Lowdown on the A4 Skyhawk

Lowdown on the A4 Skyhawk, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I had been walking around the USS Midway for about an hour with my camera and tripod shooting HDR sequences here and there. I wasn't really liking the photos I was making though. Looked ok I guess but nothing special. Then I realized that it was my viewpoint that was off. When photographing a car, I almost always collapse my tripod and get a low angle shot. This makes the car look more powerful and the viewpoint is interesting because we rarely look at cars from 3" above the pavement. Why should it be any different for aircraft? The fun part was watching the other Midway visitors puzzling over why I way laying down on the abrasive flight deck peering through my camera.

My muse, my beloved

My muse, my beloved, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This is my beautiful wife Kathy. While she really doesn't like being on the lens side of a camera, she let me take this shot of her while we were waiting for our lunch to be served at the Prado restaurant in San Diego's Balboa Park. It was a beautiful day and Kathy looked lovely. An amazingly talented photographer and graphic designer, you can see her work at www.tweakedpixels.com

Phantom on Deck

Phantom on Deck, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This is an amazingly restored McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter bomber on the flight deck of the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum which is located in San Diego bay. No longer in active service with the U.S. military, the Phantom was an all weather, two seat, twin engined aircraft used extensively during the Vietnam war. This aircraft is located in the landing area of the flight deck. A volunteer docent who was a former F-4 pilot with over 600 carrier landings was available to explain how Navy aircraft are recovered aboard.

RA-5C Vigilante

RA-5C Vigilante, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Vietnam era reconnaissance aircraft photographed on the flight deck of the USS Midway in San Diego, California. It was a beautiful, cool and sunny day. The clouds were particularly dramatic and made a perfect background in addtion to the skyline.

Morning over the Port of San Francisco [Explored]

Morning over the Port of San Francisco [Explored], originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Highest Position in Explore #153 on 3/29/09.
Taken from the 17th floor of the San Francisco Hyatt Regency hotel a few minutes after 6 in the morning. There was a door at the end of the hallway. I opened it and found a tiny platform with a vertical concrete wall that had a 9" gap from which I could see the Ferry building, Bay Bridge and the sun rising over the bay below me. I literally ran back to my room to get my camera, tripod and cable release. I propped open the door with a newspaper I found by the ice machine and started taking photos...

RA-5C Vigilante

RA-5C Vigilante, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Vietnam era reconnaissance aircraft

Intruder on Deck!

I was walking down the flight deck of the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum in San Diego when I spotted this pristine example of the A6 Intruder looking like it was ready to taxi on to the catapult. I realized that even though I have been to a ton of airplane museums I had never seen an A6 in person. It's impressive to say the least. An all weather day/night attack aircraft, the intruder could and did put bombs on target with great accuracy. 

Intruder on Deck!