Saving Nature

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted August 21, 20111,347 views8 comments

I photographed this airplane dropping fire retardant on a Man caused wildfire burning near the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co.
These pilots are amazing how they use the terrain and wind currents to navigate close to the fire.

Canon 7D
Canon 500 f4 w/1.4 tc
1/1000 f8 ISO 400

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on August 21, 2011 at 6:33 PM

Very nice image! Although I am really tired of seeing forests go up in flames. Since the sky is plain blue, what if you cropped in tighter on the action? Just a suggestion.

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on August 21, 2011 at 7:28 PM

Great image. These planes are truly lifesavers in rugged terrain and dangerous conditions. You've captured the action of the drop perfectly.

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Hank Pennington on August 22, 2011 at 12:39 AM

I agree that this would profit from a crop, but playing with my screen I'm prone to cropping mostly from the left with a little from the right to make it a vertical. That not only emphasizes the action and limits the blue sky as Phillip suggests, it makes the smoke in the LRC a lot more prominent. I'm roughly acquainted with the area around the Springs, and I'm betting the crews on the ground a really cheering this plane on. That's rugged terrain, an element that your photo also amplifies.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on August 22, 2011 at 12:44 AM

Very nice Richards, great quality and awesome document

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on August 22, 2011 at 2:49 PM

I played with the crop on this one also, and didn't like the plane flying off the LH side of the frame and also wanted to include as much smoke in the frame as possible. I guess I should have contacted the pilot for a better photo op

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 1, 2011 at 8:11 PM

Congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on September 4, 2011 at 1:10 AM

Great capture, Richard! Congratulations on the Pick for this dramatic photo.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Schwarz on September 13, 2011 at 5:08 PM

Unfortunately this is an all too common site this year.

Registered on November 29, 2006, 236 Posts, 1210 Comments