Pictures Of The Week
Week 26, June 2012
Clockwise from top left:
The work of Nigel's is frequently chosen amongst the week in pictures selections and here he is again with a low-light image. Nigel explains: "As Coningsby were on nights it seemed like a good idea to be there.. The whole afternoon was busy with some great evening light to shoot in. However the dusk was spectacular and it led to a great sequence of night shots. The mud around the fenceline was spectacular too, but it was well worth the messy slippery walk, worst in the dark, to get these!" A case of he who dares!
Image © Nigel Blake
Canon EOS 1Ds MkIII + Canon EF 600mm L lensPhil made the trip over to the show at Florennes which promised much in the way of rare and exciting items not seen in the UK. In particular it offered some Eastern Bloc hardware, including this well composed pair of Fitters taxiing in.
Image © Philip Jones
Canon EOS 50D + Sigma 50-500mm lensRick chanced his arm with a late-in-the-day visit to Salisbury Plain Training Area and struck lucky, catching this 56th RQS HH-60G from RAF Lakenheath using the area for the first time for Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training. The operations included 'brownouts' as Jolly 12 can be seen doing in this image chosen from a fine sequence as the downwash kicks up the dust from the dry field.
Image © Rick Ingham
Canon EOS 1100D + Canon EF 300mm ƒ4 L lensHardly the most aerobatic of aircraft, is the An-124, leading one to think that any photographs captured during a display by this beast wouldn't be particularly dynamic, and yet Lloyd has managed just that in this fine image from the Yeovilton Airshow.
Image © Lloyd Horgan
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 300mm ƒ4 AF-S lensPhil was able to get to Yeovilton on the Friday to catch the rehearsal for the weekend's Commando Assault, and was rewarded with far better lighting conditions than was the case for the show itself. Large number of helicopters manoeuvring in a small area offers the chance for effective balanced compositions, as this pair of 'Junglies' illustrates.
Image © Phil Royal
Nikon D800 + Nikkor 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lensAgain we'll let Rene describe the story behind this chosen shot of a specially marked German Army CH-53: "It was taken near Bückeburg Air Base, ETHB. During a flight we organised, with some members of the weapon school during a training flight. The special colour of the CH-53G is the 40th anniversary of the Sikorsky CH-53 in service. Our small plane was a Piper PA-28 III Arrow, D-EKAP".
Image © Rene Köhler
Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lensMany people appeared to be put off attending the airshow at Old Buckenham due to the weather forecast, which proved to be overly pessimistic. Rob's pin-sharp capture of the Old Flying Machine Company's pair of Mustang and Spitfire really helped to rub salt into the wounds of those that had stayed away. 'Frankie' and MH434 are always flown with great precision, whichever pilot pairing are rostered for the day, but the Red Bull team of Paul Bonhomme and Steve Jones can be particularly relied upon to provide a tight routine.
Image © Rob Howarth
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 500mm ƒ4 lens
Pictures Of The Week
Week 25, June 2012
Clockwise from top left:
2012 has been a bumper year for flypasts. Just days after the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the RAF were at it again over London for the Queen's Birthday Flypast. Once again the weather was about as kind as chucking a bag of puppies into the Thames*, but that didn't deter Kevin Jackson, who deserves kudos for not only getting his camera out of the bag, but for trying something different with this angled juxtaposition of Big Ben and aircraft, in this case a venerable VC-10 flanked by a pair of Typhoons.
(* no actual puppies were harmed in the writing of this caption)
Image © Kevin Jackson
No other forum appreciates the artistic approach to aviation photography quite like UKAR. Despite a pretty soggy end to his Coningsby Enthusiasts Day, Keith Campbell pulled a cracking shot out of the bag, or should that be hangar, with this moody, creative capture of a Tornado GR4.
Image © Keith Campbell
The RAF Typhoon display certainly needs that "n" at the end, because, let's face it, it's not everyone's cup of tea. That said, though the display is often high and distant compared to overseas fast jets, there are still some terrific photo opportunities to be had, provided you're in the right place - and Ben Montgomery certainly was. The "Tiffie" can be a soulless and unloveable lump, but when you see one pulling hard and oozing vapour, our hard exteriors just melt, if only a little.
Image © Ben Montgomery
Canon EOS 7D & Sigma 120-300mm ƒ2.8 OS lens + Canon 1.4x TCRob Laker's a glutton for punishment, if that is, punishment involves shooting air-to-air with some glorious warbirds. Following on from his Spitfire sortie last year, his Father's Day treat this time was to fly alongside the Historic Aircraft Collection's beautiful Hurricane XII, camera in hand. Kids can be a noisy, smelly and 'orrible breed, but seeing these photos makes you think that fatherhood's not such a bad thing after all.
Image © Rob Laker
Sony A350 and Sony Zeiss 16-80mm lensWe think this is a terrific action image, captured by Sten-Arne B Brunsby at the Bodø airshow in Norway. Like the Typhoon, the F-16 isn't always easy to love, but to capture the moment the braking 'chute is popped adds a whole new dimension to this photograph. The rest of the thread is well worth a look too - what an airshow that was!
Image © Sten-Arne B Brunsby
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensScandinavia has featured heavily in POTW this summer, due to the dreadful British weather in part, but also down to the fantastic line-ups of classics operating in Northern climes. What's not to love about the SAAB Draken? Björn Hellenius is the photographer, and this is proof that even when the weather's wet and miserable, not all hope is lost when it comes to producing a striking image.
Image © Björn Hellenius
Canon EOS 5D MkII + Canon EF 500mm ƒ4 L lensFe-Fi-Fo-Fum, or should that just be "Fi-fi"? The Commemorative Air Force's magnificent Boeing B-29 Superfortress was one of many star turns at one of the world's greatest airshows this year, put on by Canadian Warplane Heritage, to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Where else will you see a Lancaster, B-17, B-25 AND B-29 in the flying display? Just brilliant! Sean Kelly was among a VERY satisfied crowd!
Image © Sean Kelly
Canon EOS 50D & Canon EF 70-200mm ƒ2.8 L lens + Canon 1.4x TC
Pictures Of The Week
Week 24, June 2012
Clockwise from top left:
Marek Staciwa's unusual image of a familiar subject caught our eye this week. Looping formation teams are by their nature a very photogenic subject but this image with it's ghostly shadows stands out from the crowd.Taken at Rome International Airshow this stunning image of the Frecce Tricolori is selected for our Picture of the week.
Image © Marek Staciwa
Nikon D300S + Nikkor 200-400mm ƒ4 VR II lensThe return to flight of the Swedish Heritage Flight's Saab AK37 Viggen has been followed with great interest recently on our forums. Mark's image epitomises why with this superb capture. We hope the immaculate natural metal finished aircraft makes appearances in this country during the coming season.
Image © Mark Stevens
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 70-300mm VR lensGerard Griessel's superbly lit ex SAAF Impala Mk1 jumped out of the page and almost selected itself for inclusion in this week's POTW selection. Richards Bay Airshow in South Africa may not be the largest of shows but what it lacked in content was more than made up for by the superb dramatic light.
Image © Gerard Griessel
Canon 500D + Canon EF 300mm L lensDaniel's fine study of an Atlas Oryx stood out in his post from a Air Power Capability Demo at Roodewal bombing range in South Africa. Photographing a live firing exercise isn't an everyday opportunity but daniel made the most of it and the results are a superb record of the event.
Image © Daniel Nilsson
Nikon D300S + Sigma 120-300mm ƒ2.8 lensIf you can't get to an Airshow, the next best thing is to photograph it from your Hotel terrace! Andrzej's "lazy" approach certainly paid off with this superb study of a Caribinieri AW109N basking in the sunshine of Lido di Ostia near Rome.
Image © Andrzej Rogucki
Canon EOS 1D MkIV + Canon EF 500mm ƒ4 L IS lensJoerg's fine F-16 study is of the colourfully painted Norwegian Air Force display aircraft which took part in the MAS Ørland Airshow during the recent Tiger Meet. Another one we look forward to gracing our skies during the coming season.
Image © Jörg Stange
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF ƒ2.8 300mm IS lens & Canon 1.4x TCKing Cobra's wonderful image from RAF Leeming in 1964 shows how colourful our front line squadrons were in an altogether different age. Truly a "Golden Oldie" worthy of the name.
Image © King Cobra
Pictures Of The Week
Week 23, June 2012
Clockwise from top left:
Thundering into the sky is, what is without a doubt, the most exciting addition to the airshow season in 2012! The immaculate Swedish Air Force Historic Flight's SAAB AJS 37 Viggen and its bare metal finish impress the crowds at the Malmen airshow during celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of SAAB and 100 years of Swedish Aviation. Dean West couldn't have picked a much better show for his first visit to a foreign airshow!
Image © Dean West
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensSimon had the 'good fortune', as he put it, to be invited to photograph the Fleet Air Arm's Queen's Diamond Jubilee flypast rehearsal. Leading the Diamond Nine formation was the Royal Navy Historic Flight's Swordfish II LS326 which was also the first of the RNHF's fleet of aircraft. Famous for its participation in the Battle of Taranto and the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck we couldn't think of a finer aircraft to lead the formation than the 'Stringbag'.
Image © Simon Galloway
Nikon D3S + 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lensA type we don't get to see on the UK Airshow Review forums all too often is the Maurane-Soulnier MS.760 'Paris'. Shown here in the markings of its former operator, the French Aeronavale, the four-seat Paris was used in the jet trainer and liaison role. Martin's lovely shot was taken at la Ferté-Alais' Pentecost Meeting which was blessed with some glorious weather and stunning displays of both historic and modern military aircraft.
Image © Martin Eames
Now on display at the Swedish Flygvapenmuseum this beautiful Hkp 4 is now protected from the harsh elements it encountered so much during its active military career. While for many enthusiasts the main reason to travel to Sweden was the Linköping airshow, the museum houses a variety of interesting types and is certainly worth a visit as Reinold shows here.
Image © Reinold Kalsbeek
Canon 50D + Canon EF-S 18-55mm lensWhen Lloyd was spending some time on the hillside at Cad West he was pleasantly surprised when 'what looked like a fairly mundane pass quickly changed when the pilot pulled up, flicked it over and knife edged the whole way past us managing to pull a hefty amount of vapour' as he describes it. It certainly is one of the most impressive Tornado shots we've seen on UKAR in a while!
Image © Lloyd Horgan
Nikon D300S + Nikkor 300mm ƒ4 lensDriving a 1600km roundtrip from Meiringen Kevin took a break from photographing the Swiss Air Force to get in some less often seen Italian Army helicopter action. Italian Army Aviation was celebrating it's 61st anniversary at Viterbo where Kevin was able to photograph this Agusta 129CBT Mangusta as well as a role demo thanks to the invitation from an Italian friend.
Image © Kevin Martin
Canon 40D + 18-135mm lensLast but not least this week's update wouldn't be complete without a Golden Oldie! This 32nd Fighter Squadron 'Wolfhounds' F-15 looks good with its noseart, something that is rarely seen on the mighty Eagle. The squadron was based at (the now closed) Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands until disbanded in 1994. Reinier gives us an excellent impression of what aviation photography used to be like at this Dutch superbase!
Image © Reinier Bergsma
Minolta Dynax 70001 + Minolta 100-300mm lens