Phabulous Phantom Flashback: A Different Kind of Photography

 Although I do a great deal of nature style of photography, I also take other styles of photographs which includes using speedlights or remotely fired flash units. A few years ago I managed to capture one of my favorite images employing the use of four speedlights, but in a unique way. 

Bowling Green's Aviation Heritage Park is a spectacular park featuring several vintage military airplanes all of which have a connection to Bowling Green. My favorite is the F4 Phantom which was flown by Brigadier General Dan Cherry over Vietnam. This aircraft has a unique history for the pilot as well as the Vietnamese pilot he encountered while on a mission over North Vietnam. The story is chronicled in the book My Enemy, My Friend by Dan Cherry.

I love the styling of this aircraft and wanted to capture it in a unique way not with a simple snap shot, but with a style and flare that accents the power and dynamic nature of this amazing historical aircraft. To accomplish this, I photographed it after dark using four speedlights and red gels. The idea was to illuminate the tarmac beneath the airplane and catch the reflections generated by the light bouncing off the ground. 

Phabulous Phantom is a powerful image of a classic aircraft and stands as one of my favorite images of all time. It took two separate images blended together to make this photo, the process of blending multiple zones of light is explained in the attached video I made a few years ago.

Backpacking Mammoth Cave NP - A Chilly Fall Overnight Hike

 Fall in Kentucky seems to hover in time until all at once, it descends upon the landscape in one sudden rush. That held true this season in 2023. Along with the color change came a change in weather with temperatures dropping to near winter-like levels...at least for the better part of the last few days of October and into the first few days of November. 

I've been wanting to make a cold weather backpacking trip and the conditions were just right for doing so. I headed off once again into the backcountry of Mammoth Cave National Park for a relatively simple overnight outing. My destination was once again "The Bluffs" area...my favorite location in the park.

I made a concerted effort to reduce the weight of my backpack and managed to eliminate enough excess weight to drop it from around 35 pounds to 27 pounds. What a difference just those few pounds made. With a few more upgrades and refinements, I hope to drop even move to at least 25 pounds, but for now, I'll take the 27 over the 35 anyday.

Beautiful weather greeted me. Daytime highs were forecast for upper 40's with nigh time lows in the mid-20's. The sky was blue and the sun bright as I head off down the trail....

Please enjoy...this newest video on Backpacking Mammoth Cave N.P.