Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Quad City Air Show 2015

Finally posting some of the photos I took at the air show on May 9th. The first one is my absolute best air show shot to date and the most technically perfect action shot I have ever taken. I was super pleased when I saw this photo:


It may not blow anyone's mind, but that shot right there is the result of LOTS of practice and years of air show photography. Just the right balance of light/dark, crisp focus, and a fast enough shutter speed to stop jets traveling over 300mph at low altitude. One of the things I've learned about air show photography is that the histogram always looks bad when pointing up at the bright sky, so you have to rely on your own eye and judgment to get the proper exposure.

OK, now that I got that one out of the way, here's the rest of 'em. Let's start with the V-22 Osprey:


And this hot chick:


We walked through the C-130 Hercules and even though it looks big from the outside, you don't realize how large it is until you walk through it. It was too dark inside for decent photos, unfortunately.


Army Humvee:



The bomb squad was there showing off their bomb disposal robot:


A WWII B-25 Mitchell:


This is the Grumman TBM Avenger, a WWII torpedo bomber:


The T-33 was flown during the 50s and 60s and is a cool jet to watch:






Some University of Iowa aircraft:





A WWII T-6 Texan:





The Shockwave! A jet-powered semi with 3 afterburners:



I don't remember what this was called, it was just a small stunt plane:



Vietnam War-era trainers:






Some more stuff:



Fat Albert! A jet-assisted takeoff C-130 Hercules:





And of course the Blue Angels. They're the most entertaining to watch. When I lived in Pensacola (where the Blue Angels are based) I saw them frequently flying their routine out over the gulf.








Cool.