So just recently I had the opportunity to take photographs of birds of a different kind - those that are made of metal!
I had mentioned in my previous post that I had another opportunity to visit Florida and take a ton of pictures of birds.
But right after I returned from that trip, I had a chance to drive up to the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana with some of my friends and witness the most amazing Air Show.
The pictures from the recent Florida trip have to wait until another post as over the Memorial Day Weekend, I realized that it would be appropriate to share my experience and some of the pictures I took there.
We reached the base a few hours before the air show, and I knew that the air show itself would be an adrenaline pumping experience.
The serene atmosphere of the base as we were driving through the campus and the magnificent men and women that were guiding the visitors made it equally memorable.
Here is one of the pilots interacting with the public after successfully completing his flight just a few minutes back. Kids were especially stoked.
Weather-wise, it was a very pleasant day - just warm enough to be outside but we had a very clear sky which was not great for taking pictures of air planes. It was great watching the bombers such as F-16s and F-22s as they ripped past us but they did not make for great pictures.
I took quite a few but I like this particular one because I thought it shows the power of these aircraft as they flew high and away from us.
The lack of character in the sky was compensated by the colorful and breathtaking display by the vintage aircraft. Here are a couple of instances, one where you can see the moon in the background as the Aeroshell team was performing. Jeremy Holt's display of the Pitts Model 2 also enthralled the audience as he flew past us mostly sideways or inverted!
The air show made the sky eventful and interesting again when the acts involved pyrotechnics and the pilots showed their mastery of their craft in billowing smoke. Here are a couple that I really loved capturing.
And finally, there cannot be an airshow without a display by the Blue Angels , a flight demonstration squadron of the US Navy, and of course they did not disappoint at all.
This was my first time watching them in an Air Show where I was prepared to capture their breathtaking antiques. I really had five chances to get a shot of them as they cross each other and I think I got one half of a shot. Probably I can nail it next time but here they are anyways.
(Please click on the arrows to enjoy the slide show of the Blue Angels)
The air show lasted about 6 hours and I think the Adrenalin rush helped overcome that fatigue of the drive back home after which I slept like a baby. I plan to go back again next year when hopefully the sky has a bit of character but most importantly, I would like to build on the experience I gained covering the event this year.
Visit my travel photo gallery for more pictures like this here.