Few Military Pics for your Viewing :)
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Depends what I am shooting by my normal air to air lens for helo is a 70-200 2.8L Canon lens and inside the jets it was a fixed 100m but I would take a 28-80 with me as well.
Ned
Ned
Hey Ned,
How much direction do you/can you give, if any, to your driver, to line up the formation shots so well? Or do you just have to shoot what you see?
Cheers
P1
How much direction do you/can you give, if any, to your driver, to line up the formation shots so well? Or do you just have to shoot what you see?
Cheers
P1
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Depends if you are talking the fast jets or the helos.
With the military aircraft, either helo or fixed wing, I have to be honest and say they are 100% much easier to do an air to air shoot with as they are trained in formation flying, and have no problem flying tight formation as you can see in some of the shots. Even images such as the shot of the underside of the T-38 where we were doing a barrell roll, that was taken with a wide angle lens and it still filled the frame.
But saying that when I have done some air to air shoots with ex mil pilots flying civillian machines you can usually get really good pics.
When I am flying with pilots I dont know, and who havent necessarily got a military background, I try to fly with the most experienced pilot in the group and then we fly around the other helo, letting them to the turns etc or shadow them.
I also try to keep giving as much feedback to the pilot of the camera ship that I am flying with, such as up a little, back, hold that, great position, now lets go up a bit, keep going up, good, hold that, see the sight picture I am trying to get, great, then hold that for a sec. Etc. You would be surprised how quickly they understand what you are trying to get and what you see when you "show" them.
Ned
With the military aircraft, either helo or fixed wing, I have to be honest and say they are 100% much easier to do an air to air shoot with as they are trained in formation flying, and have no problem flying tight formation as you can see in some of the shots. Even images such as the shot of the underside of the T-38 where we were doing a barrell roll, that was taken with a wide angle lens and it still filled the frame.
But saying that when I have done some air to air shoots with ex mil pilots flying civillian machines you can usually get really good pics.
When I am flying with pilots I dont know, and who havent necessarily got a military background, I try to fly with the most experienced pilot in the group and then we fly around the other helo, letting them to the turns etc or shadow them.
I also try to keep giving as much feedback to the pilot of the camera ship that I am flying with, such as up a little, back, hold that, great position, now lets go up a bit, keep going up, good, hold that, see the sight picture I am trying to get, great, then hold that for a sec. Etc. You would be surprised how quickly they understand what you are trying to get and what you see when you "show" them.
Ned
Ned,absolute crackers,but I`m surprised you didn`t claim the one in cloud was done whilst your driver was `plugged-in` refuelling, in the middle of a barrel-roll, assuming it was `Kiwi` crews,or was it just in a hangar with scenic-smoke? Great photos...Syc..
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Ned,
amazing pictures, very envious....
i particularly love the crew entering/exiting the Blackbird close up with the canopy open
thankyou for sharing them with us
i can only hope i have a similar catalogue in a few year when im done flying around the world ...
LH
amazing pictures, very envious....
i particularly love the crew entering/exiting the Blackbird close up with the canopy open
thankyou for sharing them with us
i can only hope i have a similar catalogue in a few year when im done flying around the world ...
LH
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Just as the Arabs introduced 6 and 7 star plus hotels to this region, you have introduced 7 star plus standards to military aviation photography! 
Sensational stuff, well done and thank you for sharing them with us here and not hiding them in an unfriendly commercial bunker of stored photographic images.
Sensational stuff, well done and thank you for sharing them with us here and not hiding them in an unfriendly commercial bunker of stored photographic images.
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Fox3Snapshot - Why hide the pics away for no one else to see, thats not the reason we shoot pics, we shoot them to show off this amazing industry 
Ned
Ned
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121Club - It was very simple - I just asked
Over the years I have been both a contributor to various magazines up until today where I own and publish a number of my own. If you get a reputation as being pro armed forces instead of like the main stream media where they constantly attack them, then a lot of doors open.
Here are some shots of the various types I have got to fly in.
F-15s at Tyndall AFB
T-38s at Vance.
F-18s in Canada
Hawks in Finland.
Over the years I have been both a contributor to various magazines up until today where I own and publish a number of my own. If you get a reputation as being pro armed forces instead of like the main stream media where they constantly attack them, then a lot of doors open.
Here are some shots of the various types I have got to fly in.
F-15s at Tyndall AFB
T-38s at Vance.
F-18s in Canada
Hawks in Finland.
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Hornets at US Naval Test Pilot School.
Got to fly with the TOPGUN guys at NSAWC in Fallon, Nevada.
F-16 at 62nd FS - Luke AFB
Cool flight in the B1 at Wichita, Kansas.
F-15 of the FL ANG in Jax.
Got to fly with the TOPGUN guys at NSAWC in Fallon, Nevada.
F-16 at 62nd FS - Luke AFB
Cool flight in the B1 at Wichita, Kansas.
F-15 of the FL ANG in Jax.
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Great flight in the Super Hornet with VFA122 at Lemoore.
One of my best ever flights in an F-14 Tomcat, including cat shot from the runway at Pax River.
RAAF F-18 Hornet Flight.
In South Africa we flew in Cheetah D's to shoot the SU-35.
The flight with Claude Martin in the Mirage 2000-5 at the Paris Airshow.
So remember anything is possible, all you have to do is ask.
Ned
One of my best ever flights in an F-14 Tomcat, including cat shot from the runway at Pax River.
RAAF F-18 Hornet Flight.
In South Africa we flew in Cheetah D's to shoot the SU-35.
The flight with Claude Martin in the Mirage 2000-5 at the Paris Airshow.
So remember anything is possible, all you have to do is ask.
Ned
