C-17 dusty takeoff
C-17 Globemaster III on a dusty combat takeoff from Riverside.
C-17 Globemaster III on a dusty combat takeoff from Riverside.
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Sep, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Contest Finalist in Aviation Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the hill near the air traffic control tower at the Riverside Airport during the Riverside Airshow.Time
As with most airshows, the military flying displays are toward the end of the show, and this one was taken at 4:04 PM. This was the first time that the C-17 had taken off as part of the display as they usually stage out of a nearby base (March ARB) for flying displays.Lighting
The afternoon light at Riverside can be pretty uneven at the time of year that the show takes place. Some years it is clear and sunny, and when this photo was taken the skies were hazy and slightly gray. But the dust behind the aircraft from the infield added to the dramatic effect.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D50 using a Nikkor 70-300 G series lens. It was my first digital SLR rig for airshow photography.Inspiration
As the C-17 approached rotation speed, I could see the great deal of dust being thrown up by the thrust. I wanted to to catch it as it rose from the dust.Editing
I did some slight tweaking on contrast to bring out more color due to the flat light and haze. This was also cropped some and I leveled the horizon with some rotation.In my camera bag
I shot this is 2007 when my whole kit was a Nikon D50 (6 MP) with a 70-300 G series lens and the 28-80 kit lens. These days, it is much more evolved with the Nikon D7100 as my main body with a trusty D200 backup/snapshot camera. The D7100 recently replaced my D300 that died after 135,000 shots. I carry 2 cameras on me at airshows with the Tamron 150-600mm on the D7100 and the Nikkor 18-200mm on the D200. I have the 50mm f/1.8 at the ready when needed, but prefer having the versatility of a zoom lens in the dynamic fast moving world of airshows. I use a black rapid knock off strap system to keep the weight off my neck and on my shoulders.Feedback
Keep alert for things moving at an airshow, on the ground and in the air. Watch what other aircraft do and observe the surroundings. With Riverside in particular, there are dealership cars parked in the background, so aircraft taking off and landing will have very cluttered backgrounds, so panning shots that blur the background are helpful to hide the clutter. In this case, the dust completely obscured the cluttered background so it worked very well. There is some luck and timing involved to capture the action the way you want. So for me, I try to visualize the frame before I press the shutter.
