From the numerous years I’ve been relentlessly capturing images, I’ve never had such an elevated level of anticipation for sharing a collection of photos like the ones from this year. Browsing through them, each of them instantly takes me back to the precious moment when I captured them. Rekindling my abundance of childish excitement along with my unique sense of aesthetics. This year’s adventures started with a twofold trip back home to Virginia. Finally got to spend time with my loved ones since the beginning of the pandemic. Along with getting back into Aviation photography after a lengthy 5-year hiatus. Next, I visited Miami for the first time and added another well-lit airshow to my seasoned inventory. From there I headed out to LA where I had my first flight in a helicopter. And did two incredible photo missions over LAX. I then had the rare opportunity to photograph a flying MiG-23 at Thunder over Michigan. Unfortunately, it was at that event that it suffered an in-flight emergency, forcing the crew to eject and destroying the rare MiG in the crash. Amazingly, both pilots along with no one on the ground were injured. Following that, I had my third helicopter photo flight. This time I got to orbit the Space Needle in Seattle, along with photographing a handful of major attractions in and around the surrounding area. And let’s not forget about the intense Seaplane spotting adventure on Union Lake. Also while there, I overcame my gripping fears of street photography in Pike Place Market and produced some of my most captivating photos to date. And then there was my unforgettable adventure down in Texas trying to capture the annual solar eclipse. Finally, I attended an all-helicopter event in the Los Angeles area with the instructor pilot from my first helicopter flight over LAX and one of his potential students. Throughout 2023 I’ve managed to get reunited with or stumbled upon a bunch of genuinely kind, passionate, and like-minded individuals. My foremost takeaway from 2023 is that if one wants to have a unique and memorable experience, one must spend money to make it happen. And I foresee myself in 2024 spending a shit ton to will some to fruition.
Links to Post
Over the Runways: Part one and two
Seattle Adventures: Parts one, two and three
Click or tap (on mobile) thumbnail to view larger image
Gear used:
Canon EOS 90D DSLR
Canon EOS 5DSR DSLR
Canon EOS 7D II DSLR
Canon EF-S 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS STM
Canon EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II USM
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
Sony ZV-1
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Until next post,
Steven
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