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OK – Time to get serious – It’s been a week “How about showing some airplanes in the sky“? – That was a comment that A good friend emailed me. Since most of the week has been smoke filled skies, I was beginning to think that the selection of images to fill that request was going to be difficult. GOOD NEWS – two days of reasonably good weather. So here goes.

Let me warn you – this is going to be a long post.

©Bill Pekala 2022

I always thought that the goal was a sharp picture of an airplane flying. That sounds easy but it’s a little more complicated that that.  At least with propeller driven airplanes. You have to use a telephoto lens and you have to use a relatively slow shutter speed so that the prop gives the feeling it is turning. Otherwise – it looks like the plane is just hanging there – not moviing. That’s hard to do with a plane moving 400 MPH. Those two things don’t really go together. People that do this all the time are holding a 400mm lens at 1/80- of a sec. NO COFFEE IN THE MORNING – just saying. There might have been a time I could do that but that ship has sailed so I have to up that a little bit

©Bill Pekala 2022
©Bill Pekala 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a gallery of some of what i got this week.

So I’m sitting in the desert out at one of the pylons – Lots of time to kill between races and start talking to a fellow photographer (Dan Whitney). The conversation gets around to “what is this all about?” Dan says – It’s about racing and photos need to show that. Got me to thinking and he is 100% right – a plane in the sky – no matter how well done – doesn’t show racing. It’s about more than one plane. Got me to think and watch for those opportunities to get more that one plane instead of going for the easy targets. THANKS DAN.

©Bill Pekala 2022
©Bill Pekala 2022

 

 

 

 

 

AND if two is good – sometimes by keeping alert you get an opportunity for more than two.

 ©Bill Pekala 2022
©Bill Pekala 2022

 

 

 

 

©Bill Pekala 202

And if all that isn’t enough to be thinking about there is also the challange of getting the Iconic Reno ID in the photos.

©Bill Pekala 2022
©Bill Pekala 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes timing is a little off. It’s been fun – I hope you enjoyed following along. 

©Bill Pekala 2022

 

 

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3 Comments

  1. Hey Bill, Thanks for inviting me to view your work at the Reno races! I shoot a ton of auto racing so I appreciate the skill that goes into the panning technique!

  2. George Tiedemann

    Yes, it’s about showing more than one airplane in the picture but there is something really beautiful about the detailed closeups of these magnificent machines doing their thing. I love seeing them closeup!! Thanks Bill.

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