03-04-2014 / Personal Visions #9: The Sun Squadron
The Sun Squadron
In this entry I hereby present the ninth entry in the Personal Visions series: The Sun Squadron.
Technical commentary:
My maternal grandfather had a saying I've heard through my mother:
Fortune favors those who are prepared.
This shot is a visual representation of said comment.
It's also an example of making the most out of what you have to work with.
This image was captured during a parade and strictly speaking I was using the wrong lens for this shot. I should have used a telephoto lens but instead a wide angle lens was being used.
A wide angle lens is one used to see as much as possible from a scene and fit it inside the frame of your photograph.
Because I was shooting subjects in front of me at a short distance, the obvious lens of choice was a wide angle one.
The parade proceeded like you'd expect it to until I heard a distinctive buzz in the distance approaching: planes.
They did a flyby on the parade, turned right and disappeared.
I wanted to take pictures of them but I was posed with the following conundrum:
Do I keep shooting the parade at ground level with the same lens or do I want to take pictures of the planes using a telephoto lens which will be useless to take pictures at ground level?
The critical issue for me in that decision was time. I had to make a decision quickly and I had to take in account that changing lenses be it once or back and forth would have meant missing shots on the ground or above.
At the time of pondering this issue, the planes flew past us again, at this point I saw that they turned right again but were in a kind of holding pattern.
That meant they would repeat the same trajectory for a determined number of times which gave me more than one chance to get some pictures of them.
Then the parade shifted. The part of it I was most interested in had finished and now schools and military academies were coming in my direction.
I'm not saying that was a bad thing, I just wasn't interested in that aspect.
This freed my hands to change lenses without worrying about what happened at ground level, but...
Just when things changed in the ground, they also did in the sky. The planes increased the speed at which they flew by. I suspect that the original idea was to do that while the military aspect of the parade lasted and depart after that but it seems they got to the destination somewhat later than planned and had to make do.
So this meant that just when I was about to change the lenses on my camera, they flew past us again.
Thus I decided to keep the same lens I was using. At this point I figured that it would be better to have at least some pictures of the planes, even if taken with the wrong lens, rather than none because I wasted time switching them.
Because the lens I was using is a zoom lens, that meant that I had the ability to see a lot of the scene but I was also able to magnify the size of things to a certain degree. That's the part of the lens I ended up using.
I was pinned down in the position I was at because of all the people surrounding me. The parade attracted more people than I expected and before I could even notice, people surrounded me in all directions except for the parade lane.
The planes must have flown over us at least... 5 times at this point. I had taken several shots and was content with the results but not excited, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I reviewed the pictures on the LCD screen and thought to myself "Well, it's good but nothing I'd be comfortable showing".
While I waited for the next fly by, I noticed the sky was covered in a blanket of clouds. It wasn't cloudy as in gray and cold, you could see the sky and it was definitely hot weather. However, above us there were clouds that covered the sun like gauze covering a bloody wound.
That's when I realized why I was screwing things up: I was chasing the planes and trying to catch them instead of having a clear idea of what I wanted and framing things in order to get that idea.
So I decided to change tactics, the clouds and the way the sun looked gave me an idea for a photograph and I decided to go for that instead of feeling like a dog chasing a car.
But again, the annoying question of whether to change lenses popped in my head. I did consider it but because I was already mentally thinking in the frame size of the lens I was using, I decided not to alter that and trust in the idea I had for the picture.
Even if I had wanted to, I didn't have much time to dwell on it because the planes were coming around for the last pass on the parade. Instead of moving the lens around hunting for "whatever could work", I decided to keep it fixed and wait for the planes to come around.
They did and I took several shots in this composition as they made their last appearance. I didn't check the results at that moment because I couldn't afford to waste time. I had to do as much as possible with it.
They finally flew past us and broke off the pattern they were using, getting lost in the distance.
At this point I checked the pictures on my LCD screen and saw that I had indeed gotten what I was looking for. The picture you see here is exactly the one I thought of originally.
Post-processing wise, I decided to use a sepia treatment for this image. I thought it enhanced the notion of the sun looking through the clouds while the planes flew beside it.
Because of such hard contrast between the sun and the rest of the subjects in the image, there was no point in trying to recover the detail in the belly of the planes. It is there in the original shot but I decided to obscure it and leave them as silhouettes because that detail wasn't critical for the photograph to work.
If it had been, I would have needed to ditch the sun from the picture and frame the planes in a different manner.
Finally, I used a somewhat fast (for the overall conditions) shooting speed for this shot. Half the reason was because of so much light available (the sun is indeed a strong source of it but clouds this day diffused it and made the brightness look in an even manner) and the other half because I wanted to capture the planes with enough detail so there wouldn't be any doubts of what it was.
This in turn had the consequence of freezing still the propellers on them which makes them look like they are gliding instead of using propulsion to stay afloat.
The parade proceeded like you'd expect it to until I heard a distinctive buzz in the distance approaching: planes.
They did a flyby on the parade, turned right and disappeared.
I wanted to take pictures of them but I was posed with the following conundrum:
Do I keep shooting the parade at ground level with the same lens or do I want to take pictures of the planes using a telephoto lens which will be useless to take pictures at ground level?
The critical issue for me in that decision was time. I had to make a decision quickly and I had to take in account that changing lenses be it once or back and forth would have meant missing shots on the ground or above.
At the time of pondering this issue, the planes flew past us again, at this point I saw that they turned right again but were in a kind of holding pattern.
That meant they would repeat the same trajectory for a determined number of times which gave me more than one chance to get some pictures of them.
Then the parade shifted. The part of it I was most interested in had finished and now schools and military academies were coming in my direction.
I'm not saying that was a bad thing, I just wasn't interested in that aspect.
This freed my hands to change lenses without worrying about what happened at ground level, but...
Just when things changed in the ground, they also did in the sky. The planes increased the speed at which they flew by. I suspect that the original idea was to do that while the military aspect of the parade lasted and depart after that but it seems they got to the destination somewhat later than planned and had to make do.
So this meant that just when I was about to change the lenses on my camera, they flew past us again.
Thus I decided to keep the same lens I was using. At this point I figured that it would be better to have at least some pictures of the planes, even if taken with the wrong lens, rather than none because I wasted time switching them.
Because the lens I was using is a zoom lens, that meant that I had the ability to see a lot of the scene but I was also able to magnify the size of things to a certain degree. That's the part of the lens I ended up using.
I was pinned down in the position I was at because of all the people surrounding me. The parade attracted more people than I expected and before I could even notice, people surrounded me in all directions except for the parade lane.
The planes must have flown over us at least... 5 times at this point. I had taken several shots and was content with the results but not excited, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I reviewed the pictures on the LCD screen and thought to myself "Well, it's good but nothing I'd be comfortable showing".
While I waited for the next fly by, I noticed the sky was covered in a blanket of clouds. It wasn't cloudy as in gray and cold, you could see the sky and it was definitely hot weather. However, above us there were clouds that covered the sun like gauze covering a bloody wound.
That's when I realized why I was screwing things up: I was chasing the planes and trying to catch them instead of having a clear idea of what I wanted and framing things in order to get that idea.
So I decided to change tactics, the clouds and the way the sun looked gave me an idea for a photograph and I decided to go for that instead of feeling like a dog chasing a car.
But again, the annoying question of whether to change lenses popped in my head. I did consider it but because I was already mentally thinking in the frame size of the lens I was using, I decided not to alter that and trust in the idea I had for the picture.
Even if I had wanted to, I didn't have much time to dwell on it because the planes were coming around for the last pass on the parade. Instead of moving the lens around hunting for "whatever could work", I decided to keep it fixed and wait for the planes to come around.
They did and I took several shots in this composition as they made their last appearance. I didn't check the results at that moment because I couldn't afford to waste time. I had to do as much as possible with it.
They finally flew past us and broke off the pattern they were using, getting lost in the distance.
At this point I checked the pictures on my LCD screen and saw that I had indeed gotten what I was looking for. The picture you see here is exactly the one I thought of originally.
Post-processing wise, I decided to use a sepia treatment for this image. I thought it enhanced the notion of the sun looking through the clouds while the planes flew beside it.
Because of such hard contrast between the sun and the rest of the subjects in the image, there was no point in trying to recover the detail in the belly of the planes. It is there in the original shot but I decided to obscure it and leave them as silhouettes because that detail wasn't critical for the photograph to work.
If it had been, I would have needed to ditch the sun from the picture and frame the planes in a different manner.
Finally, I used a somewhat fast (for the overall conditions) shooting speed for this shot. Half the reason was because of so much light available (the sun is indeed a strong source of it but clouds this day diffused it and made the brightness look in an even manner) and the other half because I wanted to capture the planes with enough detail so there wouldn't be any doubts of what it was.
This in turn had the consequence of freezing still the propellers on them which makes them look like they are gliding instead of using propulsion to stay afloat.
Personal commentary:
For me, this is a photograph about freedom.
Freedom to roam the skies, freedom to roam at all, freedom to be.
But also, freedom of choice and how a choice that might seem wrong can actually turn out to be a good one in the long run.
I could have changed the lenses but by remaining steadfast to the concept I wanted to create, I was able to get the shot I wanted with the "wrong" lens.
In the end, it wasn't the wrong lens, because here is the picture I wanted to get. In retrospect, if I had gone through with the change, I would have ended up with a much tighter frame to work with and that would have meant a picture completely different from this one or none at all.
I loved the way the sky looked on this day. The way the clouds manifested themselves added so much drama to the picture. While the picture could have worked without them, they definitely added that touch of flare the shot required.
Because of them, the sun looks like it's opening the sky to look at what's happening on Earth. It seems like it wants to travel along with the squadron.
I'm more of a car man but my appreciation for planes has increased ever since I took this picture.
Seeing a plane formation is always a spectacle and even though these planes in particular aren't the most recent models, that fact doesn't take away anything from them. I actually think it was a fortunate coincidence to have this kind in the picture because it's a classical airplane shape and one that anyone can relate to.
A more modern airplane wouldn't have stood the test of time in my opinion. This picture can look like it was shot in the last century or in this one and still works.
The formation they used for this event is one that never fails to amaze visually. It's not surprising since it's based in nature; birds use the exact same formation when flying in flocks. Ducks and geese use it.
There must be a leader and the burden of leadership is that whoever leads must endure the attrition of breaking the wind or marking the way for those following. It's not easy and not everyone can do it.
Another thing that impressed me so much is how close the planes were flying from each other. It may not look like a big deal but you have to be an ace pilot to such a thing. Considering how flawless this squadron performed, I'm certain they are all aces.
At this point I'd like to thank the service of the men and women in the Mexican Air Force.
The quote from my grandfather I used in the beginning relates to the fact that if I hadn't been prepared mentally and technically, I would have missed this opportunity and just watch it fly by...
I will admit I was screwing up before I switched tactics; I was trying to capture something without knowing what exactly. To use a photography metaphor: I was out of focus.
But by adjusting and focusing my view (figurative and literally) I was able to be prepared to get the shot I wanted. In hindsight, the whole lens changing issue was utterly irrelevant. I struggled with it because I didn't know what kind of shot I wanted not because it was the wrong choice.
However, being able to snap out of that kind of mental quicksand and do what you need in order to get the shot or even to come with a different concept on the spot comes with a lot of practice and experience.
There are no ways around it or shortcuts.
They came at noon
Whispering, humming, buzzing
Soaring through the sky
Disappearing in the clouds
I couldn't make how many were up there
Was it just one?
Was it three of them?
I had fallen into their trick
They sky was opened with a thunder
The sun broke through the blanket of clouds
What seemed to be one turned to five
Falling in a synchronous formation
So there it was
The Sun Squadron
Protecting the skies
Greeting their commander
They all buzzed past me
Imprinting a sense of rush and thrill
Blowing away my thoughts
Leaving me with a sense of wonder
It's impossible to move with such grace and such precision
And yet, they prove me wrong in that assertion
The sound they make as they break the wind
Is the sound of enjoying freedom with a grin
What seemed to be five turned to one
And all of a sudden they were gone
Yet I can still hear their whisper behind the clouds
I know they are still around
For as long as there is a sun, there shall be a Sun Squadron
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