Gettysburg Again - Chasing the Light and the Details



11th PA Monument



                We recently made another return trip to visit this Park. We did more research on Sheryll's relatives and their activities on and before the battle. It has come to light that five belonged to units at the battle, one may have succumbed to "camp fever" (more than likely either typhoid fever). This is a change from what we earlier discovered. Previously, research showed three in units that fought in the battle but digging deeper we learned more about other relatives. We are able to back up the findings with regimental histories, Pa State Archives and other research sources. We are planning another trip in the next few weeks to gather more information. I think I will include all the pertinent information in a separate blog with just information about the relatives and their respective monuments. Having a personal link to the park makes the trips more interesting. We are really getting to know the park  quite well. A noted historian claims he could be dropped into any part of the park by helicopter while being blindfolded and know where he was. I will be the one whispering to him where he is when he arrives!



11th PA different view



                As usual, you can't always count on the weather to provide just the right light you yearn for. But, there is always light and so you take advantage of it. We were at a part of the park where the fighting took place on the first day and were waiting to see what the sunset was going to present to us. I was watching a large ominous looking cloud moving towards us so I was adjusting my position in relation to that when I happened to turn around to see how much more light we were going to have and the sun was just beside the monument. Naturally, you need to start shooting. Turning back again, gave me the cloud in a good position that I was hoping for. It pays to keep your head on a swivel to look at everything around you.



Part of the VA Monument



William Wells battle scene



                The last few shots are of details      in  the monuments. The soldier with the pistol is part of the Virginia Monument. It is one of the largest and the work on the faces clearly shows the toll the war is taking on the combatants. The smaller image is part of the William Wells monument just before you reach Big Roundtop. The sculptor actually used photographs provided by family members to accurately portray his work. I liked the angle and the shallow depth of field I got in this image. It really stands out, literally and figuratively.

                 I hope you enjoy the views and look forward to the next installment. And as I showed here....Always go to the light!

Steve

Boston Portsmouth Airshow



Army Golden Knights



                I recently took advantage of the awesome folks at Southwest Airlines and joined my son Sean for a trip to a major airshow featuring the US Air Force Thunderbirds. It has been quite a while since seeing a featured demonstration team. My usual airshow is the WWII weekend at Reading. He has been venturing to 3 or 4 shows within 2 hours of his Boston area home. Last year he took in this show and felt it was worth visiting again. The draw to this venue, besides the planes, is the photo pass you can get. For an extra $50 you get close up parking, a program, $8 food coupon, 2 pins, early admission, access to cockpits not available to the public, water all day and VIP seating. Sounds expensive at first but is actually  a good deal.

                The group was split into two as the numbers were just under a 100. You never know what will show up as a photographer on these soiree's. On guy traveled really light and just used his I-phone and the other extreme is the guy with the 4 cameras and light meter around his neck and the rolling suitcase with the 2 monster lenses. We prefer light. Two lenses in a back pack, with the other essentials;  sunscreen, water, micro fiber cloth and extra memory chips.

                Going in we knew by the end of the day we would be shooting right into the sun. This was one of the challenges facing us. Also, compared to Reading and the top speed of the show being 400mph and usually half that, speeds are going to be between 400 and up to really, really close to Mach 1. Gotta' love the F-18 and the F-16! A quick review of camera settings made sure we were ready. Meter settings, focus settings, ISO, aperture, RAW, all set. This is  a good place to know you and your camera limitations. When an F-18 is screaming past you at 600 mph, you have to know when to pause to let your buffer empty so as not to lose the next the picture you really want. And without the right focus point, it is going to search and cause you to lose focus when you really want it.



Crossing Thunderbirds



                I need to give kudos out to the fellas' running the photo group portion of the show. Glitches always pop up and they did their best to rectify them as quick as they could. At one point permission wasn't granted to go up to the cockpit of the C-5 Galaxy cargo plane. Within a short time small groups were up where not many people get to go. Pilots and crew were giving talks on specifics of flights and plane performance. Later, there weren't chairs for us in the Media section and they soon arrived. Black tarmac can get really hot on a 85° day.



Mig-17 Low Photo Pass



                It is unique to see a civilian demonstration team that flies with the precision of the Navy or Air Force teams. Team Heavy Metal flies Albatross L-39 trainers and a Mig 17. These guys are not timid, love speed and can "Wow" a crowd. The Mig pilot flaunted gravity with the wing just off the runway pass after pass. It helps to have a former member of the Thunderbirds as part of the team. Their precision is on par with the 2 major teams.



                Although at a much slower pace, Team Aeroshell, flying their pre-WWII aircraft performed with the same precision level. These AT-6's with smoke pouring out of their exhausts worked the skies in unison. Earlier, before the actual show flying schedule began, they took some guests up. Usually this is just a flyby to make everyone on the ground a little jealous but they went right into part of their routine. I hope the back seaters were expecting rolls and hammer heads!

                No big airshow is complete without the Golden Knight's Army parachute team. Most airshow pilots are a rare breed and brain cells may come into question, but to prefer leaving an airplane before it gets on the runway brings on a whole new set of questions. Some of these guys have made over 1400 jumps.

                There is so much for so many. Warbirds, a Heritage flight with a Corsair and a F-18, aerobatic performers and many others. I got a kick out of the KC-135, an in-flight refueler. This airport is home to a refueling wing and of course they have to get their time in the limelight. I happened to be partaking in lunch when they were flying. My sirloin burger was the first time my beef was bigger than the roll it was in. A KC-135 did a "dirty" flyby (wheels and refueling boom down)  and in the time it took for it to go down turn around I had finished 3/4 of my sandwich! Couldn't say the same for any of the other planes there.



Thunderbirds Mirror View



                Of course, the biggest draw is the Thunderbirds. It has been a number of years since watching them. I love the roar of the engine, the echo staying long after the jet is gone. Their formation flying is superb. Flights on rare occasion are below 500 mph. I was very happy with one image. Opposing jets are coming at each other about 300 feet above the runway and flying with a closure speed over 1000mph (each doing 500+ at each other) and at the last minute turning to face each other cockpit to cockpit and pass out of harms way. I was pretty happy with my result. Occasionally, you just need to put the camera down and watch. Photographing this team is a challenge. Making sure you  have a new chip handy is a plus because you are going to go through them in a very short time. As I mentioned before, the skies are not in your favor. August usually brings hazy days and you are shooting into the afternoon sun. White skies and white jets are work for auto focus.

                It was a good trip. Good to Sean and good to see the show.  It will take some time to cull through the images but I am happy with the results so far.

                Until next time, remember......Always go to the light, Steve

Camera Club Outing







Supposed Green Heron Hangout







                A few Saturday's past, several members of our camera club got together to visit a member at his private membership club that surrounds several lakes in our area. No big fancy homes, just travel trailers, a few cabins, and some great habitat. He has always been able to get out at the right times and be at the right spot to capture some really great wildlife pictures. He takes some good natured ribbing because he just seems to have so many of the pictures that all the rest of us which we had, especially being so close to home. It is less than 15 minutes many of our homes. Green herons, no problem. Raccoon peaking out of a hole in the tree, just drive over to here. Bald Eagle perched on an old tree snag, just move around to this spot here. Warblers flitting amongst the lower trees, just drive to this road over there. Deer with antlers in velvet, just keep your eyes open along the tree line. You get the picture (he usually does, now it was our turn). Well, he made arrangements for us to visit one Saturday morning. After getting the pre-requisite guest passes, our road tour began to all the hot spots. We began to go around and visit all his favorite stops. Soon the ribbing really began towards him. They may be his hotspots but not on this day! I got a great shot of the old branch in the water where the green heron usually perches... without the heron. I didn't take the picture of the hole in the tree where the raccoon usually peaks out. No raccoon. No wild turkeys, no deer in velvet. We did see some warblers, but there was too much activity on the other side of the road for them to get too settled. We rambled through the wooded area around the lakes and had to agree, it is prime habitat for all sorts of wildlife. Like most times you have to be at the right place at the right time. That day wasn't our day.

Supposed Warbler Hangout





                We drove back to where his site is. Of course, the ribbing was heavily one-sided against him but by nature he enjoys it as much as giving so it was good fun. He and his wife had prepared a small lunch for everyone and then one of his exploits came to fruition. He has claimed that a Great Blue Heron will come and feed off his dock when he catches small fish and leaves them for it to grab. Naturally, we were hesitant to believe this one because of his track record for the day. No sooner than he had his pole out and was standing on the dock than this relative of the flying dinosaur came swooping in from nowhere landing near our group. Initially  landing about 15 " away, as soon was the first fish was on the hook he was on the end of the dock. He knew as soon as the bobber was under water a fish was on. He was not intimidated by a human near him either as he was so fixated on the fish, it didn't matter about a two legged creature. No more ribbing, delivery on this brag had been confirmed! Sounds of the wind through the trees has been replaced with every shutter sound you could think of. Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Kodak. It was good fun and good pictures. 

               

Promise deliverd

 It was fun to go out with the group. Maybe we didn't get as many pictures as we wanted, but we got some good ones. An easy, laid back trip close to home is a good thing to include in your itinerary. You never know what will present itself.

                So remember not to pass up any chance and ....

                Always go to the Light,

                Steve

Destination:   Mid Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend

Mission: Full Circle Propeller Pictures



P-51 Mustang



For the past 21 years, the above museum has hosted a gathering of historic airplanes and it has grown to include one of the largest venues for ground troop re-enactors. My interest has always been the aircraft. I may go alone, with a friend or lately with my son Sean. Sheryll has gone but has lost interest in another 65 year old plane roaring by. Even after all these years, there are some things I can’t understand about her.

I sometimes say I’m going to skip a year but before you know it, a plane I have never seen before is scheduled and I am right back again. This year the vacuum forcing me to return was Fifi, the only remaining flying B-29 (think Enola Gay), a C-46 cargo plane and the Grumman F-4 Wildcat. I believe this was my 14^th year. I always come home with pictures that I am happy with but this year I wanted a different image. It is easy to shoot most planes, especially jets. Pick an aperture that gives a good fast shutter speed (I shoot in A 95% of the time) and blast away. Sometimes (or most times) in a propeller type aircraft you generally get a stopped prop. The plane may be traveling 200 mph, but the propeller isn’t moving. It doesn’t seem natural. Jets don’t have that problem. Most times you can’t tell if it’s going 200 or 2000 mph. To shoot a full circle propeller, it takes some effort. There are many things to consider besides the usual ISO, shutter speed and prevailing conditions. Also to be taken into consideration is, propeller speed, aircraft position and panning, all at a slow shutter speed. Sean and I were both experimenting as planes moved about and took daring visitors up for rides (we dared two years ago when we flew in a B-17). A little research before and we knew we were talking shutter speeds down to 1/30^th of a second or slower. To get even parts of the circle, you need to be slower than 1/125^th. As the various aircraft moved by, we were calling out what shutter speed we were at and what the results were. We did get some strange looks from those around us but it goes with the territory. The type of aircraft had a direct relevance to the results. Older, or should I say simpler designed engines that don’t have a constant speed propeller, were different to shoot than constant speed props. This means the early trainers and biplanes have a fixed pitch prop that relies on engine rpm for speed changes whereas a constant speed prop means that the prop will change pitch as the engine rpm remains constant. We had to wait for them to be increasing rpm’s to get the faster prop speed to match the shutter speed to prop speed. The fighters and bombers revved up and changed to a coarser pitch as they moved about. Panning was critical for success. Panning was also making it difficult to get the images you want. After all, following planes lifting off near 150 mph, or better, at 1/30^th is not easy. Once again, the beauty of digital is the ability to see the results.



B-17 taxing



F-4 Wildcat




Reading is generally a very good air show to visit. Crowds are usually under 15000 on Saturday, the sun is behind you during the afternoon flying for good lighting on the wings and there are aircraft that are slowly becoming extinct. Fuel expenses (think 75-95 gallons per hour for a fighter x two or four for engines in a bomber), insurance rates are rising higher than a flight of P-51’s and parts for these Warbirds are becoming non existent. It will be a sad day when you will not hear the deep rumble of a radial engine or the distinct growl of the Rolls-Royce Merlin.



Wildcat interior



We generally get there when the gates open, set our chairs up at the fence and then cruise around the static displays. It’s a good time to look details on the different planes and talk to the pilots. They are always interesting conversations. You get to learn so much about the finer points of flying or the intricacies’ of the aircraft handling. This year we had such a conversation with the pilot of the Wildcat. He had flown up from Texas and because of fuel capacities and flight characteristics (read unstable), it was done in less than 2 hour trips. He visited other air shows on his way to break the trip up. This Wildcat was used by Chevron Oil Company to transfer engineers and other oil men to different sites in South America. First of all, this plan was designed for tight turns and dogfighting and why they thought they could cram three plywood seats into the back of this plane I’ll never know. The executives who thought of this was somewhat of a sadist and I’m sure they never flew back there.



AT-6 Demo w/ stopped prop



My examples are a few of the good images I was looking for. The AT-6 with the smoke was an example of a propeller that was stopped in flight because of a higher shutter speed, in this case 1/1600^th of a second at f11. The Mustang was 1/40^th @f29 ISO 125 and the B-17 was 1/30^th @f32 ISO also at 125. As you can see, the ISO has to be low as well as the shutter speed. Only digital has the capability to use these stopped down f stops. Older lenses just wouldn’t have the broad capability to cover down to f29 or 32 in a lens that also opens to f4. I also included the Wildcat to show the craziness of adding seats to this plane. OK, it may be good for short, unimproved fields, but it couldn’t be good for passengers.



The air show was fun even if rain came in before it was over. We just relocated to the road outside the airport and took some shots of the planes coming in on the approach. Sean got a great shot of Fifi just over the lights.

I hope you were able to follow the jist of the message on slower speeds. Remember, no matter what the shutter speed or intent….

Always go to the Light,

Steve







Upper Bucks County's Covered Bridges








Well, it has been too long since I have posted. Bad because it means  

we haven't had the chance to get out shooting. That was rectified on a recent trip to the Upper Bucks area to shoot the covered bridges that dot the country side. It is a big part that was missing that I needed to get done to get the book together on covered bridges. I have plenty of pictures but I felt I needed the "pretty" pictures to go with a photo book. We threw together a book using Shutterbug to see the outcome. From here we looked at it critically and decided what we had to do for a final. Shutterbug does a nice job, was reasonably priced (especially with an online discount), and got it back quickly. If you are looking for someplace to print a photo album from a family outing or a vacation they are a good source. For what I am looking for, they are limiting. They only have so many templates and layouts for images and text. I am taking a serious look at Blurb for a final product. That will be coming up in the near future.

Are these signs necessary?

                We hit the road with cumulus clouds breaking up the blue skies. Typically, the conditions are a little cooler when you go north, even if it is just 40 miles by road, so the forsythia and flowering trees were out in full color and the leaves were just beginning to open so the full summer green wasn't in place yet. The trip up River Rd is always a great ride as you follow the Delaware Canal and the Delaware River. Parts of this road could be considered for car commercials.  

                 Our first stop was the Knecht's bridge. Built in 1873 it is 110 feet long and is in a beautiful area. Surrounded by fenced in farmland, it is one of the easily viewed bridges. Usually, you come around a bend and the bridge suddenly appears in front of you. Unfortunately, the county has deemed it necessary to install high visibility fluorescent green signs that scream at you the 9'5" height, one lane bridge or that the bridge is 140' in front of you. Even though you are standing right in front of it. Sometimes you just have to shake your head. Just another dumbing down of society.

                Next came the Sheards' Mill bridge. Also built in 1873, this bridge is 130 ' long. It is clear why this bridge was necessary. Not only is the bridge spanning the water, there are huge boulders strewn about in the water. Next to the bridge is an old mill that dates back to Revolutionary War times. The owner was in the process of restoring it but has since passed away. He was able to have it placed on the National Historic Register before he passed so although not complete, its prominence was recognized.

 

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Moods Bridge



                Leaving this bridge, the next we come to is the Moods' Bridge. This is an interesting bridge in that vandals destroyed it in the early part of the new century. Fire completely decimated the historical bridge. This is one of all the bridges greatest hazards. Credit should be given to local activists and the county commissioners because the historical value as well as the practical value of the bridge was recognized and the bridge was rebuilt. (OK, they ruin the aesthetic value of one bridge but they did work at rebuilding this one). Moods' bridge was originally built in 1874 and is 120' long. This is now part of a local park so access is open all around the bridge. Walking under the bridge, the massive beams supporting the span are now easily viewed. And since we had lunch and bought gas locally, yes, the bridges do help support the local economy.

        Driving a short distance leads you to the only bridge that no longer allows traffic over it. The South Perkasie Bridge was taken out of service in 1958 because spring floods were a cause of constant expensive repairs. Moved a short distance to its' present location, a new concrete span replaced it. Now only families cross the bridge on foot. Built in 1832 it spans 93'. Because of the relationship with all that encompasses a bridge ,i.e.; water, rocks, cool temps, it is not uncommon to see various examples of wildlife at these locations. South Perkasie bridge is no exception. Upon exiting one end, I looked down to see a young lady stretched out on a towel sun bathing, lying face down with her bikini top undone. At a different time, meaning younger and not having Sheryll with me I know doubt would have had to scream "SNAKE"! Just to make sure she hadn't passed out or any such thing. 

                The last bridge on our sojourn was the Pine Valley Bridge. This 81' bridge is the most heavily traveled through bridges in the county. There is a constant flow of vehicles traversing the span. Upon climbing under the bridge I came across some of the true wildlife myself. Many of the bridges post signs claiming snakes are under the bridges, but I just looked at it like the landowner was just using that as a ploy to keep you out. And, as I told Sheryll, "It's still too cool and too early for them to be out". NOT! I came across one that was at least 2'' around and 10' long. OK, actually 3/4" around and 18" long but with my phobia it was getting bigger every second! That's another reason I couldn't scream at the girl before. What goes around comes around and if I had did that to her, mine would have truly been 2" around and with fangs!

                This trip is one I never tire of. The scenery is gorgeous, the area is historic and is full of wildlife; finned, feathered and scaled. The day was a successful day of shooting. Although not dramatic lighting the clear day provided great colors, so no matter what....



                Always go to the light,

                Steve