Photo Excursion Post Shelter In Place
My buddy Dennis Johnson and myself cancelled a photo excursion that was scheduled for the day the Shelter In Place went into effect back in March. And here on the day it was lifting we did do a photo excursion. Photographs here on my Blog this coming week. We were both shooting Fujifilm X-Series cameras.
Memorial Day Flyover
Many of you saw it on the news across the country. And many of you saw it in person. Sixteen World War II aircraft traversed Southern California over Memorial locations, hospitals and landmarks honoring Memorial Day and those people on the front-line of the pandemic.
I was honored to be on the crew with the Palm Springs Air Museum flying in the World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?”. Starting out the day we flew over the Coachella Valley with the C-47, the P-51 Mustang Red Tail “Bunny”, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”, a Vietnam War era T-28 Trojan, and a T-33 Shooting Star.
Along with the C-47 we broke off with the P-51 Mustang to join the other aircraft flyover twenty locations in the Inland Empire, out to Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, up the coast past the USS Iowa to National Cemetery in Westwood, east over USC Medical Center, finally landing at Chino Airport.
A huge Thank You to Threshold Aviation for hosting us and providing lunch and relaxation. Your hospitality was very appreciated by all.
Departing Chino, it was back to Palm Springs going up with the three other Air Museum aircraft for a flyover again of more locations in the Coachella Valley, out to the Patton Museum, back up through Twentynine Palms, over High Desert Medical Center, Yucca Valley, Desert Hot Springs and finally back to land at Palm Springs and back to the Air Museum.
Thank You to everyone for being so very supportive, those who cheered us on the ground, and to those to whom we owe so very much. Here are a few photographs of the journey.
Photographed on Fujifilm cameras, X-T3, X-H1, 50-140 and 16-55 f2.8 lenses. Thanks!
Memorial Day Fly-Over
Join the Palm Springs Air Museum to salute all those who serve and have served our country in a momentous air display throughout the Coachella Valley and Southern California.
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020, starting at 10:45am, the Palm Springs Air Museum’s webcam will stream live the staging of pilots and vintage warbirds as they prepare for a Memorial Day ceremony with Pipe Band, burial flag presentations to pilots and take off of five vintage warbirds into the sky.
Uniformed members of Civil Air Patrol Squadron 11 will present one burial flag to each of the five pilots while the Palm Springs Pipe Band plays. The aircraft and honorees:
– P-63 Kingcobra: Cpl. Joseph LaSalle, WWI USMC
– P-51 Mustang: Lt. Col. Robert Friend, WWII USAAF (Tuskegee Airman)
– T-33 Shooting Star: Col. Robert Gilliland, USAF Korean War
– C-47 Skytrain: Maj Gen. Kenneth Miles, USAF Vietnam War
– T-28 Trojan: Col. Ross Miles, USAF Lost Current Service Members
The five aircraft will start-up and depart to fly over the Coachella Valley in honor of those who serve and served our country. The aircraft will then meet up with other warbirds over San Bernardino and fly over parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
The Coachella Valley route goes from Palm Springs International Airport to Desert Hot Springs City Hall, SunLine Transit Center, Sun City / Shadow Hills, Indio City Hall, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Coachella City Hall, Coachella Valley Water District, Cochran Regional Airport, La Quinta City Hall, Indian Wells City Hall, Palm Desert City Hall, Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage City Hall, Cathedral City’s City Hall, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ Tribal Offices, Palm Springs City Hall, Desert Regional Hospital, Desert Memorial Park, and the General Patton Museum.
The aircraft will then join other aircraft from the Inland Empire Wing of the CAF, Flabob Aviation Associates, and the Condor Squadron Threshold Technologies, Inc, over San Bernardino.
All aircraft will then fly over the following locations in Southern California: Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Riverside National Cemetery, CHOC Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Orange), John Wayne Airport, Pacific View Memorial Park (Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend’s grave), Newport Beach, Long Beach VA Hospital, The Queen Mary, USS Iowa, Green Hills Memorial Park, Torrance Airport, LAX, Santa Monica Airport, LA National Cemetery, UCLA Medical Center, USC Medical Center, City of Hope, and finally Chino Airport.
Please join us along the way for this historic flyover. Thank You!
Map of the additional Southern California route below.
Frontline Fly-Over
Honoring the people on the front lines of the pandemic, the Palm Springs Air Museum is doing “Frontline Friday Flyovers”.
On Friday May 22nd we will be over Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms City Hall, Hi-Desert Medical Center, Yucca Valley Town Hall and Desert Hot Springs City Hall. Departure time from the Palm Springs Air Museum will be approximately 12:45pm.
The aircraft flying will be the World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc”, the iconic “Red Tail” P-51 Mustang “Bunny”, and one of only of the very few flying in the entire world, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”.
A map of the route is in the discussion here so many of you can watch from your own backyard. Wave to us, I will be in the C-47. Thanks!
Frontline Flyover And 100 Megapixels
“Bunny” the Palm Springs Air Museum P-51 Mustang headed out for a Frontline Friday Flyover. Joining up with the Air Museum’s World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” and the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly” saluting the people on the frontlines fighting the pandemic.
Photographed with the Fujifilm GFX100 medium format camera system. A 100 megapixel camera capable of shooting five frames per second with continuous autofocus. I have found it fast handling, extremely versatile and producing incredible image quality.
Peaking Power Plant
Out shooting with the new Fujifilm GFX100 camera and GF45mm lens. A medium format 100 megapixel digital camera system. I am much more impressed with this camera system than I had expected. The image quality is extraordinary!
This is the “Peaking Power Plant” in the North end of Palm Springs California. It was designed and built to provide additional power during peak demand such as occurs in the high heat of the Summer.
APA Sourcebook 2020
Very pleased to again be in the APA Sourcebook 2020. Published annually by the American Photographic Artists, the print edition is distributed to advertising agencies, editorial publications, design firms and select companies around the USA. Model Randalene Sargent.
Frontline Flyovers & Fujifilm GFX100
Honoring the people on the front lines of the pandemic, the Palm Springs Air Museum is doing flyovers over different facilities on Fridays through May. This is the three aircraft returning from the flight the other day. The World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc”, the iconic “Red Tail” P-51 Mustang “Bunny”, and one of only of the very few flying in the entire world, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”.
Photographed with the new Fujifilm GFX100 medium format camera and the GF110mm lens. I am just now shooting with it for the first time. Faster operating than I had expected, it was able to capture aircraft in flight from the ground. This is a 100 megapixel camera still capable of shooting five frames per second with continuous auto-focusing. I will be shooting with it some more, so keep coming back to see what else I do with it. Thanks!
On The Beach Today
I have found a great place to “Shelter In Place” with an ocean view and still travel. Well maybe not. A Soviet Navy B-39 Submarine, the largest conventionally powered submarine ever built. Likely this one stalked U.S. Navy vessels out of San Diego.
From a photo excursion from Palm Springs to San Diego. At the Maritime Museum San Diego. Photographed with my Hasselblad H4D-40 and HC80mm lens.
This submarine and our current times reminds me of the 1959 motion picture “On The Beach” directed by Stanley Kramer. It takes place during the aftermath of a nuclear war. A tremendous motion picture with an all-star cast. However the similarities to today are somewhat discomforting.
International Firefighters’ Day
From a photo shoot I did for a magazine series about fitness in the military. At March Air Reserve Base. Photo shoot note… I shot this with a Phase One medium format camera system.
“International Firefighters’ Day is observed each year on 4th May. On this date you are invited to remember the past firefighters who have died while serving our community or dedicated their lives to protecting the safety of us all. At the same time, we can show our support and appreciation to the firefighters world wide who continue to protect us so well throughout the year.”
“The role of a firefighter in today’s society – be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defence force, aviation, motor sport, or other is one of dedication, commitment and sacrifice – no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service we fight together against one common enemy – fire – no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak.”
– Lt JJ Edmondson, 1999
Caps and Grammys
This was given to me by the Grammys in 2006. I was there photographing rehearsals with a specially invited group from Special Olympics Southern California. I was documenting their visit.
One of the most fulfilling times for me was shooting for Special Olympics. I did everything from their John Wooden Dinner with thousands of people to every sport during their Fall and Summer Games. Photographs were used for annual reports, displays, media etc.
During “Shelter In Place” I have been cleaning up my office. I have a lot of caps and t-shirts from my travels. Many given to me and others I purchase. I will post more, they are fun. Thanks!
Hasselblad H1 Introduction
I have always been a fan of Hasselblad because of it’s place in history with the exploration of outer space. This is an ad from July/August 2005 in Picture Magazine, but it appeared in many magazines. I remember very well the introduction of the H1D when Hasselblad held a day long special event at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. It was led by none other than the then President of Hasselblad.
I was there, and as I usually would do, spent a couple of days staying at the Loew’s for other business. Holding that camera and looking through that viewfinder was a total revelation. It shamed other cameras with its huge bright view. The camera so very ergonomic and solid. Everyone was just amazed with it and it’s features and future.
Indeed that held with me when finally I bought my own H4D system some years later. Hasselblad always had some great huge events. Other companies have done so along the way too. I hope to see more. I think it is good marketing although sometimes immediate results are not seen.
Social Media During Shelter In Place
What to do during this time for your business. You should be working on your social media presence for one thing. Your audience is spending much more time at that computer, and so is mine. So I decided to build my business Facebook page which had been stagnant.
Most of my Facebook reach was on my personal page over the years. But that is at my limit of 5,000 friends. And I have been on Facebook since 2008. So this is what I have done for my page “SecondFocus Photography by Ian L. Sitren” so far. Thanks!
Israel At 72 – “Above And Beyond”
Today marks the 72nd Anniversary of Israel Independence Day. Celebrated on the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 5th day of the month of Iyar.
“Throughout their long history, the yearning to return to the Land of Israel has been the focus of Jewish life. Independence Day is a celebration of the renewal of the Jewish state in the land where the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago.” – Israeli Ministry Of Foreign Affairs
“Above And Beyond” is an extraordinary documentary of the beginnings of what was to become the Israeli Air Force. It is an amazing story.
“In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence.”
“Above And Beyond” brings together new interviews with the pilots, as well as stunning aerial footage, to present a fascinating, little-known tale filled with heart, heroism and high-flying chutzpah. The film follows the pilots on their circuitous route from the United States—where they met and trained in secret and struggled to stay two steps ahead of the FBI—to Panama, Italy and Czechoslovakia, where they flew versions of the very Nazi planes they had tried to shoot down in World War II.”
You may watch it in it’s entirely on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ZpKhwi4L64o
Photo Excursion Success
Congratulations to my friend Dennis Johnson. From our photo excursion to Yermo a few months ago…
“Thank you to American Society of Railway Artists and The Railroad Tourist for posting my recent painting, “Yermo”. The painting of several box cars, inspired by a photo excursion to the Union Pacific Rail Yard in Yermo, CA in February. Painting specifications: Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 48″.”
More Than A Bag
At first look, just a wrinkled plastic bag. It has been sitting crunched up in a drawer. Actually it was a part of hugely successful marketing. If you are a bodybuilding and fitness person, you were handed one of these bags at some time.
At one of the annual, week long, planning meetings at Bodybuilding.com in Boise, the bag concept came up. At the major bodybuilding and fitness expos like the Arnold and Olympia, hundreds of companies hand out tremendous amounts of swag and product samples. The same at all of the other bodybuilding and fitness competitions around the country. So the idea was to hand out a bag that would tell people to buy their products at Bodybuilding.com.
It immediately came to my mind and I said “Find everything in this bag at Bodybuilding.com”. That was it and the bag went into production. I am sure hundreds of thousands of these bags were handed out over the years. They were even supplied for free to other companies and manufacturers to hand out with their products.
Part of a concept that was to make sure that everyone knew Bodybuilding.com and went there first for anything related to fitness and bodybuilding. It worked!
What’s Up Doc?
The World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” from the Palm Springs Air Museum. Likely I have flown in this aircraft somewhere around a couple of hundred times or more. This when we were doing ride flights with Hangar 24 Brewery & Taproom at the Redlands Airport. Great fun! Thanks!
Battleship
A scene from the motion picture “Battleship” which takes place at the end of the movie on the Battleship Missouri. A cool memory, I have stood right there on the Missouri before it was decommissioned to become a museum.
A very special tour for just a very few. We were not allowed cameras or cellphones (which did not have cameras in them back then anyway).
A Very Sad Commentary Commemorating the Holocaust
A very sad commentary on what has become of the USA on “Days of Remembrance” as the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust.
Established by the United States Congress “Days of Remembrance” is commemorated today Tuesday, April 21, 2020. Observances and remembrance activities occur nationwide between Sunday, April 19, and Sunday, April 26.
Some 63% of respondents said they’re less safe than they were a decade ago.
Flying In A B-25
Flying in the nose of a World War II B-25 Mitchell bomber over the Salton Sea. Today April 18th is the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid On Tokyo in 1942. Sixteen B-25’s flew off the deck of the USS Hornet as the first retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of the 80 crew members, 77 survived the mission. Eight airmen were captured by the Japanese Army in China; three were later executed.
Video from a hat mounted GoPro as I shot video and photos with my iPhone and a Fujifilm X-Series camera.
We were headed for a Veterans Day flyover at the Glamis Sand Dunes with other World War II aircraft. I was texting our location and timing and also doing social media posts.
Also somewhat of a video self; you can see my reflection on the iPhone.
The B-25 “Executive Sweet” from the American Aeronautical Foundation. That day flying out of the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Pirelli Calendar April 2006
One of the Pirelli Calendars I have hanging in my office. Two pages per month and this is April from 2006. What makes it really fun is that I have an original video created during the entire shoot. But below is a segment from the shooting of this scene. Check it out!
Palms In The Wind
While it was still raining all around Southern California, here in Palm Springs it was clear and windy. Fujifilm X-H1 camera and XF100-400mm lens. Sheltering in place.
Snow And Palms
The other day after the rains. The view of the mountains through the Palm Trees here in Palm Springs. Fujifilm X-H1 camera and XF100-400mm lens. Sheltering in place.
At 38,000 ft
Airliner overhead at 38,000 ft. Fujifilm X-H1 camera and XF100-400mm lens. Sheltering in place.
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