Pic(k) of the week 34: LET ME TAKE YOU UNDER MY WINGS - New Personal project

A few weeks ago was the fifth anniversary of flying our 1954 Piper Super Cub; a vintage two seat aircraft which we have flown all over Central Europe. As an airline captain, I can't highlight enough the importance of back to basic flying like this. I have no doubt that it makes me a better pilot flying the big birds but that is for an entire other discussion!

Over the years, I've used the Yellow Piper Cub extensively for personal aerial photography; some of these images can be found here. Typically these images do not show any aircraft parts, however over time I've started collecting quite a few images where part of the wings of my vintage plane are indeed visible. Looking at them in a separate collection the other day, a new Personal Project was born; "LET ME TAKE YOU UNDER MY WINGS". 

The cover image, which is also my Pic(k) of the week, is the only image that is not shot with Fujifilm cameras, but with an older GoPro Black Hero 3. Images like these are done by mounting the GoPro securely on the strut and setting the camera of by wireless connection on the phone. 

Important for me, is the fact that Moorsele Airfield, the airport where I did my first solo flight in Belgium almost 32 years ago, is visible below the aircraft. 

Image details:

• GoPro Black Hero 3
• 1/500s, f2.8, ISO 100
• Photoshop CC to remove the weird looking prop blur due to Rolling Shutter 
• DxO Nik Color Efex Pro4 for optimal contrast

Please make sure the check out the entire gallery, "LET ME TAKE YOU UNDER MY WINGS" by clicking on the link.

Remember: "Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can fly" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

BJORN

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Pic(k) of the week 33: AMERICAN GIRL - NEW YORK CITY

This weeks Pic(k) of the week is my 500th! Who would have thought early January 2010, that this would last that long... Back to Pic(k)of the week 500! 

When it comes to Street Photography, Matt Stuart has been a big inspiration for me ! His talks are highly inspirational and I’ve been quoting his « Three F’s » for Street Photography before. 

The first F, stands for Fishing; it is typically where one stays at a good location and waits for the subjects to pass through the scene. Fishing needs patience but often pays big rewards and can make you walk away with several interesting images. An example of a series of images I shot can be found here. 

The second F, stands for Following. Sometimes looked at by outsiders as stalking, one follows a subject until the background works better or until the person provides you with an interesting gesture. An example can be found here. 

Last but not least is the one that sounds like duck but starts with a F! Typically those are the moments where something happens in the blink of an eye. You better be ready for this one! No lens cap and camera settings set ready to shoot. 

This was the case when I was wondering around 5th avenue in New York City the other day. When I saw the scene below present itself, I knew I had little time to frame a few images. Using my typical candid photography technique, I shot well above the subject to then look at the back of my camera pretending to check the image, while pressing the shutter at this very moment. All while being only a couple of meters away from both subjects. 

Image details:

• Fujifilm XT-3 with XF23mm f2.0 lens
• ISO 640, 1/320s, f7.1
• SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) using Film Simulation Acros Green 
• Lightroom CC for square crop, no further editing

I've added the image above to my Best Black and White collection here. I also started a poll on Instagram and Facebook to see if people preferred the Black and White or Colour version of the image which can be found here. 

Interestingly enough, the results were very close. Please check out the colour version and let me know what you think! I personally find the colour version in a little too distracting but maybe the colour is the subject!

Remember: "Colour is everything. Black and White is more!" Dominic Rouse

BJORN

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Pic(k) of the week 32: STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AT 39000 FEET

One of the advantages of working as an airline captain is that we at times get to sit up front in Business or First class. While traveling to Brussels I noticed some interesting silhouettes on my closed suite, as the cabin crew was passing by serving other customers. 

Always having a camera close by when I travel, I couldn't resist and snapped a few images; Street Photography at 39000ft! 

Image details:

• Fujifilm X-T3 with the XF35 f2 lens
• ISO 6400, 1/170s, f2.8
• Lightroom CC for RAW development

Simple images like the one above work great when one is limited what he/she can shoot. Especially in certain countries who might restrict public photography more than others. 

Under these circumstances, I generally I tend to shoot shadows, silhouettes, feet, hands. Anything that doesn't give away the full identify of the person. 

Remember: "The best dreams happen when you are awake" - Cherie Gilderbloom 

BJORN

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Pic(k) of the week 31: WIDE ANGLE VIEW AT DUBAI MARINA - Samyang 8mm f2.8 Fish-eye

Last week I picked up a second hand Samyang 8mm f2.8 lens; known as a fish-eye lens it is ultra wide angle lens that produces strong visual distortion. 

The lens is made specifically for the Fujifilm X-mount and is manually focus only; no big deal as pretty much all is in focus anyway at 8mm focal length! Some people might know the Samyang brand as Rokinon which is basically the same. In any case make sure the get the version II. 

Then first images I shot with the lens were done in Dubai Marina, more specifically of the Jumeriah Beach Residences (JBR), sometimes referred to as the "Concrete jungle". 

Image details

• Fujifilm X-T3 with the Samyang 8mm f2.8 
• ISO 160, 1/1500s, f5.6
• RAW development in Lightroom CC
• DxO ColorEfexc pro 4 for optimal contrast + Brilliance/Warmth filter

More Architectural images shot in Dubai can be found here. 

Remember: "The high building now once was just a stone" - Anon

BJORN

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Pic(k) of the week 30: FIRST MANNED MOON LANDING 50 YEARS AGO

while watching a documentary about the first manned moon landing 50 years ago last week, I could only imagine how it must have felt watching the event live with over 500 million people back in July 1969! Yes, I missed it by a few years since I'm born in 1971.
  

Trying to give this great event a special twist half a century later, I shot some images through a large empty glass while watching television. Neil Armstrong, who was the first person to set foot on the moon on July 20 1969 (Houston time), passed away almost 7 years ago. 

Image details:

• Fujifilm X-T3 with XF50 f2 lens
• ISO 6400, 1/200s, f11
• Raw development in Lightroom CC using Classic Chrome film simulation

A couple of Hasselblad cameras were used to shoot all of the Apollo 11 images. An interesting read about the specific cameras used can be found here. 

I would like to finish with the words of Neil Armstrong as he first set foot on the moon: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" - Neil Armstrong

BJORN

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