February 2010
These monthly articles highlight PhotoS of the Month – multiple images singled out by FC members and moderators. The photo above this text is usually chosen to suit the article’s layout, not because it’s considered to be any better than the ones below. That said, isn’t the lead-off photo this month a stunner? It’s Victor Archer’s image of Blue Angel #1 crossing the fence at El Centro during February’s photocall. It drew 12 nominations, and deservedly so. People lauded the details in the reflections, while the judges also liked the near-perfect symmetry of the composition and the fact you can see the pilot’s eyes (or at least his visor). POTMs are supposed to be images that make us say, “Wow!” and this one sure does.

But it truly is one of many great images from last month. Here are the other Photos of the Month for February:

- Michael Balter’s shot of an early-morning German F-4 launch. Said one nomniator, “The angle, the lighting, the secondary action. This is a unique and wonderful photo that deserves recognition.”

- From the other end of the day, Jonathan Derden’s photo of a AV-8B at Williams Gateway airport near sunset. Jonathan did a terrific job of balancing the different light levels, including an eye-catching blast of red anti-collision beacon.

- Ty Rogoway’s capture of a 737 dragging contrails over the runway lights at Portland International. While similar to an shot we chose last April, the lighting is even more dramatic this time.

- Zoltan Pocza’s image of an EA-6B on the cat. Again, Zoltan’s had comparable photos chosen before. This one got the judge’s attention for the strong composition in which the catapult, not the Prowler, almost seems to be the subject.

Thanks to everybody who got involved in February, whether by posting great photos or nominating them.

January 2010

Once again this month, we’ll let the people who nominated January’s Fence Check Photos of the Month, and the judges who made the final selections, tell you why they liked what they liked. The chosen few are:

- Zachary Falzon’s spooky shot of a NASA T-38 in the fog at Ellington Field near Houston. “Looks like it's on the ramp at Area 51.”

- Tony Zeljeznjak’s last-light-of-the-day capture of a C-2 turning finals for NAS North Island, with the San Diego skyline behind. “The wide angle, the panning, the detail and the color saturation this photo is just cool.”

- From Jarrod Ulrich, a view of the P-51 Unlimited racer "Strega" making early morning engine runs at the Reno Air Races. “I do like this, great light and a nice clean image.”

- No, it’s not Wales! Frank Noort looked down upon, and captured nicely, this F-5E during the annual firepower demonstration at Switzerland’s Axalp range. “Great subject aircraft, great background, sense of speed, well taken and edited.”

- The outcome of Gary Wetzel, armed with a camera, going-face-to-face with an AH-1W Cobra, armed with a 20mm cannon. (Happily, only one of them fired.) “I feel like I am going to be gunned down!”

As you’d expect in mid-winter, January was a relatively quiet month with 38 nominations. (Both Zach and Tony had multiple nominations, but we had to honor the POTM rule of “one photo per photog per month.” Not that it was easy to choose!) Our thanks go out to those who made nominations, as our appreciation does to those who posted photos.

December 2009

The Photo of the Month judges are partial to photos, and photographers, that attempt something different. Last month we found a many that succeeded. December’s POTM selections are:

- Zolta Pocza’s intense shot of an EA-6B being directed onto the cat aboard USS Eisenhower. The limited range of colours adds tension, while the tight framing emphasizes just how crowded and chaotic a carrier deck is.

- Ty Rogoway’s capture of an Oregon ANG F-15’s twilight departure. We liked the sense of motion from the off-centre composition and exhaust plume, which is accentuated by the 2:1 aspect ratio. And yes, we’re suckers for sunsets.

- A sun-burnished MIG-29UB displaying at August’s Radom, Poland airshow, and captured by Daniel Rychcik – more enjoyable light effects.

- Kevin Scott’s shot of the second Boeing 787 touching down from its maiden flight. Several photos of the Dreamliner’s first flight on 15 December were also nominated last month. Sadly, Boeing picked one of the gloomiest days of the year and most of those images suffered for it. Kevin worked around the grey skies by keeping them completely out of the frame in this shot. We also felt this image told a unique story: every aircraft type has a first flight, but how often does the second airframe fly just a week after the first? Kevin’s photo documents Boeing’s determination to redress the 787 program’s delays.

- An F-15E dragging vapes through the Welsh hills and past the camera of – who else? – Mark Jayne. Beyond the obvious drama, the judges appreciated this image for Mark’s restrained use of high dynamic range (HDR) processing.

Thanks as always to those who nominated photos and those who posted them.

November 2009

Things were a bit quiet on the POTM nomination front in November, with 33 photos pointed out by 36 Fence Checkers. Many of the noms fell into the “good photo, but …” category: they were similar to previous POTM selections, or they were technically competent but lacked a “wow” element.

Striving to find images that stood out from the other nominations, the judges settled on these three:
- Ivan Voukadinov’s shot of a VFA-125 Legacy Hornet smoking the tires during Fence Check’s NAF El Centro photocall on November 18th. One of many photocall images nominated, this one got the nod for combining a sense of action with a unique paint scheme for a training jet.
- From Dave Budd, another of the VFA-125 F/A-18s deployed to El Centro. This one had nice lighting and eye-catching burners, together with some subtle action cues like the arrestor cable rebounding into the air.
- Thomas Bunce’s capture of a future P-51 pilot in training. You gotta love the motion blur on the small Mustang, as well the way the photographer juxtapositioned the subject with just enough parts of full-size P-51s to make the image work.

Congratulations to all three gentlemen, and thanks to everybody who nominated images last month.

October 2009

Winter’s approaching in the northern hemisphere and opportunities to get outside and shoot are getting fewer. Does that mean there were fewer photos nominated as Photos of the Month for October? Nope!

Last month saw an impressive 59 nominations. Even though 14 of them came from one person (Hi, Pablo!), there can only be noms if there are photos that catch people’s attention. And there were 50 of those! The judges’ favorites were:

- Dave Mercier’s shot of a Lockheed 12A (we think!) reflecting moody evening skies.
- Two views of the Wall of Fire at McEntyre JNGB’s “Go Guard!” airshow on the weekend of October 10th. The Apache on the left is from Mike Riffle, while the Black Hawk on the right is from Krzysztof "KZ" Zielinski.
- Two black and white verticals. The Blue Angels F/A-18 sprinkled with raindrops comes from the lens of Peter Greengrass, while the F-15E ripping it up in Wales (where else?) is by Mark Jayne.
- Gary Wetzel’s dusty capture of a Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter training in the California desert. (Not only do we like the photo, but we’d love to have some of Gary’s camera cleaning tips!)
- Mark Munzel’s snap of a Twin Otter floatplane snarling out of Vancouver, B.C.’s harbor.

Thanks to everybody who took part in the POTM process this month. Please keep posting and nominating in November.

September 2009

The days are getting shorter, the weather’s getting colder, and, judging by the number of images nominated for Photo of the Month in September, fewer FC members have been out shooting. But they’re getting up earlier – four of the five pics the judges selected this time were taken near sunrise.

This month’s chosen images are:
- Leading off, Geoff Sobering’s shot of a dawn balloon launch. We liked the simple composition, and we applaud Geoff for resisting the temptation to go wild with the saturation or other effects, keeping the scene’s peaceful feeling.
- From the Reno Air Races, Chris Luvara’s tight crop of Dan Martin’s P-51D, “Ridge Runner.” Yes, we have chosen many Mustang photos in the past. This one stood out for its elevated viewpoint and atmospheric light.
- Also from Reno -- and yep, another P-51 -- is Tim Adams’s abstract view of the Unlimited racer “Voodoo.” In the words of one person who nominated it, “Just wicked cool!”
- Kevin Whitehead’s moody photo of NASA’s 747 Shuttle Transport Aircraft lifting off from Edwards AFB shortly before dawn.
- And last but not least, Matt Wallman’s capture of an LA County Fire Department S-70 Firehawk taking a drink. Nice action and a nice sense of Southern California atmosphere.

Thanks to everybody who posted and nominated this month.

August 2009

What photos were Fence Check’s best of the best in August?

- First, there’s David (RFDGuy) Jacobson’s “in yer face” shot of a P-51D flown by Dale “Snort” Snodgrass. It’s nicely composed, you can see the pilot clearly, there’s nice prop blur, it's sharp…. As the nominator said, “This has everything!”
- Next we have Michael de Boer’s air-to-air of a privately-owned OV-10B Bronco. The comment on this one was “Many photographers can only dream to fly that close in formation and get to take photos too!” It’s another fine example of prop blur, and we liked how the airplane pops out from the hazy background.
- Third is a slightly slower subject, a Navy MH-60S Knighthawk captured by Gary “Curryballs” Wetzel. The colours are great, the depth effect from the near and far hills is great, but “the guy in the door makes this shot!”
- Last but not least, is Zach Falzon’s portrait of an F/A-18 on a stormy night at Houston’s Ellington Field. Apparently Mother Nature thought Zach’s lightning-lit C-130 last month wasn’t dramatic enough and gave him this new opportunity. Several of Zach’s nighttime QF-4 drone photos were also nominated, but we could only pick one of his images, and … well, look at the lightning , the colours in the clouds, and the reflections.

One trait that three of the photos share is that they each received a single nomination. Remember, the nominations bring a photo to the judges’ attention. They have no bearing on the selection process – an image nominated once is looked at on the same terms as one nominated a dozen times. Multiple noms don’t sway us. (A few cases of beer, on the other hand, might….)

We appreciated all 49 nominations this month, and the efforts of all members who posted photos. Please keep ‘em coming.

July 2009

So much for the dog days of summer! In July, we received a staggering 76 Photo of the Month nominations, for more than 40 photos. And there was quality to go with the quantity. When the dust had settled from judging, these are the shots that had been chosen as July’s POTMs:
- Dave Cibley’s air-to-air shot of Twin Otters at sunset. The juxtaposing of the two aircraft and the unusual subject matter made it a hit with FCers and judges, then the colors knocked it out of the park. Wow!
- Ralph Duenas’s image of an F-16C driver setting up his office before a flight – an unusual view that emphasizes the pilot’s concentration.
- Zach Falzon’s WC-130. The nominations poured in for this one, with its fortuitous combination of a “Hurricane Hunters” Herk and stormy weather. There’s available light, and there’s available lightning!
- Herbert van Hulten’s Stearman. We liked how Herbert managed to maintain detail in dark areas like the grass and the port fuselage, the way the light plays through the smoke, and the texture in the sky.
- Ty Rogoway’s AN-124. Nominated for its “Ominous, dramatic lighting and pose,” we liked it also because the shooter tried something usual. How many of us, seeing an Antonov on finals, would have attempted a silhouette like this?
- Kevin Scott’s Kfir takeoff. In the words of one judge, “I wish I'd taken it. ‘Nuf said!”
- John Yu’s IAF F-16 turning final, with two USAF examples on initial. Many, many approach shots are taken outside Nellis AFB, but few look like this. “A shot that you couldn't replicate however long you planned,” as one judge put it.

Thanks to all seven gentlemen for sharing their work with fellow Fence Checkers, and to the Fence Checkers who pointed these, and other, shots out. Please keep the photos coming.

June 2009

This month’s selected images are:
- Mark McGrath’s capture of a C-130 dropping onto Prestwick, Scotland’s undulating runway as civil twilight approaches. Mark managed to freeze the action despite the low light, keeping lots of prop blur at the same time.
- Jim Mumaw’s shot of a Travel Air plying the evening skies of the Pacific coast. “It combines my favorite kind of lighting with a classic old airplane for a beautiful shot,” said one nominator.
- A third exmple of what evening light can add to a photo: Ty Rogoway’s view of a NW heavy rotation out of PDX, with an Embraer on final in the distance to add depth. “Details, details everywhere,” said one member who nominated it, “The lights, the heat, the landing traffic, the flaps and slats…”
- A second 747 image, from Roel “Warthog” Reijne, landing at sunset.

May 2009

- Kevin Scott’s capture of a Sharphooters F/A-18D rocketing out of Boeing Field at twilight. Sierra Hotel!
- Dan Stijovich’s image of NASA’s orbiter Atlantis recovering at Edwards AFB. The entire history of the Shuttle program is captured in the tired spaceship’s wear and grime. Sometimes a photo doesn’t need to be dramatic to tell a story.

April 2009

- Mark Jayne's low level shots of a Tornado GR.4 and Typhoon.
- Mike Riffle’s capture of Blue Angels solos crossing at the Tyndall AFB airshow in March. Yes, you’re seeing two airplanes and no, they didn’t hit each other.
- Tyler Rogoway’s shot of a Boeing twinjet spawning condensation and vortices on an evening crosswind approach to Portland airport. The judges swooned for the moodiness and the water effects. We bet it’s Bernardo’s photo of the month, too! ;)
- Another moody airport shot, David Atkinson’s atmospheric scan of a British Airways 707 at London Heathrow. It looks just how you’d expect summer in London to look back in the day, doesn’t it? It’s not the only gold in FC’s “From the Archives” threads; please take a look to discover what else is there.

March 2009

- Zachary Falzon's follow-the contrails-to-the-F-22 image from the Tyndall AFB's Gulf Coast Salute airshow. "Not the typical Raptor vapor shot."
-Neil Bates's view of an RAF Torndao steaming around the corner in a UK Low-Flying Area. This one garnered three of the months 40 nominations, accompanied by comments like "Yeah baby. Wow," and "Could see this as a cover on many aviation publications."
- Crystal Jackson's trip back into time at the MCAS Yuma airshow … or is it Pearl Harbour? "Good use of-post processing to make it look like an authentic old photo. Good timing and framing to give it the right feel in the first place," and "This one really could be somewhere other than where it is … it coveys a real mood of oldness."

February 2009

- Mark Albert’s playful image of a gyrocopter skimming along the beach – or rather, of himself skimming along the beach in the back of a gyrocopter. Makes you want to take a ride yourself, doesn’t it?
- Franz Loew’s capture of a B-1B’s “pinkie” departure from Nellis Air Force Base. (Several of Franz’s recent images from Nellis were nominated in February. We can only pick one photo per photographer, so please stop booing and hissing if you were rooting for his B-1 takeoffs from midfield or his F-15 and F-16 evening approach shots.)
- The view through Tony Zeljeznjak’s night vision goggles of a San Diego PD helicopter crew on patrol.
- A P-51 Mustang receiving end-of-the-day maintenance at Reno, caught by Jarrod Ulrich. We liked the evening atmosphere and the human interest.
- Neil Bates’ view of two Lakenheath-based F-15Es cavorting through the valleys of Wales. Many photos in this sequence earned nominations; we thought the juxtaposition of the two Beagles made this image the strongest, but the others also had supporters amongst the judges.

January 2009

- From Rob Tabor, a line of F-15s under moody dawn light at Mountain Home AFB. Comments from FC members who nominated it included, "CRACK! Out the park with this flightline shot!" and "Just amazing! What a light non-light!"
- Jason Hyatt’s shot of a T-38C launching from Williams Gateway airport – a great example of panning.
- Gerhard Plomitzer’s image of B-52s recovering at Nellis AFB. As one judge said, “I like it and I wish I had taken it.”
- Kristopher Trajano’s photo of the 757 “Catfish” avionics testbed making an evening recovery at Nellis. "Composition, colors, aggressive pose, exotic aircraft. Wow!"
- From Cable: a DH-82a Tiger Moth giving pleasure rides, as captured by Kevin Whitehead. This one was popular with the judges for the tight crop, the lighting, and the facial expressions of the pilot and co-pilot.
- Another shot from Cable: Victor Archer’s eye-catching view of a Cessna landing at moonrise.