With the growing number of overcrowded “cookie-cutter” airshows, I feel this event is a hidden gem. Wings Over Waukegan isWarbirds Heritage Foundation’s one-day annual airshow which is held at Waukegan National Airport. For me, I fancy this event due to the well-lit show orientation and the closeness of the crowd line to both the taxiway and the active runway. Photographically, this combination never disappoints. Huge shout out to the members of Warbird Heritage Foundation as well as the dedicated staff and volunteers for their amazing efforts during such a unique event.
Click on Thumbnails to view larger images.
Gear used:
Canon EOS 90D DSLR
Canon EOS 5DSR DSLR
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Canon EF 500mm F/4.5L USM
If you like what you see, consider hitting the “Like” button or maybe start to follow my little blog!
For my next adventure, I headed to Seattle, Washington for a long weekend. And due to my wide variety of activities, I’m going to split it up into three posts.
Part Three:Seattle Seaplanes
During my adventure in Seattle, I wanted to do some seaplane spotting. I knew that there were many seaplane services in the area, but I felt finding a good location was going to be problematic. “Which Sea base would be most spotter-friendly? Along with how are the lighting conditions? And if I manage to find a location, would I have enough focal length to capture the action?” My first attempt was less than desirable. I googled “Seaplane spotting in Seattle” and got a bunch of locations to spot at SEA. Which is the airport code for Seattle-Tacoma Airport. I did come across Seattle Seaplanes on the east side of Union Lake, but they are a smaller operation with few arrivals and departures. Plus, the location was limiting photographically. But on Sunday, I was determined to find some seaplane action. After a brief trip down the rabbit hole, I came across Kenmore Air on the south side of Union Lake. I don’t know why I didn’t find them sooner, being one of the larger operations with tons of arrivals and departures. I managed to find a wonderful location, Goose Beach on the shore next to their sea base. And with my 90D and the 100-400mm Mk2, I had plenty of focal length to capture the aquatic aviation action. From there, I was able to catch the last few moments of landing, then taxiing to the Sea base along with the unloading and loading of passengers. For departing aircraft, the location provided a unique viewpoint to photograph the pushing away from the pier, start-up, and taxiing out for takeoff. Was there about half an hour before noon and the Sun was overhead but was behind me which lit up not only the props of approaching Seaplanes but water splashing from under the pontoons. I vigorously shot there for about 2 hours and took more pictures than the previous two days in Seattle. The time I spent there surpassed my expectations and it would be an understatement to say that I had a blast.
Thanks for looking,
Steven
Click on Thumbnails to view larger images.
Gear used:
Canon EOS 90D DSLR
Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
If you like what you see, consider hitting the “Like” button or maybe start to follow my little blog!
For my next adventure, I headed to Seattle, Washington for a long weekend. And due to my wide variety of activities, I’m going to split it up into three posts.
Part Two: Street Photography Around Seattle
I’ve always admired street photographers and their ability to capture life in the moment. Their creative play of light, a recognizable sense of location, and an honest glance of emotion have always intrigued me. And if have followed me for any amount of time, you would see that I normally don’t photograph people. Upon arriving at Pikes Place Market, I quickly found myself overwhelmed by the excitement. The sites of people eagerly moving through the packed market, the unchecked volume of lively chatter, and the endless smells of ripe fruit, fresh vegetables, and locally caught seafood. But I had to leap out of my comfort zone, test my skills and try some Street photography. I’m not going to lie, my first few shots, I was scared as hell. “What if they see me taking a picture?” What do I say to them if they ask what I’m doing?” While briskly wandering through this amazingly photogenic place, my bullshit started to multiply my fears. From one store front to another, I happen to notice an irresistible scene. And without thinking about it and caring about the outcome, I aimed my palm-sized Sony, quickly composed the shot, took the photo, and moved on like nothing ever happened. It was exciting and liberating at the same time. My subject either didn’t care or didn’t see me. Heck, the reality is I’m not the first person to walk through this market or anywhere with people interacting socially, get excited about seeing something visually interesting, and start taking pictures. But once I got over my groundless fears, the bustling activities of the market were quickly transformed into a “Target-Rich Environment”. And I had so much fun photographing people. So much so, that I went back for a second day. I’m no expert by any stretch of the imagination but from my brief venture into Street photography, I found I had to be constantly on the lookout for the next shot along with having a healthy dose of patience. Letting the scene unfold without interfering, shooting discreetly and creating natural-looking images and not ones that feel orchestrated. I’m so excited to share this set of images and hope you all enjoy them as well. I feel they tell a compelling story. Which one is your favorite and why? Leave your answers in the comments section below.
Thanks for stopping by,
Steven
Click on Thumbnails to view larger images.
Gear used:
Canon EOS 90D DSLR
Canon EOS 5DSR DSLR
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
Sony ZV-1
iPhone 11 Pro Max
If you like what you see, consider hitting the “Like” button or maybe start to follow my little blog!
For my next adventure, I headed to Seattle, Washington for a long weekend. And due to my wide variety of activities, I’m going to split it up into three posts.
Part One: Photo Mission: Seattle
After the electric-charged photo flights above LAX, there was no question whether I was going to schedule one for my upcoming Seattle adventure. Classic Helicopter Corp is based out of Auburn municipal airport which is south of Seattle and offers a range of services to suit your needs. I chose an hour-long Instagram photo flight that covers both the views of downtown Seattle and the beauty of the natural landscape of the surrounding area.
I’m not going to share a play-by-play commentary of my photo flight. I hope my images will speak for themselves. I do want to share a fun moment of a series of images of the Space Needle. At the time of my flight, a TFR (temporary Flight Restriction) was about to go into effect over the downtown area due to a Mariners game. Meaning, we were not able to spend as much time above the downtown area as I wanted. One image I had envisioned before the start of this adventure, was of the Space Needle with the Seattle skyline in the background. And with minutes to spare, we did two quick orbits around the Needle. To put into perspective how close we orbited, I was using my 18-135mm lens and as we got closer and closer, 18mm was just barely wide enough to show the needle and whatever was behind it. While caught up with the breathtaking point of view and the pace of the circling, I felt I had missed my shot. It wasn’t until after the flight and back in my hotel looking at my results that I realized I did indeed have captured the shot I was after. I was so intensely focused on the Space Needle itself and composing the shot, that I never saw the Seattle skyline pass by in the background.
Here’s a list of things I saw during my Photo flight.
Boeing Field, Blue Origin Headquarters, Starbucks Center (Starbucks headquarters), T-Mobile Park, Space Needle, Lake Union, Gas Work Park, Husky Stadium, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, The house of Bill Gates along with Jeff Bezos, Bellevue skyline, Snoqualmie Falls, and Mount Si from Twin Peaks.
Click on thumbnail to view large image.
Big shoutout to Craig Simon and Catroins “Cat” Adam for their friendly service and amazing hospitality. If you’re on Instagram, check out and follow @seattlehelitours.
Until next post,
Steven
Gear used:
Canon EOS 90D DSLR
Canon EOS 5DSR DSLR
Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
If you like what you see, consider hitting the “Like” button or maybe start to follow my little blog!
