Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

Watching the Canadian precision flying team called the Snowbirds made me reflect on the steps of learning to fly. Flying requires a very specific order of training to acquire the skills to do it safely
and effectively.

1. Acquiring the knowledge: First comes training, and lots of it. You must learn not only how to fly an airplane but the countless rules that govern the operation of an airplane. Flying without that training is paramount to suicide.

1. Acquiring the skills: This all comes down to practice. Any skill that you need to fly becomes smoother and better with practice.

3. Paying attention and communicating: Safe flying is all about keeping your head in the game.
It’s also about staying in good communication with other traffic and air traffic control.

Our walk with the Lord is very much the same.

1. Acquiring the knowledge: First comes training, and lots of it. Time in the word will help you learn just what God wants you to know and understand.

1. Acquiring the skills: This all comes down to practice. Living takes practice, and practice is where you find out if you can apply His principles.

3. Paying attention and communicating: Pray and listen, no harder than that!

I’m so thankful for this opportunity, it is so much fun to spend time with great friends and these wonderful flying machines and their pilots. For the hundredth time, to Bill Pekala, “thanks for the job, Bill…”

I hope you’ve enjoyed the fun we’ve had at Reno! Have a great weekend and God bless,

the pilgrim

I love Nose Art, it’s such a remarkable part of the personality of the plane and owner. This morning I did a little experiment while shooting a lot of nose art. In World War I most planes were painted with logos that identified the squadron. By WW II the art took on a much more personal nature. Men depicted their girl friends, wives, and logo art that depicted the mission. In many art critics opinions, it became an important part of folk art. These examples gave me a chance to try out a certain camera lens combination and see just how it would perform.

For Tech Friday I decided to shoot an entire series of images with Nikon’s newest Coolpix the P7000 and boy was I impressed with it’s quality. This is Nikon’s top of the line compact camera,
10 mega pixels, 28-200 zoom at 2.8 wide open aperture, 3” Hi Res LCD screen, actual viewfinder, shoots 720 P video, and is built like a little tank. All that is great, but if it doesn’t shoot great images, it’s not of much consequence. But it does! These images were all shot with this little fellow and I love it. I don’t think I will ever travel again without this camera, I just might be tempted to actually go some places with nothing but it. But what about shooting in low light at higher ISO?

Now let’s get really creative, the shot below is a small section of the image above enlarged to
24 X 36!!!!! Yes a little noise, but hey, 24 X 36 at ISO 1600!!!!!!

Well from the image of me above, with the little P7000, shot by Bill Pekala, you can see how happy I am. I used a tripod so I could see just how capable this camera can be, and I’m sold. At $499. it is a real package for the times you want to travel light. This is the closest thing yet to my dream travel camera…….

Thanks Father for another fun day, more to come on Saturday and Sunday, stay tuned.

the pilgrim

For more info contact Nikon at this link:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-Camera/26233/COOLPIX-P7000.html



Great morning in Reno, lots of new things to shoot. Maybe the best shot of the morning was of
José “Fuji” Ramos, now known as “Sprinkles” for the shot below.

Jose is a world class military aviation
shooter who is back seat qualified to
go up in the really fast jets. Nice guy
too! He and the rest of our gang was
on the tarmac again this morning at
daybreak to work the subjects. The
sky worked for us this morning and
we all did well. Below a TWA DC-3
sits in the tarmac with the Stead Tower
in the background. Run through the
HDR process and then desaturated to
look kinda like a 1930’s movie poster.

Aviation art shooting is all a matter of
what you like, unless you’re trying to sell
your work then, of course the client must
like it. Though the shot of the F18 from
the business end is quite literal it also
uses the light and contrast of the morn-
ing to emphasize the details.

The fun of shooting the planes is intensified by the great fellowship among the photographers at
Reno, and estimated, 360. Photographers come from all over the world for this event that will

draw a crowd in excess of 250,000 people. My boss and buddy Scott Diussa loves Corsairs so the last shot is for him.

I’m thankful to be here with such good friends. Be sure to remember to check out Scott’s, Bill’s,
Moose’s, and Richard’s Websites/blogs for more images, everyone had a great shooting day.

http://www.billpekala.com/BillPekala/Welcome.html

http://www.scottdiussa.com/Scott_Diussa/Scott_Diussas_Blog/Scott_Diussas_Blog.html

http://www.richardsmallphotography.smugmug.com/

http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/

Everyday I thank God for my family, my job, my friends, and most of all my relationship with Him.
Thank you Father……..

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images with the Nikon D3s, 24-70 f 2.8 AFS and 70-300 AFS VR lenses. All Images HDR.
The shot of the photographers was made with Nikon’s new wonderful P7000 Coolpix.

First morning on the ramp at Reno and the gang is back together. This morning we had, from left to right above; Big Mike Anskat, Jose Ramos, Bill Pekala, Scott Diussa, Richard Small, David Leininger, and the pilgrim. We had a great time working in the cold early light. I hope you enjoy some of the first mornings take. God is good, actually God is great.

This was a perfect morning, nice light, tolerable temps, and great, great company, can’t wait for tomorrow! Today’s prayer: Thank you Father, thanks for blessing me far greater than I deserve!

the pilgrim

*Photo notes: All images Nikon D3s and 24-70 AFS and 70-300 AFS VR. Gitzo Tripod, RRS head and all images HDR.

Check out:

http://www.scottdiussa.com/Scott_Diussa/Scott_Diussas_Blog/Scott_Diussas_Blog.html

http://www.billpekala.com/BillPekala/Welcome.html