McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

[Scott Youmans]

Jeff, Thank you very much for your kind words. You know I am a great admirer of your work so your comments regarding this photo are especially appreciated.  I also appreciate that you took the time to study the image and communicate your observations.

I wish I could claim total credit for my photos but so much of what goes into it is provided by nature and the work of the great minds that produce machines like the Harrier.  Pieces of art in their own right.

I was going through the photos from that flight and having processed quite enough of the standard 3/4 front views I thought I'd explore this one.  There really wasn't much editing involved mostly toning and contrast, and deciding on the crop.

While studying the final version it struck me how different the experiences are/were of three major players related to the photo.  The pilot, the photographer, and the person viewing the photo.

This was the pilot's first air to air refueling experience with two senior pilots observing from a T-bird, one of them the squadron CO.  Considering how challenging it appeared I'm assuming he was sweating bullets.  

For me it was noisy, cold, windy, and physically challenging with little air at 13,000 feet.  Constantly attempting to see all of the photographic options with two aircraft in close proximity while weighing out exposure issues with backlighting, polarizer setting, ISO, shutter speed, framing, etc. We all know the drill.   All this while trying not fall on my backside by slipping on one of the many rollers built into the ramp.

The photo on the other hand conveys a much more serene and lonely quality.  Deceptively relaxing.  In reality there are about nine people concentrating on avoiding collisions, monitoring fuel consumption and transfer rates, navigating, critiquing, and concentrating like hell trying to get that damned probe into the basket with the boss watching.  The wide angle creates the illusion of great distance from the camera to the Harrier. In reality he's only about 75-100 feet away.

[azspyder]

[azspyder]

[azspyder]

[Bjorn van der Flier]

Expensive runway dryer


VA.18-29-01-919  EAV-8B by Bjorn vd Flier, on Flickr

Shot during a TLP in Belgium in some very bad weather

[Jeff D. Welker]

LEAD DOG

[Bjorn van der Flier]

only not powered by a Pegasus engine


ZH660 Harrier T10 WFU by Bjorn vd Flier, on Flickr

[yipDog]

At Willie Oct 5

[Scott Youmans]

VMA-211 Harrier and VMFA-121 Lightning II

[Matt Ottosen]

VMA-211 Harrier and VMFA-121 Lightning II

Wow Scott, very nice work, looks like it was a fun flight and an awesome opportunity!

[Jeff D. Welker]

^^^^ Hey Youmans; is that all you've got? A Harrier loaded with live ordinance stacked on top of a F-35B shedding vapor with the stark desert in the background - like this photograph was taken during a sortie in Afghanistan? Is that it?

Well I've got to say I'm disappointed in the font you've chosen for your watermark - just sayin'     

[Jeff D. Welker]

^^^^ Hey Youmans; is that all you've got? A Harrier loaded with live ordinance stacked on top of a F-35B shedding vapor with the stark desert in the background - like this photograph was taken during a sortie in Afghanistan? Is that it?

Well I've got to say I'm disappointed in the font you've chosen for your watermark - just sayin'     

I hope folks understand that my statement above was completely 'tongue-in-cheek'. There is nothing about Scott's image that isn't totally awesome, spectacular, and excellent. To those who might think, if I was able to get that opportunity I could get that shot, please hit the pause button. There is absolutely nothing 'easy' about getting a shot like this. Besides the work to get in position, you must have the talent to execute the shot in circumstances and an environment that is not conducive to achieving excellent imagery. There is a reason Scott is one of the best 

[Scott Youmans]

Jeff, I totally understood where you were coming from and took it only in a positive and humorous way as intended.  More than anything the challenge of that flight was overcoming the obstacles of making it happen at all.  That's a story all it's own.

[Tower Guy]

You know Scott, you'll spend the rest of your days trying to one up this image, good luck. For an air-to-air shot in a noisy vibrating moving aircraft and catch the perfect alignment of these aircraft with the perfect background, I would just stop aviation photography. 

[azspyder]

Scott, I always look forward to your air-to-air shots. You have a wonderful way of capturing aircraft in flight.

Great job as aways!

Steve