Blue Angels

[Tom]

Check out the photos this guy took at the 2007 San Francisco Bay fleet week. Scroll down and look at the shots of the Blue Angels. Amazing air show and great photography. Wish my photos came out that way.

Click here to see more of this photographer's gallery.

Thanks for forum member Caltex for the link.

 

[Ron]

WOW! Great photos.  Thanks for sharing Tom.

 

[Dolphin Jockey]

Here's a photo of a B1RD taken at the same air show.

 

[DougJ]

At the risk of being accused of hijacking this thread--not my intention, but just the connection to a great airshow--I offer the attached "flying legend" photographed at Douglas Bader's WWII home base, Duxford, this past July.

However, I wish that I had some Blue Angel shots like that.

Ciao,

Doug

 

[Tom]

These photos sure make my 'Angels over the Gate' and my 'Top n tail' photos look pathetic.

 

[Jim Dick]

Some great photos at that site!!

Tom, it's very difficult to catch planes in flight with a camera. We've been to two Blue Angels shows and the first one I had a really tough time. Attached are some photos taken last month at Kennedy Space Center. We not only watched the show but worked one day on food service for more KSC tickets!

The Air Force also flew a Heritage Flight with the F4 Phantom and F16 Viper.

All the photos were taken with the Canon 40D DSLR and the Canon 100-400 IS zoom using the sports action mode.

 

[Tom]

Great photos Jim, thanks. I can only look at them in awe. My problem is I tend to be in point-and-shoot mode, often not expecting the shot. When the Angels came over the Gate that day, realizing the opportunity to get the fog, the Gate and the Angels in one shot, it was as much as I could do to grab the camera, flip off the lense cover, and hit the button. I usually miss the shot when I stop and think which mode to switch the camera to.

 

[Lorna]

Great shots Jim.

 

[Jim Dick]

Great photos Jim, thanks. I can only look at them in awe. My problem is I tend to be in point-and-shoot mode, often not expecting the shot. When the Angels came over the Gate that day, realizing the opportunity to get the fog, the Gate and the Angels in one shot, it was as much as I could do to grab the camera, flip off the lense cover, and hit the button. I usually miss the shot when I stop and think which mode to switch the camera to.

One must be ready for a shot if watching planes. ;D ;D You did good getting the compostion. What I did was preset the camera knowing I would be taking action shots. I try to anticipate what kind of shooting I might be doing whenever I take the camera. Sometimes I guess correctly! ;D Most of the time I prefer to shoot in manual mode but that does not work with fast action shots.

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Lorna,

Thanks. At a show like that one just takes lots and lots of photos hoping a few might turn out OK. ;D ;D I took 424 photos of the air show.

 

[Ron]

You did good Jim.  Excellent images.  Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ron from Big D]

Hi Lorna,

Thanks. At a show like that one just takes lots and lots of photos hoping a few might turn out OK. ;D ;D I took 424 photos of the air show.

Thanks for showing the images Jim.  I guess you are liking the 40D.  When I was at the Oshkosh Show, I took around 1000.

 

[Wendy]

Nice pictures but WOW, what about those pilots 

Wendy
Anza Borrego State Park

 

[KodiakRV]

Check out the photos this guy took at the 2007 San Francisco Bay fleet week. Scroll down and look at the shots of the Blue Angels. Amazing air show and great photography...

Did you catch the realtime video of the Blue Angel passes?  Awesome!


[edit]Fixed link & removed duplicate.[/edit]

 

[Tom]

Pretty cool eh Frank. We've experienced these guys first hand on San Francisco Bay several times. They're a highlight of Fleet Week.

 

[rjf7g]

I love air shows and related museums...these pictures are fun, too.

 

[Bob Maxwell]

All great shots -including from Bader's airdrome. Thanks all of you, great unexpected Christmas presents.

The Blue Angels are one of my fondest memories while living in El Centro, '76-'79. Three months from now, Wendy, from up at Peddler's or on top of one of the hills you could watch them hone their routine every day but Sunday, at all times of the day.

One Sunday, one of the pilots, the narrator, came and talked to our HS Sunday School class, attended worship [he was an Episcopalian,] and spoke at coffee hour. That position includes pilot, narrator and soloist --one year longer than the rest at that time. He was there every Sunday for a month.

It almost made up from their scaring the c*&p out of me several times while driving to SD on I-8. The blew over so fast that only the experience of the "on the deck" bombing runs from '74-'76 by the SAC bombers between Holbrook and Joseph City allowed me to stay in my lane!

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Frank,

I am amazed at all the boats that were in SF Bay during the air show. The Blues fly for every Naval Academy graduation. We got to see them in '87. I was told they always ask residents to leave their homes along the Severn river in case there is an accident. One year an attorney decided he wasn't leaving and invited a bunch of friends to watch the show. It was canceled because of him!

I can never get enough of their flying. It was too bad they were missing the slot position during that show. Wasn't quite as exciting but still very good.

 

[Dolphin Jockey]

Hi Folk,

If you're ever in the Pensacola, FL area during the week (Tuesday & Thursday) check to see if the Blues are at their home base at NAS Pensacola.  If they are there's a good chance of catching an air show as they usually practice on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  The base is open to the public for access to the National Museum of Naval Aviation (admission free).  Pretty good viewing of the air show from the museum parking lot.

 

[wkndfun]

Wow!! Great photos...Thanks for the link.