted to not crank up the ISO, as I did not want to have too fast a shutter speed and freeze the props completely. If I'd had my tripod setup , I would be able to shoot even slower, using ND filter . The shot was taken from about a mile away, so I opted for the longest lens in my bag. I was driving in my truck to find best angle and didn't have much time to setup a tripod when I saw the plane coming into view. I stopped the truck, rolled up my jacket and rested my camera on the padded windowframe just as the bay doors opened on the plane. I clicked thru about a dozen frames before the plane pulled up and went around. This was to be my only opportunity so I hoped for the best and relied on post processing to crop and enhance what I captured.Inspiration
I am a private pilot myself, and am fascinated with aircraft, particularly on firefighting runs and other things. In our area we are severely impacted by fires so I submit some of these images to a local news blog to help locals keep up with current events.Editing
In its raw state, I found the image to be flat and uninspiring. Using some free software ( I haven't invested in photoshop products yet), I was able to enhance contrast and embellish the colors slightly to make them pop thru the smoke. Then I cropped it down to a more desirable image. I like Zoner Photo Studio and Photoscape programs for most of my post-processing.In my camera bag
I pack an assortment of equipment in multiple bags. First Istart off with my Camera bodies. I have Nikons basically. I have a D5100, a D5200 ( since stolen from my truck..damn punks), A D90, as well as a couple of point and shoots that I keep for those trips when I cant pack a lot of bulk. Lenses are basically kit lenses, 18-55, 55-300, 18-105, a Tokina 11-16mm, and a 35 mm f1.8 that I added along the way and my 500 mm mirror. I can't say I have any one favorite, because all play important roles given the shot of the moment. If I am going out to play, however, I will attach the Tokina 11-16 and the 18-105 to a body and through my 55-30 in my bag . I dont mind hanging two cameras around my neck, as i know I am pretty wel setup for any shot with just a moments notice.Feedback
My advice to capture this is to go to the action, and hope for the best. try to control angle of lighting, however you may have very little control of this. Of course safety is also a concern, and you may not be allowed to get into some areas. The best recourse is to make sure you have a long enough lens to reach the action.
