Musings of an Aviation Photographer

The Petty Project started out as an idea to recreate all of the late George Petty’s famous airbrushed Petty Girls from the1940s and 1950s through photography and photoshop.  Using real models in a photography studio, the famous artwork Petty created launching the golden age of Pinups would be recreated in painstaking detail as close as possible to the original.  While most of the times the Petty Girls are in impossible real world poses and their proportions not entirely correct for a normal human being, the use of photoshop would bring these photos closer to how the Petty Girl looks while still keeping the real world natural shape if at all possible.  Finally, using various photoshop tools, the finish photo would be converted to look like the … [Read More]

You’re walking to your car after a long day. You’re exhausted and ready to sit down in your car, trying to use the last drops of energy you have after standing in the heat all day to make it to the car, which is now in sight.  Suddenly, a loud thunderous roar echoes in the late afternoon sky, starting from a low rumble and growing loudly till the ground begins to tremble.  Scanning the skies, you don’t see anything at first, but the roaring sound is too hard to ignore as the ground vibrates.  Finally spotting what appears at fist to be a single dot in the distant horizon, this dot begins to multiply and turns into several dots.  As these dots grow … [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: SLAVE LEIA’S REVENGE
Those of you who are fans of my facebook photography page may recognize this photo as one of my … [Read More]

If you live around Long Beach, California, no doubt you’ve heard them lumbering through the skies announcing their arrival with loud roars.  If you’ve been to airshows, you’ve seen them performing incredible maneuvers during their demonstrations which never get old and always make the crowd’s mouths hang open.  It is the second largest airlift aircraft in the United States Air Force (and the entire military all together) created by a company no stranger to large complex aircraft through the history of the United States: Boeing.  Serving with 6 different counties including the United States, this massive aircraft has set the bar for all future transport and cargo aircraft from now on, paving the way with it’s four massive Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines that provide an amazing 40,440 … [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: LIGHTNING!
… [Read More]

The Satin Dollz: You may have seen them at any number of events around Southern California or you may have just heard about them from a friend.  Whatever you may or may not have heard, one things for sure; these beautiful and talented ladies sure know how to put on a show! If you’re a fan of the classic pinup and burlesque style of the 40s and 50s, then you’ll for sure want to see them perform.  With a mix of wonderful vocals, choreographed dancing, and vintage outfits the Satin Dollz recall the times when the Pin-Up was the symbol of women of the retro eras.  Having seen the Satin Dollz perform many times, I can honestly say that their performances turn every head and quiet everyone … [Read More]

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. I’ve found at times, the most interesting and special shots happen … [Read More]

Warning for those of you used to my normal posts, this one is a true musing and rant.  I’m not one to get into political debates or really dive into the any sorts of politics domestic or abroad. I have my opinions on things, and I’m always going to be in support of our troops till the end of time.  I’m as patriotic for the country I live in, the good ole’ United Sates, as anyone else if not more.  I have a greater appreciation for this countries history than many people, sadly, do in this day and age; but I’ve started to notice a trend for us photographers in the world of today… we’re being seen as the new terrorists of America.  If you … [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]

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. The thing about sunset shots at airshows is you have to stay late after the airshow … [Read More]