Monthly Archives: September 2012

 

 

You get up every morning, as a photographer, with the hope and prayer that today will be that day!  The day when everything works in your favor to get the shots you want to make. This morning was that day for me as an airplane photographer!  It was the perfect storm of circumstances, Great light, wonderful clouds, perfect conditions, and fantastic subjects! I might add to that list great company!   It was a chilly 42 degrees and most of the antique planes had arrived.  We got on the tarmac just in time to see the sun light up the clouds and then rise casting more special light in our subjects.  Bill Pekala, Mark Kettenhofen, Moose Peterson and his sons Jake and Brent were among those of us that enjoyed this wonderful morning.  I got the chance to work color, shape, line, form, and light with some really beautiful antique aircraft.  I did HDR on some, used a single frame out of the HDR series for others, and then converted some to Black and White.  I hope you enjoy them!

 

And of course I promised color for color sake?  How about this Rainbow Ford Tri-Motor below??!!

 

So in summation; wonderful morning, I’m pleased with the results, may have been my best morning of static shooting at Reno in 6 years of coming here!

 

Now a moment of praise;  God has so richly blessed be with great friends and memorable events.  I truly love the folks here at Reno and since I asked you to pray for us in response to emotional recovery form last years tragic evens, I just wanted you to know your prayers are being answered!!  Everyone seems to be doing well, and we have been blessed, so far, with a safe event.  I know God has a plan and He is working that plan out in our lives.  For my buddies of the His Light workshops both team and friends, I’m getting very excited about November, I truly feel some epic things are going to happen, I just sense a real move of the spirit on our time out west together!!!  If I sound giddy, it’s just how things get when God’s perfect will for my life, is coming together!

 

A very excited,

 

pilgrim

 

P.S.  Bill Pekala has done it again, check out his stunning work at his link which is above, right!!

One of the most satisfying things for me, as a photographer, is getting out early, when the light is right!  What a difference a day makes, or maybe 15 hours!  I want to talk about joy, because this is what this is!  I’ve often thought that of all the sensations as a shooter, it’s that point of capture, looking through that viewfinder, that I enjoy the most!!  It seems that most of the truly incredible moments of my life have been seen through a camera’s eyepiece!  My daughter’s birth, shuttle launches, glorious sunrises and sunsets, graphic landscapes from 500 feet in the air, many, many magical moments.  This morning Bill Pekala and I wandered off from the crowd and shot the Heritage Aircraft area, where some wonderful historic airplanes reside.  It was both superlative company and great light and I think we struck gold a few times!  But then I’ll let you be the judge of that!!  *Be sure to click on Bill Pekala on the lower right in my links to see his blog and website!

 

Before I show you the morning’s best takes, I want to praise God again for this incredible life as a photographer, and the wonderful friends this profession has brought into my life.  I’m really enjoying this time with Bill and Mark, and I can’t wait to join Jim and our team in the Southwest in November!!  Life just keeps serving up one great moment after another!

 

Thank you Father for loving me so much that you’ve blessed me so mightily.  I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m truly thankful.  Amen!

 

 

I hope you’re having a great day, filled with as much fun as we are having here!

 

Blessings,

 

Bill

 

Hey guys, much apologies, day one and two have been really busy at Reno, I will try to get back on a morning schedule tomorrow! Today was spent getting the gear out and organizing the media center, but I finally got out in late afternoon to see what planes have arrived.  I will be on the tarmac at  pre sunrise in the morning for some better light, but I found some outstanding paint jobs in my short afternoon walk!  The light was direct and contrasty, but it still worked for some subjects.

 

I’ve heard it said that there will be colors in heaven like nothing with ever seen or even could imagine.  When I look at these colors it really makes me look forward to what we may have in store for us.  While I’m still here I will enjoy being with friends like Bill Pekala and Mark Kettenhofen here at Reno, to be joined later in the week by Snake Barrett!  Then I think about what a kick it will be to tour the Southwest with Jim, RC, Snake, my son Wes, and Matt Kloskowski, and those great friends we’ve made through His Light!  It all makes these colors all the deeper, just like my joy!

 

Until the a.m, blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

I get a lot of emails from folks wanting to know what gear I carry, and how I carry it.  Since I’m sitting in a Courtyard getting ready to fly to Reno at O:Dark thirty, and I have my travel bag and system with me, let’s dig into it right now!

This is my favorite rolling bag when I need to take a substantial amount of stuff, the Think Tank Airport Security 2.0.  This is what it holds;

 

1.  Nikon D7000 with strap and L Bracket.

 

2.  Nikon D800 with strap and L Bracket

 

3.  On top in the black Nikon pouch is my Jambox bluetooth speaker.  Below is my Nikon 16-35 AF-s VR f4 lens with a thin polarizer in a Think Tank lens bag.    Also my 4G MiFi and charging cord, for getting a  hot spot almost anywhere!

 

4.  A small SnapR case for a my Point and Shoot (which ever one I’m currently carrying), extra batteries and accessories.

 

5.   Bag with a Point and Shoot charger.

 

6.  Spare En-EL15 batteries for the two bodies and MH-25 charger.

 

7.  Sing Ray 8 Stop Variable ND filter and 77mm 2 element Diopter.   Small card reader from Rocketfish.  Small Sony Digital recorder for taking notes.

 

8. 2 Western Digital 1 TB portable hard drives, below, Maxpedition gear pouch with two Monster cables fro iPhone and iPad, plus Apple wall warts.

 

9. Power cord for Macbook Pro.

 

10.  Cable release in zippered pouch, MC-25 cord and MR-3 release button, below, Manfrotto lens case with Nikon 70-300 AF-S VR f4.5-5.6 lens with shade and polarizer.

 

11. Rocket blower, below, lens pouch with Nikon 24-120 AF-S VR f4 lens, two LED flashlights, and charger.

 

12. Macbook Pro in sleeve.

 

13.  The Think Tank Airport Security 2.0 rolling bag.

 

In the extra pockets are;  Two Think Tank Pocket Rocket Memory card holder for CF and SD cards, business card wallet.  Interior pockets hold; Allen wrenches, Shower Cap (dust and rain protection), standard threaded cable releases, a few dozen Zeiss pre-moistened wipes.   Two bottles of  Visine.  Spare lens caps and two ML-L3 Wireless Remotes for the D7000, I love these little things, buy them by the half dozen!  Everything is protected with a half dozen large micro fiber cloths.  One side exterior pocket has strong bungee cord to allow carrying my backpack on the bag handles.

 

Well there you have it two bodes, lenses from 16mm to 450 (on the DX bodies), poalrizers for every lens, a dioper for the 24-120 for close-up work and all the associated accessories for both the cameras and computer!

 

I never share these posts to suggest that you need to buy all of this or the same stuff, but it does give you and idea how to go into the field on and airplane and have everything you need to work productively!!

 

A tripod?  Of course, it goes in my large checked suitcase, with the ball head removed and in a separate ball head bag.

 

Good travels, and blessings,

 

the pilgrim