Author Topic: The best picture you have taken (Read 5030 times)

Matt Colan · « **on:** April 03, 2009, 07:30:57 PM »

I was browsing through pictures and I found this gem of mine. I took this picture at the Airshow in Jones Beach in 2008. I took this pic with just a regular old Kodak digital camera and it turned out great. I consider this to be the best picture I have ever taken

What is the best picture you've taken, do you have pictures of it on your computer

Mike Keville · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2009, 09:10:37 PM »

This one was taken in Friedrichschafen, Germany -- near Lake Constance -- in 1960. The (then) West German Army had a Sikorsky H-34 down in a meadow with engine failure. They contacted our Battalion for assistance, and a bunch of us flew down from Hanau Army Airfield (near Frankfurt) in this twin-engine H-37 ... a noisy beast.

The plan was to sling-load the H-34 to their nearby maintenance facility. It was a rather hot day (density altitude, y'know), and things didn't turn out quite the way we'd planned.

The hookup was made, the lift began, and all was going well.....'til about 200 feet up. The ol' Pratt & Whitney '2800s on the H-37 were howling and pouring great amounts of black smoke from the exhaust...all five rotor blades were straining and bending quite upward, when suddenly both aircraft began to settle back toward the ground -- unintentionally.

Rather than create one giant pile of smoking metal, our guys cut the '34 loose. It plummeted to the ground, bounced once and ended up on its side, somewhat worse for wear.

That evening, as a howling snowstorm blasted the area, we sat with the German GIs by a roaring fireplace in a giant beer hall and made a lot of new friends despite the failed attempt.

Oh...the photo? I snapped it with our Battalion Commander's Rolleiflex. Don't ask me what speed (probably 1/1000) or lens opening. After 49 years who can remember?

Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2009, 11:04:27 PM »

Man that Sikorski brings back memories. My first year as a smoke eater, we were flown into the fire area by one of them. What a beast, and what fun! LOL I think my kidneys are still vibrating and that was 40 years ago!

Richard Grogan · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2009, 04:11:12 AM »

Here's one from an airshow I shot a while back. It was during an re-enactment. It's my favorite full scale shot.This posting doesn't do it justice.

Richard Grogan · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2009, 04:31:55 AM »

And another. A little blurry but ok.Heavy long lens on heavy camera being handheld doesn't always deliver the best results...

Matt Colan · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2009, 05:53:06 AM »

I've seen that B-25 before in a television show from the mid 90s. When I was little, I used to call it the B-17 movie and I still do. That plane was featured in it during an airshow reenactment. But the reason I called it the BB-17 movie was because at the end of it, Texas Raiders was restored and this guy sang a world war 2 song. Also it nice violins playing while it was flying. My grandfather and I are thinking of calling the station it was on an see if they still have it in there archives, because we're not sure if what we have is the whole thing.
Oh and the whole show was on the Confederate Air Force.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2009, 05:26:09 PM »

Quote from: Mike Keville on April 03, 2009, 09:10:37 PM

That evening, as a howling snowstorm blasted the area, we sat with the German GIs by a roaring fireplace in a giant beer hall and made a lot of new friends despite the failed attempt.

I neglected to add one very important footnote. As the evening festivities progressed, one of the German soldiers, a pilot with an excellent command of the English language, offered a poignant observation. He said (paraphrasing here):

"Had we all been born twenty years sooner, rather than sitting here in this warm room enjoying a good meal, drinking beer and swapping lies, we'd be outside in that snowstorm shooting at one another."

And of course he was right. It's a weird world out there, folks.

minnesotamodeler · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2009, 07:47:07 PM »

Non-aviation related...but a great picture I think. Hawaii.

Bill Heher · « **Reply #8 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:49:30 AM »

I take a lot of pictures with a cheap digital camera as I travel around the country. I have hundreds of all kinds, but tend to take more of model and full scale planes. For some reason this one from the Evergreen Aviation Muesuem in Oregon realy strikes me- it is the tail of the Spruce Goose framed by the glass wall of the main muesuem building- kind of abstract.

2nd one is am example of what I call Mechanical Artistry- a P&W R-4360 " Corncob" 4 row radial- you don't hook your laptop up to that bad boy for troubleshooting- you had to listen, look,feel, murmur in its big 4bbl pressure carb- sigh...

Shultzie · « **Reply #9 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:57:27 AM »

Uh Nice shot....but that last one I thought was the new engine that the BRODAK recommends for the new line of BIGGIN'S ARF MODELS. (NEVA NUFF POWA' LL YA KNOW~

Bill Heher · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2009, 02:30:39 PM »

Or in my case - more power to make up for the weight gain through multiple rebuilds!

Jim Pollock · « **Reply #11 on:** April 08, 2009, 09:22:02 PM »

O.K. Matt, Here ya go!

Picture taken of me at work in Kazakhstan in May 2003
The word in cyrillic on the side of the rocket is in english PROTON.

Leo Mehl · « **Reply #12 on:** April 10, 2009, 10:41:56 AM »

Steel Bridge in Portland taken with Cannon S-30 digital Camera.

Elwyn Aud · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2009, 11:48:12 PM »

I like this one because it's an unusual design I'd never seen before and it really looks like it's putting on a good bit of speed.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #14 on:** April 11, 2009, 07:32:44 AM »

Elwyn, the one I liked the best was the one you took of my Staggerwing Beech at VSC while it was inverted. I have the picture in with the other pictures you have sent me. DOC Holliday

Shultzie · « **Reply #15 on:** April 11, 2009, 12:50:00 PM »

I had no idea that Bob's Daddy was soooooooooo short?

Leo Mehl · « **Reply #16 on:** April 11, 2009, 01:56:24 PM »

Scott and Gieskie Nobler

Scott B. Riese · « **Reply #17 on:** April 11, 2009, 11:51:28 PM »

Thank you Leo.......It's so much fun going to the field with you and flying. Today we got to the field about 10:15 and we pit up some flights and we were done by 1:00. The new fuel I tried works super. My own mix. Rice chex, corn chex, and cashews........

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #18 on:** April 12, 2009, 01:09:35 AM »

Probably my favorite place on earth. No place to fly CL, no hobby shop or even tackle store, but otherwise pretty neat. Great smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing, aided by two crappy boat launches. On the mountain side of the lake (west), I often see and hear quail and mountain goats. Eagles, of course. I ran over a rattlesnake about 5' long one evening, near camp. The campground is a DNR deal...pretty primative, but the scenery is marvelous.

One night I was awakened by the boat/truck shaking like an earthquake. I looked out the back of the canopy and there was some kind of critter on the deck of the boat, with glowing green eyes. Probably 40 to 60 lbs, judging from the shaking. Raccoon or bobcat? Bears are known to come into the camp, but I don't think it was one. It ran off before I could get my glasses and flashlight on. Alas, it's about 5 hours from home...

Hey, Mark Scarborough...you been there, right?

Steve

Mark Scarborough · « **Reply #19 on:** April 12, 2009, 01:27:39 PM »

Steve,
not sure I have been there, I assume by the picture caption its Palmer lake? hmmm wherebouts is it....

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #20 on:** April 12, 2009, 03:49:34 PM »

Mark...It's NW from Tonasket, at Loomis. Such as it is. I like it there! I usually go N. to Ellisford and turn left. When I need a shower and shave, or food and liquid refreshments, I go to Oroville. Where do we fly CL in Omak/Okanogan?

Steve

Mark Scarborough · « **Reply #21 on:** April 12, 2009, 04:48:34 PM »

well theres a couple vacant apple packing sheds that may have big enough parking lots, there are lots of softball feilds,, tell you what, you meet me there and we will find a place,, promised,,
and now that you put me in the right geographical area, I do recall Palmer lake,,, beautifull country all of it,,

Jim Treace · « **Reply #22 on:** April 13, 2009, 03:42:58 PM »

Not CL, but this kind of tops my photos. 2007 Summer sunset from my back yard looking over the Inter-coastal Waterway. I live mid way between St. Augustine, FL and Jacksonville, FL. on the waterway. This photo has not been retouched. It actually was that intense.
Jim

Shultzie · « **Reply #23 on:** April 13, 2009, 06:05:55 PM »

Hummm?
Here is a reduced shot from a "pay it forward to Shultzie" slightly used and perhaps abused Fugi FinePix J150w from one of the Smith-Shultz clan...after they bought a fancy new high priced Nikon.
Although this Fugi FinePix J150W camera claims that it is a 10.0 pix and label as a 5Xw (whatever that means) I too feel that might surely be a slight stretch of the truf'

I took the large file from the camera...reduced it first with AOL and noticed how salt n' pepperee' the first photo looks in comparison to the next one that I used my Mirco soft version on produced directly from my little memory card reader attached directly to my PC? Humm?
Even though less pixies' the salt n' peppereee' image is gone..(maybe a little more blurry but better looking to my untrained dimming old eyeballs?

LEO!!! BRETT!!!HOWARD???
This little strange dititeee' does give instant results..but gads!! I SUCH A BUMMMMLIN'NEWBEE...and its soooo hard to give up my decades of film cameras?

Leo Mehl · « **Reply #24 on:** April 13, 2009, 09:39:34 PM »

Is this a self portrate?

EddyR · « **Reply #25 on:** April 14, 2009, 06:31:43 AM »

I ran a camera repair business for many years and I entered many photo expositions but this snapshot is one of my favorites. Just a tourest type picture but one of my favorites. I will be back at this spot in September.
Ed

John Crocker · « **Reply #26 on:** April 14, 2009, 09:05:31 AM »

Opening Day of the December Duck Season in NC. We wore em out this morning.

Shultzie · « **Reply #27 on:** April 14, 2009, 09:28:55 AM »

A neighbor of mine here in Gig Harbor Wa. does R&D for the U of W medical school on toxic levels in not only game birds and animals..but water-foul (especially migratory geese and ducks) have shown pretty drastic increases in not only mercury but other toxins even more hazardous to our health

Serge_Krauss · « **Reply #28 on:** April 14, 2009, 01:57:17 PM »

None of my CL pictures are as good as this one wife Gusti shot as I drove our Miata up Cadillac Mountain above Bar Harbor, Maine last September.

SK

Shultzie · « **Reply #29 on:** April 14, 2009, 04:06:20 PM »

Uhhh?
The photographer was no where in sight...but I shot this with our wind tunnel shop camera...and managed to sneak out with a few good shots.
Here is one from a "smoke test!" (After these were taken...me and my fellow modelmakers had a flu like thingeeee for 3 days.

Matt Colan · « **Reply #30 on:** April 14, 2009, 05:51:38 PM »

Shultzie, What is that. It looks like an engine pod from an airliner.

Shultzie · « **Reply #31 on:** April 15, 2009, 11:04:29 AM »

Quote from: Matt Colan on April 14, 2009, 05:51:38 PM

Shultzie, What is that. It looks like an engine pod from an airliner.

Yes...That is a model Engine pod.
This was taken on an improto' over time weekend 2nd shift force model engine chin test that was conducted by my mentor, dear friend and co-worker and leader of our Boeing Wind Tunnel Pack of Wind Tunnel RATZ...the late Jim Crowder!
What a HUGE LOSS for so many. Jim made such a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the lives of so many human beings.
Jim was known to many as (THE MASTER WIZZARD OF TRICKS) our beloved and gifted Boeing Technical Excellence Fellowship award winning Genius of both Aerodynamics and Tuba playing.
This photo was taken by me with our shop Polariod camera that Jim later used in his (BAG OF TRICKS) demonstrations.
After his passing...I was given a bunch of photos and CDs by his beloved wife (who has also passed this life all too soon) taken by Jim and his team after his memorial at The Museum of Flight.
I had the honor to take a small part at that memorial for Jim by playing a trumpet solo and acoustal "reverb and resultant tone improto demo" with a few of his Seattle Symphony brass chamber orchestra members...at that museum of flight tribute for Jim.

Sorry for the rant..but after viewing this CD again...I guess times like these always remind me just how little precious time we have on this earth.
For more insight on Jim...and Dr. John:

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=8601.0

attached are a couple more shots from Jim Crowders BAG OF TRICKS!

Jim Pollock · « **Reply #32 on:** April 15, 2009, 12:10:48 PM »

Here is another picture I like very much.

Me Standing next to the M A N Good old George Aldrich.
Before this was taken, Windy Urtnowski was flying and
I got a review of the flight by George himself. Let's just
say that George wasn't impressed by Windy's hourglass!

Jim Pollock

Brett Buck · « **Reply #33 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:37:21 PM »

Quote from: Shultzie on April 13, 2009, 06:05:55 PM

Hummm?
Here is a reduced shot from a "pay it forward to Shultzie" slightly used and perhaps abused Fugi FinePix J150w from one of the Smith-Shultz clan...after they bought a fancy new high priced Nikon.
Although this Fugi FinePix J150W camera claims that it is a 10.0 pix and label as a 5Xw (whatever that means) I too feel that might surely be a slight stretch of the truf'

I took the large file from the camera...reduced it first with AOL and noticed how salt n' pepperee' the first photo looks in comparison to the next one that I used my Mirco soft version on produced directly from my little memory card reader attached directly to my PC? Humm?
Even though less pixies' the salt n' peppereee' image is gone..(maybe a little more blurry but better looking to my untrained dimming old eyeballs?

LEO!!! BRETT!!!HOWARD???
This little strange dititeee' does give instant results..but gads!! I SUCH A BUMMMMLIN'NEWBEE...and its soooo hard to give up my decades of film cameras?

I would show some examples but I can't post anything for some reason.