Every August, some of the best airshow performers come to Hillsboro
Oregon to perform for an appreciative airshow crowd. For the last several years I’ve attended the
show to feed my love of airplanes and flying, as well as shoot pictures.
For the last couple of years the organizers have created a “photo pit”
section for serious amateur photographers.
Enjoying the camaraderie of fellow photogs, not having umbrellas and
screaming kids disrupting the shooting, this area is a perfect place to shoot
the airshow. However, no amount of VIP
parking, special access, or big lenses could “fix” the biggest issue this year….the
heat. It hit 102 degrees on Saturday and
absolutely cooked my brain.
As the heat rose and the show ebbed and flowed, so did my
photography. I noticed that the hotter
it got, the less enthusiastic I was for jumping up and firing off shots or
working unique compositions. Having been
to dozens of airshows in my life, I am no longer mesmerized by the graceful
aerobatics that are unfolding in front of me, so I usually concentrate on
photography, on capturing unique compositions or dramatic action
photographs. This year however, because
of the heat, the big test was dedication and commitment to just stay out there
and shoot! I knew if I stopped shooting
to seek coolness, I would regret it, so I stuck it out the entire day and came
home with a few good images.
I kind of equate this experience to landscape photography, when it’s
3:30am and you don’t want to get out of bed, or, when the skies aren’t looking
good, yet you still need to get out there just in case the clouds break.
If you want the shots, you have to persevere and show up to shoot,
regardless of the conditions!
Congratulations for surviving the heat and making some good shots! Yeah, I know what you mean about the early AM decisions. We've done the same for possible hikes. It's always amazing, though, when you do persevere and come out with something wonderful that wouldn't have happened at any other time or place. Nice shot--and your mirror image shot of the T-Birds was awesome, too!
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