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On The Road
"Transit Mix"

March, 2007

Hi, and welcome to this edition of On The Road. Are you like me? Do you fly a lot? It comes with the business. I have tried many things to help pass the time while flying and waiting in between flights but I always come back to what I like to do most .......... make pictures. I enjoy photography even while I gaze out the window at the world below and as I wander the concourses of airports around the globe. And so, over the course of time, I have kept a file of these images. So, lets take a look at a few images from my "Transit Mix" archive ..........

  Image #1 Pre Dawn Flight ... Early morning departures are routine. I've gotten it down to a science when it comes to what I carry on, what shoes I wear, what coat works best, etc ......... you know, so the hassle is minimum. I tend to arrive at the airport well before my departures and once I'm past the check in counters and TSA screening process I like to stroll around and see what's photographically interesting. I usually have my professional cameras on board with me but on occasion I will bring a small Nikon Coolpix pocket size camera as well. This particular morning posted temperatures well below zero and I found the deicing process under a setting moon a good addition to my Transit Mix collection. Nikon Coolpix S10, ISO100, Auto Everything (1/2 second at f3.5), EV-1.0, WB Auto, VR mode, Lexar 1G SD Card. I like the moon and the backlit deicing machines. After all, what else was there to do for 90 minutes.
Image #2 Going Down ... I spend a good bit of time in the Chicago O'Hare Airport. The "electric tunnel" between terminals A and B is a favorite photo location of mine. This stylish young lady was returning from some big time shopping at Harrod's and was on her way down the escalator to the tunnel with her shopping bags. Nikon Coolpix S10, ISO100, Auto Everything (1 second at f3.5), EV-0.7, WB Auto, VR mode, Lexar 1G SD Card. The great thing about the Coolpix S10 is that its unique swivel apart design allows the photographer to view the LCD display like a waist level view camera. This is very stealth and a help when photographing people while not looking too obvious.
  Image #3 Big Guy ... This is a shot of me and the guy next to me ( I'm in the blue shirt ). Sometimes it seems like he is on every flight I take and gets the seat next to me just so he can encroach on my air space. The Coolpix and its swivel apart design works perfectly again for a stealth approach. I can swivel the LCD screen around until I see myself and the guy next to me which made it easy to compose the image. Nikon Coolpix S10, ISO200, Auto Everything (1/20 at f4.5), WB Sunny, Lexar 1G SD Card.

Image #4 Window Seat ... This could be the coastline of Argentina, but it's not ... it's Wisconsin. I try and book my seat to be on the North side of the aircraft and in front of the wing when ever possible. This way I'm not shooting into the southern sky against the sun and I won't have the wing or jet exhaust to block or distort the pictures I take. Nikon D2Xs, ISO160, 1/250 at f7.1, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 5600K, Lexar 4G Flash Card. The new United Airlines fleet of smaller planes have very clear windows. I have found that the higher aperture setting of f6.3, f7.1, or f8 help reduce the distortion in the window.
Image #5 "Toddling Town" ... Chicago, that toddling town, or so the song says. As I crisscross America on a regular basis, Chicago brings back thoughts of my youth. My younger years were spent in the Chicago area. This sunset over the North Shore is proof that a window seat is not always necessary for an interesting image of the world outside the aircraft. I shot the Chicago skyline from seat 7D across the plane through the window of seat 7A. The "take a shot and take a look" method of metering worked well. I only exposed for the setting sunlight on Lake Michigan. Nikon D200, ISO100, 1/2500 at f8, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 10,000K, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
Image #6 Super Bowl Sunday ... My best shot of this year's Super Bowl was the coin toss ... while I was having dinner during a layover in the Chicago O'Hare Airport. You might ask, what else could possibly be going on that weekend that was more important than the Super Bowl ??? ................... This year I turned down two offers to work the game and I accepted a speaking engagement instead. No worries, the weekend was delightful, paid more and I stayed dry. Nikon Coolpix P4, ISO200, Aperture Priority (1/15 at f3.5), WB Auto, VR mode, Lexar 1G SD Card.
Image #7 Diamond in the Rough ... A flight into Kennedy International Airport always provides a good opportunity for pictures. I have the typical images of Manhattan with all its sky scrapers from previous flights into the Big Apple, but I like this one because of the cargo ships and a baseball diamond adjacent to the exit ramp from the bridge. Sometimes I'll try and schedule my flight arrivals to be just before sunset so to make use of some golden light. Nikon D2Xs, ISO160, 1/250 at f8, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 8300K, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
Image #8 Grand Canyon ... This is one of my all time favorites from the Transit Mix archive, the Grand Canyon at sunset. I was flying back from LA and had chosen a flight time that would place the aircraft over the southwest around sunset. I chose a north facing window seat as usual and was glad I did. Absolutely breath taking. The view of the Grand Canyon and picture taking opportunity lasted about 15 minutes but this shot was a real treasure. Nikon Coolpix S10, ISO100, Auto Everything (1/450 at f5.6), EV-1.3, WB Sunny, VR mode, Lexar 1G SD Card.

  Well, This article was a fun one but always promotes the idea that making pictures is fun and something I love to do. I do not have a real market place for this sort of imagery but have made some very worth while income over the years and enjoy my flights a lot more. I hope you all enjoyed this departure from the normal On The Road images and perhaps are encouraged to make a few pictures of your own while flying the friendly skies.

Until next time On The Road ........... Adios, Dave

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