Pretty Polly
Great fun at the huge Planes Of Fame Air Show at Chino CA May 4th – 6th for me. With the Palm Springs Air Museum. “Pretty Polly” a P-63 Kingcobra, one of perhaps four or five still flying in the world.
I Did Get To Stagecoach!
Truly makes the best way to get to Stagecoach. In the Palm Springs Air Museum T-28 Trojan. We had no traffic and a great view!
It’s A Secret
I really enjoy bringing the Palm Springs Air Museum to so very many people around the globe and here more locally. CNN named it as one of the Best Air Museums In The World. So please come visit and also just follow along!
And a secret, don’t tell anyone… I am having a lot of fun! This is me in the backseat of the Air Museum’s P-51 Mustang “Bunny” taking off from March Air Field on Sunday. Our Museum visitors get to fly too! It is Living History whether in the backseat of “Bunny” or in our WWII Paratrooper C-47 “What’s Up Doc?”, watching our weekly flight demonstrations, sitting in the pilot’s seat for “Open Cockpit”, or touring inside our giant four engine B-17 “Flying Fortress”. It is a first hand experience, always exciting. Thanks!
This video was shot on the new Fujifim X-H1 camera body and the Fujifilm XF18-135 lens. Even better, kept on me with a beast of a camera strap made for aviation by Vulture Equipment Works. That is what you don’t leave home without!
Smokin!
Shooting at the equivalent of 600mm super telephoto and handheld through the haze of smoke oil as the airplane almost hangs in the air. With the Fujifilm X-H1 camera body and 100-400mm lens. Braced with the camera strap made for aviation by Vulture Equipment Works.
Always front and center in Air Shows and Aviation, Hangar 24 Craft Brewing on proud display at the March Air Field Air Show this past weekend. And myself there with the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Enveloped by a haze of smoke oil and flown by the extreme aerobatics pilot Jon Melby! The Pitt’s S-1-11B Muscle Bi-Plane has 350 HP, cruises at over 195 MPH, and Jon’s airshow routine is anywhere from 9 positive to 4 negative G’s. Wow!
Visit Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands CA. “Beer Crafted with Purpose”. And be sure to catch the huge Hangar 24 Airfest coming up on May 19 & 20 right at the Redlands Airport!
F-86 Waves Of Energy!
C-17 Globemaster & Fujifilm X-H1
Nothing says March Air Reserve Base as much as these giant C-17 Globemasters! Doing a fly by over the weekend for the for the 2018 March Field Air Show.
I was there with the Palm Springs Air Museum. You would have seen us flying the aircraft that was the “Globe Master” of it’s time, our C-47 “What’s Up Doc?”.
Great fun shooting with the latest Fujifilm X-H1 camera body with power grip/booster and the super telephoto Fujifilm 100-400mm lens. Thanks!
Fujifilm X-H1 WOW!
The first use with a Fujifilm X-H1 camera body and I could not be more excited with the results! Photographed in less than optimum conditions. I was in the backseat of the Palm Springs Air Museum P-51 Mustang shooting backwards over my right shoulder. I could just tilt the back screen of the camera around enough to just see that I was getting this P-63 KingCobra in the frame. Also I was shooting through the curvature of the canopy and the X-H1 still got focus. Wow!
I Was The Ground Crew
I was the only “ground crew” for this flight of three aircraft so could not go fly and shoot from the backseat. Put a GoPro on the wing. Much Fun! I like it 
🙂
The Palm Springs Air Museum T-28 Trojan coming back for a twilight landing in Palm Springs after a nearby flyover with two T-34 Mentors from March Air Reserve Base. Our pilot Michael Nightingale.
Wow! CF-18 Hornet
This is pretty exciting so I have to share! And I must say it is sometimes really cool being the photographer for the Palm Springs Air Museum!
Arriving approximately 3:30pm on Friday March 2nd right on our ramp! The 150th Canadian Anniversary Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet. Now this is exciting!
This very special aircraft will be with us all day Saturday March 3rd for you to view along with the opportunity to meet it’s pilot, Major Erick O’Connor.
“This incredible Canada 150 CF-18 Hornet is a shining example of the teamwork and professionalism that is embodied by the men and women of the RCAF,” said Major-General Christian Drouin, Commander, 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region, “and is just one of the many ways that the men and women of the RCAF are working to honour their rich heritage, and commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada.”
Also on Saturday we have “Open Cockpit”, two programs, a flight demonstration with the De Havilland Beaver – Pride Of The Bush Pilots and even entertainment from 12 – 1 with our own Palm Springs Air Museum Bagpipe Band!
The CF-18 Hornet will be departing on Sunday March 4th. However we do not have a specific time for that as of now.
Also through the weekend, we will have flights available on our own World War II Paratrooper C-47 and our P-51 Mustang “Bunny”. Call 760-778-6262 for more info. Thanks!
(RCAF Photo)
Bunny Coming Home
Bunny is the P-51 Mustang “Bunny” who resides at the Palm Springs Air Museum. You find me there often, I am the Museum photographer and also manage their social media. Thanks!
Along The Way
You have been seeing a lot of my aviation photography mixed in with my bodybuilding and fitness, as well as my edgy lifestyle photo shoots and photo excursions. It goes back to when I was 9 years old and taking pictures of my model trains. At 12 I was shooting through my telescopes at the skies. My bodybuilding and weight lifting started at age 12 too. Building model airplanes as a kid and then getting in the airplanes. My interests along the way have always been accompanied by my photography or driven by it. Anyway some were asking, so I thought I might say something here about it all. Thanks!
Fujifilm Flying A+
Testing out a Fujifilm X-T2 camera this week. I own Fujifilm X-T1’s along with my Hasselblad and Canon cameras. Each with their own purpose for my shooting. More often than not on a daily basis, you will see me with one of my Fujifilm cameras on hand for most uses.
The X-T2 is the latest version and with only a couple of days with it so far, I am truly impressed with the improvements. The camera loaned to me has the power booster which makes for three of the camera batteries for all day power and boosts the speed up to 11 frames per second. A much bigger viewfinder that keeps up with fast shooting for those fast movers and much faster focus tracking. I won’t go into it too much but I am seriously impressed. There are numerous other technical refinements from the prior version that someone like me who uses a camera all the time under all kinds of circumstances really appreciates.
The final results however are the photographs. This is a tight crop of a Gulfstream jet landing in Palm Springs on a flight from Portland Oregon. For you photographers, this is actually from a jpg shot in Velvia film emulation mode. No retouching etc. My opinion… WOW! Thanks Fujifilm!
Hasselblad At High Speed
I was asked if the Hasselblad camera, my H4D-40 would keep up shooting flying at the Palm Springs Air Museum. The answer is yes as you can see in these photographs. I will say that my experience has shown me that any camera system is challenged when you are shooting objects coming at you, flying by close and leaving in the 300 mph range. I have shot with most and still the leader has been my Canon cameras. However for pure image quality, especially when shooting more general photographs, the Hasselblad is just amazing. I am now looking forward to getting more in the air for some shooting with it.
A Scene From WWII
Makes you think that you are looking at a scene from World War II. One of the very few remaining flying P-38 Lightning fighters taking off for flybys at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Photographed just yesterday against the scenic backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains. Something to see all the time at the Air Museum and special programs and flight demonstrations on Saturdays. Be there!
Much Goings On
Always so much going on inside and outside the Palm Springs Air Museum. My favorite place to bring my cameras. Check it out!
Photographed with a FujiFilm XT-1 camera and the FujiFilm 50-140 lens. What a great lightweight versatile camera system!
Nobody Does It Like Me!
Nobody shoots photographs like I do in Palm Springs… Nobody! Not even close! Ok it does help that I have the likes of the gorgeous Sherry Goggin in front of my cameras. But you get the idea I am sure!
December is a great month for shooting out here, the weather is great. Although we do have something like 350 days of Sun during the year. So whether it is your magazine features, fashion stories, advertising or maybe your own portfolio. From shoe fashions on beautiful women to fast moving airplanes or even a travel story. Just send me a note to SecondFocus@mac.com and we can chat about it.
Note that I shoot nothing but the finest of equipment. Hasselblad medium format digital and Broncolor lighting. For more portability and faster action I am now shooting the superb FujiFilm X-Series cameras and lenses.
I also have the finest makeup artists available and all kinds of shoot locations from desert to gyms. Just let me know and we can talk about it. And again, my e-mail is SecondFocus@mac.com. Look forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks!
Avenger!
The new model Avenger was actually first introduced to the public by Grumman Aircraft on December 7, 1941 as Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. By early 1942 the first 100 were delivered to the United States Navy. Be sure to watch the video as this TBM Avenger 1900hp engine fires up and the wings are extended on this huge airplane. At the Palm Springs Air Museum. Very Cool!
SecondFocus Blog 