self assignment project
My photo self assignment continues today and I believe that I will finally have my way. Almost two months ago I decided to create images of the British Airways jetliner on approach to the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport, from my second floor veranda which faces North and runs perpendicular to the approach path, some 800 meters away or less. The British Airways flight from Britain to St Kitts is only on Saturday afternoon.
I have not been able to capture the images I need over the last six or seven weeks, mainly because I have not been "in the right place and the right time" to effect the capture. When you are 'cooping' a jetliner that is passing a half mile away, across your sights at about 275 miles per hour, you may only have 5 seconds, if so much, to get the shots, so you have to be awake, alert, and ready for the action.
Last Saturday afternoon I was on the gallery waiting, but talking to family members and friends, so when I heard the jetliner and looked around it was on the final 400 meters to touch down, I grabbed the camera, yanked off the lens cap and was able to get 8 frames .... but I had already captured the jetliner in that self same position endless times before. However I did notice that on this day the jetliner's altitude was much higher than on other days, maybe the surface wind on the ground was different or something.
Today should be different. I am putting a chair on the gallery, facing West, and I will sit there from 3.00 PM with my camera around my neck, finger on the shutter release button, and my eyes glued on the West horizon over Government House, ZIZ Radio/TV and Springfield Army Camp.
I have not been able to strike a deal with Murphy for this afternoon, but I am not entertaining any mitigation or contingency plans, because worst case scenario, next week Saturday will come, whether I am here or not, though I am planning to be here by the Grace of GOD.
This afternoon it can rain. I can fall asleep in the cool gentle afternoon breeze. The cane field above the airport can be mysteriously ignited and smoky up the place. The wind could shift and blow from the South West, so the flight is redirected to Antigua since BA like AA may not land from the East. The bees from the hive in my neighbor's roof just 8-feet from my gallery could suddenly fly over to visit me. The flight could be early, like 2.30 PM instead. There are so many variables that can impact a self assignment. This is a hobby for me so I could just change my mind after having a jumbo dish of goat water or bull foot stew, and just lounge on the gallery, sip a very cold Carib Beer and watch the BA jetliner approach and land as usual.
This is the nature of a self assignment, but a paying photo assignment is a whole different story. In addition to the support staff and gizmos, I would have my VHF radio by my side so that I could hear the Tower and the BA cockpit communications, because a client may be waiting [in the UK] for the BA images 10 minutes after the craft is on the ground.
Last week Saturday evening I had the opportunity to run the BA jetliner images through a new program that is still in Beta and the processed images were pretty good, so I will send off an image to the software makers for their software assessment. As a photographer I do not critique [CRITICIZE] images, techniques or software. The images speak for themselves.
Over this weekend I will introduce viewers to my new image sharing web space and to some full sized images, including the BA images captured. I can understand and appreciate the web albums strategy for 640, 800 and 1024, but I prefer to view images above 1600, and at real world sizes.
If you are a photographer, when was the last time you challenged yourself to a self assignment that seemed near to impossible? Capturing a speeding jetliner in a 5 second viewing window is not anywhere near impossible, but LIFE does not always cooperate with us with everything that we want to do. So you make your best plans, cross you fingers and wait. If you are in the right place at the right time you have it made.
[to be continued]
I have not been able to capture the images I need over the last six or seven weeks, mainly because I have not been "in the right place and the right time" to effect the capture. When you are 'cooping' a jetliner that is passing a half mile away, across your sights at about 275 miles per hour, you may only have 5 seconds, if so much, to get the shots, so you have to be awake, alert, and ready for the action.
Last Saturday afternoon I was on the gallery waiting, but talking to family members and friends, so when I heard the jetliner and looked around it was on the final 400 meters to touch down, I grabbed the camera, yanked off the lens cap and was able to get 8 frames .... but I had already captured the jetliner in that self same position endless times before. However I did notice that on this day the jetliner's altitude was much higher than on other days, maybe the surface wind on the ground was different or something.
Today should be different. I am putting a chair on the gallery, facing West, and I will sit there from 3.00 PM with my camera around my neck, finger on the shutter release button, and my eyes glued on the West horizon over Government House, ZIZ Radio/TV and Springfield Army Camp.
I have not been able to strike a deal with Murphy for this afternoon, but I am not entertaining any mitigation or contingency plans, because worst case scenario, next week Saturday will come, whether I am here or not, though I am planning to be here by the Grace of GOD.
This afternoon it can rain. I can fall asleep in the cool gentle afternoon breeze. The cane field above the airport can be mysteriously ignited and smoky up the place. The wind could shift and blow from the South West, so the flight is redirected to Antigua since BA like AA may not land from the East. The bees from the hive in my neighbor's roof just 8-feet from my gallery could suddenly fly over to visit me. The flight could be early, like 2.30 PM instead. There are so many variables that can impact a self assignment. This is a hobby for me so I could just change my mind after having a jumbo dish of goat water or bull foot stew, and just lounge on the gallery, sip a very cold Carib Beer and watch the BA jetliner approach and land as usual.
This is the nature of a self assignment, but a paying photo assignment is a whole different story. In addition to the support staff and gizmos, I would have my VHF radio by my side so that I could hear the Tower and the BA cockpit communications, because a client may be waiting [in the UK] for the BA images 10 minutes after the craft is on the ground.
Last week Saturday evening I had the opportunity to run the BA jetliner images through a new program that is still in Beta and the processed images were pretty good, so I will send off an image to the software makers for their software assessment. As a photographer I do not critique [CRITICIZE] images, techniques or software. The images speak for themselves.
Over this weekend I will introduce viewers to my new image sharing web space and to some full sized images, including the BA images captured. I can understand and appreciate the web albums strategy for 640, 800 and 1024, but I prefer to view images above 1600, and at real world sizes.
If you are a photographer, when was the last time you challenged yourself to a self assignment that seemed near to impossible? Capturing a speeding jetliner in a 5 second viewing window is not anywhere near impossible, but LIFE does not always cooperate with us with everything that we want to do. So you make your best plans, cross you fingers and wait. If you are in the right place at the right time you have it made.
[to be continued]
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