Goal of the Photo

With this photo, the goal was to capture the raw kinetic energy of this powerful radial engine driven training aircraft as it performed aerobatic maneuvers. Airshow pilot Jeff Shetterly puts the over 75-year old aircraft through its paces during a dynamic performance during the Decatur, Illinois 75th Anniversary Airport Air Show.

Project Specs

Category

  • Aviation Photography

Camera and Lens Used

  • Camera: Pentax K110d DSLR
  • Lens: ProMaster 70-210mm f4.5-5.6 Telephoto
  • Aperture: f9.5
  • Film Speed: ISO 200
  • Focal Length: 200mm
  • Shutter Speed: 1/350th second

Software Used

  • Adobe Lightroom Classic CC icon
  • Adobe Photoshop CC icon

(click icon to view name)

Location and Date

Location: Decatur Airport (KDEC)
Decatur, Illinois

  • Date: August 15, 2021

Photo Analysis

The angle of dive produces an aggressive stance, along with the trailing white smoke form a powerful photo of a classic air show aircraft. The blue sky perfectly frames the yellow paint scheme of the plane creating a striking photo. The angle of both the plane as well as the perspective of the photo reminds me of a bird of prey gaining speed on its attack.

Photo Post Processing

Within Adobe Lightroom Classic, the exposure was slightly increased and the contrast was very slightly decreased to bring out the brilliance of the aircraft. Color temperature was lowered slightly and Whites, Blacks and Shadows were brought up. These changes brought out the real character of the photo bringing it to life. In Photoshop, the Corcoran Studio logo was added in the lower left and the image was sized appropriately for inclusion on the website.