| Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | News | Contest | |||||
 |
|||||
|
|||||
Chris Buhlmann takes his Tamron 28-300mm lens into the danger zone of military maneuvering. |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| AF28-300mm
F/3.5-6.3 XR Di by Jennifer Gidman Zumpano |
|||||
He's been flying planes in the U.S. Navy for more than two decades, and
taking awe-inspiring pictures in the process, but Chris Buhlmann is a
little bit of a rebel when it comes to the equipment he takes up with
him. "There are other guys who will go and buy the most expensive
cameras they can find," he says. "I've never been one of those guys.
What's real important to me is the good glass on the front end." |
|||||
|
Perhaps that's why Buhlmann relies so heavily on his Tamron 28-300mm XR
Di lens, opting for versatility and ease of use that lends itself well
to the stressful ergonomics of military aircraft photography. "There's
not a lot of room in a military jet cockpit," he explains. "You need the
ability to keep up with the airplanes, and a fixed-focal-length lens is
more work. I had been wanting to buy the 28-200 lens, which was wide
enough for this type of aviation photography. Then the 28-300 came out a
month or two before I was going to buy the 200. What I've been surprised
with is how often in some of my work I am extended beyond 200mm-it's
just nice to have that versatility." |
|||||
Bombs Away! |
|||||
Aviation photography of this sort is probably one of the most demanding
environments you can encounter, according to Buhlmann. "I've taken
pictures under situations where your body is pressed into the seat, and
your camera's weighing multiples of what it normally weighs," he
explains. "When you're in a military outfit, and you're strapped into
that seat, you don't have a whole lot of movement or motion. The other
guys will hear me grunting and groaning while I try to get a picture!"
The restrictions of shooting out of a military aircraft also present
challenges that are nonnegotiable: Unlike photographers who partake in
more recreational types of aviation photography, Buhlmann doesn't have
the luxury of capturing images out of an open door or window. "This is
the military-we're helmeted with oxygen masks on, and we're always
shooting through a canopy," he says. "It's an enclosed cockpit. That's
why the sharpness of the pictures I'm able to get using the 28-300mm is
indeed a tribute to the quality of the Tamron lens."
|
|||||
Preplanning is paramount to getting great shots, whether it's capturing
a bunch of planes in formation or a sequence of cluster-bomb drops,
since Buhlmann's images are a secondary result of his missions-not the
main reason he's up there. "We don't have money to throw jets up just
for picture-taking," he says. "We're up there doing training exercises.
You plan what potential shots you want to work in, but there's other
more important stuff going on. The pictures are secondary to what the
airplanes are airborne for. We're out there flying with national assets,
and pictures are not worth getting into an accident for."
|
|||||
These types of preflight discussions are vital not only for safety, but
also for ensuring a decent shot. "If you want to capture an aircraft
that's maneuvering, you want to talk to the crew first, so everyone
knows what will happen when," Buhlmann explains. "If we do a formation,
we'll usually do a dry run first. Plus, you have to think how an aviator
thinks to ask for certain things; we have terminology about moving back
or stepping up or down, terminology that no one else would ever
understand." |
|||||
Practice Makes Perfect |
|||||
Years of experience help Buhlmann control the situation as well. Much
like a sports photographer who has to be ready for the next goal or a
home run, Buhlmann has to make sure he is aware of what's going to
happen when and to anticipate what will happen next. This is especially
crucial with a weapons drop. "If we're dropping cluster bombs, we need
to have the cadence down as to the drop signal: Is it 3-2-1 drop? You
have to work out the terminology, and also try to hit the target at the
same time! You have to start shooting the frame when you hear the guy
say 'Now!' for the drop, because with the electric circuitry of the
plane, you don't know how long it will be until the stuff comes off the
airplane. If you wait until you see the weapons, they'll be out of the
picture." |
|||||
Shooting an F-18 as it zips down the runway requires similar
photographic prowess. "Remember, a jet goes from 0 to 149 miles per hour
in 2.5 seconds," Buhlmann explains. "You can't follow the airplane from
the launch and then just pan; what you do is look through your
viewfinder with your normal eye and screw up your brain by keeping your
other eye open! You have to shift the camera into manual focus so the
focus point won't change. You watch the jet come down the stroke and hit
the shutter release on the camera before you see exactly what you want
to see, because otherwise you'll never get it."
|
|||||
| This experiential factor also proves useful when shooting more challenging photos, like of a helicopter during a search-and-rescue exercise. "You want to try and shoot a slow enough shutter speed when shooting helicopters so that the blades aren't just frozen in time," Buhlmann explains. "You'll never be able to get the full whirly-bird effect like you see in the cartoons, because you'd have to shoot at like 1/10th of a second. I think I shot the helicopter at 1/25 or 1/60 - the main rotor blade was still a little more still than I would have liked, but with the amount of vibration, that was the best we got. Helicopters are especially difficult that way." | |||||
| Interesting composition and an eye toward spontaneity always work in your favor as well. "I love taking pictures of planes against clouds," says Buhlmann. "Background is important. That plays a lot into how the composition of the shot comes out. One shot I took of two electronic attack Prowlers over Puget Sound, Washington, was one of those shots where I was able to get such a nice composition with the jets, the clouds, the land, and water, all in the same shot. It was hazy that day, so it wasn't superbright, but it wasn't dull, either." | |||||
Tip Box It's Hip to be Square No matter what you're shooting while up in the air, you need to always square to the horizon first, according to Buhlmann. "Whether you're shooting vertical or horizontal, you have to look beyond what you're shooting. Otherwise, you could have a great shot of an airplane, but then they'll angle or turn and you'll never actually see that, because you're doing the same thing to stay with them. Your horizon will look tilted out, like at 45 degrees, and it won't be a good shot." |
|||||