Musings of an Aviation Photographer

It’s that time of the year again. We’re already a few days into January and steaming forward into 2018! 2017 went by faster than ever it seemed, and suddenly it’s time to take the annual look back into the top photo moments of 2017. As usual, this blog serves as my look back to the previous year showcasing 10 of the top photo moments with an honorable mention. This year was chalk full of aviation with so many airshows, air to air shoots, and other aviation related adventures that at times it was a bit overwhelming. October was the busiest month of the year with back to back major three-day airshows that kept me very busy. 2017 was also the second year … [Read More]

It’s that time of the year again! It’s time to step out of 2016 and into 2017! Another New Year has quickly appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, leaving behind another year that zoomed by. With that, it’s time for the yearly reflection on the best photography moments! 2016 was quite the year overall, with a lot of surprises along the way for the entire world. Some good, many bad… but as we cross that threshold between years many look to 2017 for something brighter. For me, this year was certainly for aviation… as nearly ALL of the top moments this year came from air to air shoots, airshows, or special aviation related events. With most airshows picking back up after … [Read More]

Here we are in January, another year has passed. 2014 seemed to go by in a flash, and the world keeps spinning faster and faster it seems. 2014 proved to be a much better year for aviation with many airshows and military acts finally being reinstated after two years of government uncertainty on budgets. And boy did it return with a bunch, much like how it used to be. But not all airshows were so lucky, nor were the various military demonstration teams that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing each year. Still, it was infinitely better than the previous years so who could complain? Photography continues to advance at a quick pace, not just with stills but also video. Cell phones with cameras on … [Read More]

Here we are again, a new year. With the close of 2013, and the opening of 2014, the world is rapidly changing. Electronics have advanced to where cell phones are also cameras with 40+ megapixels. Smart glasses and watches seem to be the way of the future. Now you can just tell your phone to take a photo rather than actually take it yourself. Digital cameras are getting more powerful at the cheaper range. High end professional cameras seem to be slowing a little compared to the consumer level cameras which seem to have a new one released every few months. The world is getting more and more high tech, even with serious budget crunches. There’s still a recession, but in … [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]

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]

A quick blog update to announce the opening of the brand new Warbird Photos Aviation Photography website! After a few months in the making and an incredible amount of programming to make the website almost entirely automated, the new site is up! Spanning back to 2003, the new Warbird Photos Aviation Photography website contains over 5,000 photos located in Airshow, Air-to-Air, and Museum Event galleries. New galleries will be added as airshow or aviation events happen, and I hope to double if not triple the number of photos by this time next year. It also begins the connecting of this Musings of an Aviation Photographer Blog, Warbird Photos Photography, and soon be started Airshow Review websites! Future … [Read More]

With the abundance of conventions throughout the world, it only seemed natural to one day have a massive Star Wars convention.  Star Trek, Comics, Sci Fi, ANIME, and what seems like a million other pop culture topics all had big conventions, but Star Wars was lacking in that department aside from the inclusion in one of the other existing conventions.  But it was clear from the popularity and size of Star Wars at the San Diego Comic Con Convention that Star Wars needed it’s own venue.  Finally, it all came to light with the very first Star Wars Celebration convention put on by LucasFilm for the fans in May of 1999 in Denver, Colorado.  The first Celebration (called CI) was held to coincide with the … [Read More]