Travel photography – An Adventure in Awesome

From the Thames to the Clouds: My Memorable London Adventures

Even though I rented a car during my trip to England, I didn’t feel comfortable driving into the heart of London having to deal with traffic and parking for my sightseeing adventures. I feel I would miss so much having to stay focused on driving. This meant from my hotel in Reading, I could take the bus to Pennington station, and from there ride the train into London. To venture into the unknown of such a large and world-renowned city was super exciting.

It was early Tuesday morning and with the help of Google Maps, it was time to answer the call to London. The bus to the Reading train station picks up in front of my hotel. After a short ride into downtown Reading, it was a brief but pleasant walk to the train station. Shoutout to Google Maps, it makes traveling abroad so much easier. It shows you what train to take (along with times), and how to get to the right track. And while on the train (same as when on the bus), it tells you how many stops until you reach your destination. I got to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the train ride into London. Was so peaceful and calming considering I’ve never been to London and my levels of excitement were growing as I got closer.

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Once off the train, I made my way through the stunning open space of Pennington station to begin my adventure. My goal was to try to experience the city by seeing the most iconic landmarks of London. Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, and a lesser-known point of interest, the Graffiti Tunnel off Leake Street. Mother Nature was being kind, and the weather was picture-perfect. I spent the day navigating the city, had lunch on the Thames, bought souvenirs for my friends, and even rode on the underground a few times, which I found noisy but convenient. After a long but memorable day and a shit ton of walking, I made my way back to my hotel in Reading.

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After doing helicopter flights over LAX and Seattle last year, I had to do one over London. On very short notice and with the help of Wingly, I was able to search and book a site seeing flight. The day after my bus and train trip into London, I drove down to Blackbushe Airport to meet Simon, the pilot of my scenic flight. After a quick safety briefing, pre-flight checks of the Robinson R-44, and clearance for departure, we were in the air and headed to London. From Blackbushe airport, the planned route was to join up with the Thames, fly on the southern side up to the London Eye, and turn back on the northern side. Simon was very professional and informative about numerous points of interest up and down the Thames. The only downside of the flight was due to where we took off from. It took more time to get to London than the actual time we spent over it. This was due to my last-minute booking which really limited my choice of flights. Most of the longer scenic flights with closer departure locations were already booked well before I even had this idea. But it was still very exciting and got a unique perspective of London. Time for me to cut the chatter and let you to check out some photos from this adventure. Enjoy!

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If you missed my first two post about my London Adventures, look here…

“Between Clouds and Legends: My Air-to-Air Journey Over the English Countryside”

Spotting at LHR

Until next post

Steven

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Gear used:

Canon 90D

EF-S 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS ST

EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Spotting at LHR

So, I’ve been struggling with a question “What do I love more, Aviation or Photography?” There’s something uniquely alluring about capturing photos of aircraft in close proximity bathed in amazing light. And you know I couldn’t resist doing some spotting at London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) while I was in England. It’s the busiest airport in Europe and one of the busiest in the World. I discovered two locations; the first one was sketchy as fuck. It was at the roundabout at Bath Road and Stanwell Moor Road to catch arrivals on runway 09 Left. I didn’t spend much time here due to its precarious location. And the other is a well-known quaint little park at the end of Myrtle Avenue for activity on runway 27 Left. This location, I feel is far superior but it’s worth noting that parking there sucks. Went multiple times, shot a couple hundred images, and got to see some special liveries and a bunch of airlines from around the world that I don’t get to see at Detroit Metro. That’s enough talking, let’s get on with it!

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Gear used:

Canon 90D

EF-S 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS ST

EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM

EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Until next post,

Steven

“Between Clouds and Legends: My Air-to-Air Journey Over the English Countryside”

This unforgettable story begins back in January of 2024 when I was proudly reviewing my photos from my 2023 adventures. I had far surpassed my expectations and my personal goals for the year. In the process of capturing these moments, it pushed me well beyond my comfort zone. As I was sitting there marinating in my accomplishments, I heard myself ask, “What the hell are you going to do next year?” At first, I had no idea about what I wanted to do in the coming year. But then I quickly realized that there were a few things I wanted to accomplish. First off, I wanted to travel internationally. There’s a whole planet to explore with tons of different cultures, places to get lost in and I want to see it. Secondly, I’ve always wanted to do air-to-air photography but never knew how to go about it. Fortunately, at Thunder over Michigan, I caught up with a fellow aviation photographer who shared his experiences working with various air-to-air services. Long story short, it’s “Pay to Play”. Meaning, if you got the coin, you can go fly & photograph. And it is not cheap. The fact is you’re paying for a unique if not rare photo opportunity that’s professionally organized that has limited availability and hard to duplicate. And after a bit of googling, I came across the Aviation PhotoCrew. They offer what I feel is the most appetizing and diverse selection of subjects in various locations including North America. And of their 2024 projects, there is “Warbirds UK”! The thought of photographing iconic World War Two fighters over the English countryside gave me goosebumps. To add to the excitement, the following weekend is the Royal International Air Tattoo also known as RIAT. According to Wikipedia, it is the world’s largest military airshow, and it has been on my bucket list since I started my journey in aviation photography. Seeing the countless European demo teams and numerous exotic fighters from various air forces would be absolutely incredible. So, doing my first air-to-air photoshoot with warbirds over the English countryside along with going to the world’s largest military airshow within a span of a week. Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do this year!

Fast forward through six months of the chore like routine of work, patiently saving, strategically planning, nervously booking, and confidently reserving. Surprisingly, everything worked out perfectly. The overnight flight across the pond was pleasant and comfortable, my first time driving in England was not as difficult as I imagined and navigating to the hotel was easy with Apple CarPlay. Getting checked in and having dinner was relieving after such a long exhausting day of traveling. The next morning woke up to overcast skies and scattered showers which is not ideal for an air-to-air photo shoot. According to the Aviation PhotoCrew email, the photo mission could be cancelled if the cloud ceiling were too low and rainy. And during my drive over to the Old Warden Aerodrome, the rain and mist just added more doubt to the day’s adventure. Fortunately, the weather at the airfield was slowly clearing up and soon enough our photo aircraft arrived, the famous Pink Skyvan. Eric and his enthusiastic crew came over and introduced themselves. And what a bunch of great guys. After the meet and greet, we got our safety gear on along with whatever photo gear we were taken on the flights and headed over to the Skyvan.

With the Skyvan being a turboprop, it requires jet fuel which was not available at the aerodrome. So, we based the rest of our flights out of Turweston airport. This gave us a place to grab a bite to eat, collectively nerd out about our love for aviation and photography, along with refuel the Skyvan before the next flight. After the first flight, we were much more relaxed and talkative as a group. And before we knew it, it was time for the next flight. My next location was in the middle of “Business Class”. This was a row of padded benches instead of the hard floor of the Skyvan. The second flight was the shortest, with only one subject, an amazing Hawker Hurricane. But oh my god he flew in super close formation with us. Then it was back at Turweston airport, refueled the Skyvan and we were back in the air for our longest flight with two Spitfires and two P-51s. Capturing breathtaking photos of World War Two fighters dancing over clouds, combined with the vibrant color of the English countryside was immensely exhilarating and truly unforgettable. Even though we all had smiles from ear to ear during that longer flight, I think everyone couldn’t wait to be back on the ground to warm up. Back at Turweston for the last time for fuel and with nothing else to photograph the rear door was closed and we headed back to the Old Warden Aerodrome. Words fail me at completely describing how incredible this whole experience was. It is something you must experience for yourself. Big thanks to all the amazing members of the Aviation PhotoCrew for organizing such an extraordinary event.

Enough talking, enjoy the photos.

Gear used

Canon 90D (X2)

Canon EF-S 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS STM

Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Aircraft photograph

Airco DH.9

Submarine Spitfire PR XI

Supermarine Spitfire FR.XIV MV293

Supermarine Spitfire MKIX “The Russian Spitfire”

Hawker Hurricane MK I V749

North American P-51 “Jersey Jerk”

North American P-51D “Marinell”

Until next post,

Steven

Seattle Adventures Pt.2

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

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