Flight of fancy
Combining a love of photography with a passion for aviation creates some images that really take off and soar
When my family presented me with a new Canon EOS 70D for my 60th birthday three years ago, it rekindled my long dormant interest in photography.
It was the usual story of family and work causing time-consuming hobbies to be put on hold, so my film darkroom equipment was consigned to gather dust. I’ve always been the perennial aviation ‘boy at the fence’; I can’t help but look up at any aircraft that I hear pass overhead. I did a little flying myself a long time ago. It was my son, who had become a keen digital photographer, who initiated my gift of the 70D, and he shares my interest and accompanies me to the various air shows and photography open days, of which there are so many to choose from in this country.
I enjoy the challenge of learning to deal with variable light conditions of outdoor photography – it’s a constant learning curve. Earlier this year I upgraded to a Canon EOS 7D Mk II, the big advantage over the 70D being its more sophisticated focussing, while still having the APS-C sensor’s extra reach. I’m at a point where I am becoming comfortable with the camera’s facilities, and I now want to concentrate much more on capturing ‘the money shots’ – as opposed to being thrilled just to get a sharp image! I also want to improve my panning skills so I can use a slower shutter speed to capture more of the propeller disk. I’m also interested in photographing
wildlife and landscapes, and I would like to learn about portraiture, so there might be a full-frame EOS body added to my kit list (or is that ‘kit lust’?) one day. One problem with digital photos is that if they stay digital no one can see and enjoy them! To fix that I have taken over a wall in our lounge room where I hang a dozen A4 display frames containing a revolving display of my favourite shots, printed on my Canon MG7750 printer. It’s a bit expensive as you have to use Canon replacement inks and quality photo paper, but seeing the prints brings me much satisfaction.
I’ve always been the perennial aviation ‘boy at the fence’ – I can’t help but look up at aircraft I hear overhead