Musings of an Aviation Photographer

As the 2010 year ends and we usher in 2011, it’s time for many people around the world to reflect on 2010 and all the many events that have filled those 365 days.  Regrets, fond memories, the best and the worst, all those memories flood the world during this New Year’s Eve.  For myself, it’s a time to look back at all the adventures and fun moments of 2010, and while not forgetting the bad moments, trying to learn from them and see how they can improve in the next year.  Especially for myself, I favor looking at the fun times, the great moments that define the year for me.  As a photographer, some of the best moments were captured on camera, spanning all over the United … [Read More]

Showcase: Occasionally, you’ll shoot that one photo that really stands out above the rest.  Sometimes it can be totally unexpected, and you don’t even realize it until you see the photo on your computer.  Other times, you can see the photo falling into place allowing you to click the shutter button at the exact moment that you know you’ve caught your own personal masterpiece.  Ever so often I’m going to showcase some of what I personally think are interesting and pretty cool photos I’ve taken, with a bit of info behind the photo and how it all came into place.
SHOWCASE PHOTO: ‘HELLO THERE HUMAN’ Just like the right place at the right time capture with the little burrowing owl that I … [Read More]

HDRI.  You either love it or you hate it, if you know what it is.  Probably one of the biggest debates in photography right now gets to the essence of what HDRI is, and if it truly is photography or just an art form. HDRI has it’s pros and cons, each one pretty significant.  Done correctly, you can create some beautiful images with the HDRI process, but you can also create some hideous shots that go well beyond the realm of normal and into grunge art or even worse destroy the concept of the photograph.

Walking around the photo showcase at the recent Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California this past July I noticed that HDRI images are on … [Read More]

UPDATE – Sorry for the lack of updates recently! Things have been pretty crazy in the last few weeks with airshows, a special event where I was able to showcase photos, and the delayed launch of Warbird-Photos.com!  I’ll be posting some blog posts in the coming weeks with info about the various fun things recently!  Back to the blog post…
One my favorite things to do is stumble across scores that, at first glance based on the movie/show that it provides background for, you’d automatically dismiss as most likely a low budget score with a synthesized sound at best.  But after watching the movie or listening to the score, you discover that the soundtrack leaps beyond your expectations.  Sometimes, the soundtrack can even overshadow the movie … [Read More]

For some people, it’s the lure of being one of the first to step into the chilly San Diego exhibit hall in the mid morning, for others it’s the excitement that comes with showing up in a elaborate costume and having others want to take photos with you.  The annual Comic Con International convention that takes place in San Diego each year means a lot of different things for a lot of different people, and each of them have different things they look forward to each year during the Con.  Each of these little traditions are the life force of the otherwise exhausting 5 days of the convention, it’s what keep people going and keep the exhaustion at bay.  For myself, however, it’s something a … [Read More]

“Artoo, Lightspeed to Endor!”  That’s how the journey to Endor has begun for years, following a few minor mishaps of wrong detours.  Millions of people have heard that line over the last 23 years, and somehow they always never make it to Endor.  I’m of course referring to the Star Tours attraction at the Disneyland Resort.  It’s a simulator motion ride based on the Star Wars movies created by the director George Lucas and amazing minds at the Walt Disney Company.  Opening in 1987 to the Tomorrowland section of Disneyland, Star Tours was an innovative ride that combined the motion of a military style flight simulator synchronized with the wonderful footage of a Star Wars space battle which highlight the tour to the Moon of … [Read More]

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. It’s the home to the ever growing lineup of beloved characters that graced our TV screens through our lives.  Visited by millions of people every year, Disneyland is not just a theme park tourist trap, but a special place for everyone who enters the gates.  An escape from our normal lives, Disneyland presents you with another world full of Pirates, Princesses, Mice, and much more.  From Mickey Mouse to the Mad Hatter, Princess Aurora to Cruella Deville; Disneyland and all the other Disney parks in the world are the keepers of magical characters that come to life before our very eyes.  This series on Disney will focus on photography at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California. … [Read More]