gnashings

Well said, and a fitting memorial.

I really enjoyed this photo - good work. Regarding the "grain"... it was pointed out to me, quite astutely, right here on p.net that most photos of that period were taken using 4x5 press cameras. They were remarkably smooth. Sure, the grain suggests age to most people, but if you look at most of the photos of the day, its the tonality rather than grain that sets them apart. The emulsions of the time had different spectral senisitivity than moder pan films and they tended to render colours in a rather unique (to a modern observer) fashion. Still, its a great image, even if I am not sure if anything other than the subject matter gives me the impression of 1940's vintage. This in no detratcts from my enjoyment of it - but it does have that digital monochrome look to it.

Myself..I DO run around looking at photos of fighter planes - very few jets capture my interest simply because that's not where my heart is... having said that, this one certainly did! Lovely shot, very dramatic.

I suppose the other one is more "proper" with a more even exposure, etc... but I am partial to this one - its got a nice mood to it. Great work - as usual.

Nice moody shot of a warbird - great composition and use of dof.

INteresting crop - it actually works. And I do agree the light is interesting. Usually the undersides of airplanes... well, you know as well as I do how that usually looks. This is a good capture - yet not one of your strongest. I suppose that is a compliment to your body of work rather than a knock on this particular picture.

You`re right, your Canon IS expensive - the Porsche, on the other hand, is worth every penny.

vibrations - hence the comments about gettng a tripod.

So glad you took the trouble to tell us what the photo was all about...

Wow! less than 1/500th! Really!?

I would beg to differ - as I fail to see black or white in anything other than the border... it is an interesting composition, though.

Kudos to the photog AND the builder!

Noise? Perhaps from a scanner - this is an actual photograph.

Pat,

 

Maybe I am just corny, but I realy enjoy these recent composites more - I think I like the dark, brooding, painting like feel of this image, much like the Lysander. By the way, is that "Old Crow II"?

Kerstin, I have to be honest - I am not really crazy about this image. I am not sure if you tilted the "horizon" on purpose to impart a sense of movement(?), but to me it does not work and just looks like sloppy composition - which leads me to my next point. The background is incredibly cluttered and busy and almost as sharp as the main subject. I know (believe me, I know!) what a pain it is to photograph airplanes for reasons other than documentation within the confines of a museum - or even most modern airshows. There simply isn`t enough room, there are too many intrusions, but at the very least, I would suggest a shallower depth of field so that the background is not so intrusive. I hope you don`t take this comment the wrong way, it is meant to be constructive and I hope it is helpful and not hurtful. Cheers,

 

Peter.

Very, very impressive capture - great work, I would love to see a print.

Thanks Alex - that's a cool link. Even though my heart thoroughly belongs to WWII warbirds, every time I see these WWI airplanes at an airshow I find the thoroughly captivating. Not to mention, their speeds are usually more in line with my photographic skills:) And then I scare myself thinking about how huge one's balls would have to be to go to war in one of these!!!

You mean its possible to take a photo of an airplane in the last 50 years WITHOUT a Cessna somewhere in there?! :) I meant to ask, is that a replica or a restored original? From this angle it looks very authentic.

I can see that the light was a little flat as per Duncan`s comments, but I kind of like the "Dawn Patrol" feel it imparts on a shot of this subject matter. Nice shot.

"Looks like a painting" is exactly what I thought! Pat, you know that I am a bit of a grumpy old luddite, and not a fan of the various things spawned from te digital epidemic... but... Well, I don't know what it is - I find more and more of your creations find their way into my heart. I think the reasoning is many-fold, starting with the lack of pretense or masquarading as a photo - it is what it is, and you make no bones about it. Lets me put my little militant outbursts aside and enjoy the composition as an image. And more importantly, at least to me, there is an obvious love and passion as well as a wealth of knowledge and intimate understanding of the subject matter. Your creations that speaks very loudly to someone like me, someone who holds these airplanes and the people who flew them and designed them and built them in a very special, I would dare say unequalled,place in my heart. And this one is a good one indeed.

And I need not mention that I am a long winded bastard at best of times... :)

Neat framing, I love the "coming right at you!" feel, and seeing two of these classics in the same frame is pretty special in and of itself!

Although I have seen more striking photos coming from you, I am pretty partial to this one because this is my very favorite Mark.

You know, I do like the Griffon engined Spits more than I admit... just don`t tell anyone:)

Thanks for the id on the car. To me, a 911 is the Spitfire of cars, and the those 90x series race cars were just timeless - even though I confuse them all the time:)

Strong composition, well exposed and executed - great shot, weather you are an airplane afficionado or just looking at this as an image. I too wonder if a "protrait" crop would not be stronger - but I think that is a matter of preference. Great work.