Photographer Interview: Ken Lin by FC Staff

Unlike most other major display teams, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds do not have military photographers assigned. Instead, the team contracts for imagery with civilian contractors. Fence Check talked to one of the Snowbirds’ official photographers, Ken Lin, about this unusual arrangement and the challenges of capturing one of the world’s major air demonstration teams in action.

Please give us a short biography. How did you come to be an aviation photographer?

As a young child, I was fascinated by my father’s cameras, including a Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex, “half-frame” cameras, and a huge 6x9 Fujica range-finder. He captured stunning images of us kids playing, the architectural models he built, or country scenes when my parents took us traveling. He would process the negatives and print them in a small, makeshift darkroom at home. I was intrigued by his ability to capture a moment in time in a still image, and that fascination never went away.

Our family decided one year to pool all the money we were going to spend on each other for Christmas to buy a Canon A-1 film SLR and a couple of lenses. That allowed me to start taking pictures in earnest of many things: people, buildings – I had wanted to become an architect – animals, and most of all, airplanes.

Even as a very young child, I was fascinated with airplanes. I still vividly recall, at six or seven years of age, drawing the head-on view of an F-104 Starfighter with its T-tail and stubby wings. My fascination has continued until today. My current employment as a project manager with an aerospace firm has had the side benefit of exposing me to some of the latest military aviation technology. Through my job I have also been fortunate enough to develop invaluable contacts within the military aviation community.

As for my photography, after entering the workforce I was able to purchase the right types of photographic equipment to start attending airshows. I started working with the Northern Lights Aerobatic Team in the mid 1990s, photographing them from the ground, from a chase airplane, and while flying in the formation. My flights with the Northern Lights in their Extra 300 aircraft gave me an appreciation of the heavy and quick onset of G-forces during aerobatic maneuvers, as well as how tough and draining G-forces can be on the body by the end of each flight.

How did you attain your position as a Snowbirds photographer?

It took a bit of luck, a lot of hard work, and most of all the strong support of a couple of Northern Lights pilots. They were former Snowbirds themselves, and they first recommended me to the Snowbirds in 1999. Two years later I met with a Coordinator Pilot and the Public Affairs Officer to review my portfolio while they were in town for a charity function.

A few months later, I was invited to attend a Snowbirds pre-flight briefing at the 2002 Niagara Falls airshow. I was stunned when they told me the paperwork was in process for me to become one of their civilian contract photographers. Although this happened six years ago, the memory is still as fresh and vivid as if it just occurred.

I have been a contract photographer ever since, and recently received the confirmatory paperwork from the Canadian government’s procurement agency to continue my duties for another two years.

Can you tell us how the Snowbirds choose contract photographers?

There are several variables involved. Fundamentally you must demonstrate the ability to produce high quality and unique images for the team. The team is always on the hunt for images that stand out from those that can be taken at airshows by any regular spectator with a camera.

One of your responsibilities as a team photographer can be flying in a Snowbirds jet for airborne photo ops. Your physical ability to cope with the G-forces, discipline while flying in an inherently risky environment, a clear mindset to deal with possible emergency situations and the potential for ejection if a catastrophic failure occurs, and an appreciation and awareness of airport ramp operations, are just some of the things that are considered before the final decision is made to authorize an individual to become a contract photographer.

There are currently six team photographers and videographers: Daniel Champagne in Quebec, Janet Trost and me in Ontario, Gary Cotter in British Columbia, Rafe Tomsett in California, and Bob Granley in Washington State.

As a civilian contractor, what support do you receive from the team?

When I am assigned to a particular show site, my travel, food, and lodging expenses are reimbursed by the team, as are any direct costs associated with the deliverable material such as contact prints. A show-site access pass is also provided, to allow access to restricted areas such as hot ramp and performer’s tent.

One thing not provided is camera equipment. Unlike the military photographers for US teams who are assigned government-supplied equipment, the Snowbirds’ contract photographers are expected to supply their own photographic and computer gear.

What camera equipment do you use?

Having been a long-time Canon user, I remained with Canon when I switched to an auto-focus SLR system in the mid 1990s and again when I switched to digital . I currently use an EOS 1D Mk2 DSLR, with the EF17-40, EF24-70, EF70-200, and EF100-400 as my primary lenses.

How many Snowbirds shows do you attend in a typical year? How many of them are assigned to you by the team?

Typically I will be given two or three assignments from the team each year. However, I find myself attending at least six or seven shows where the Snowbirds are performing. As an example, in 2007 I attended eight shows throughout North America, including the acceptance show at the beginning of the season and the year-end homecoming show at Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw.

What are your duties at a show? How much direction are you given regarding what photos to take?

At each show site, I will be required to capture ground activities as well as airborne activities. These will include not only airplane-related “hardware” images but also human interest “soft” images like the interaction of pilots and crews with the airshow audience, or family members of pilots and crews who maybe attending that particular airshow.

Usually the Public Affairs Officer will provide a list of the necessary images for the particular show site. I am given free rein for the rest of the images provided there are no safety issues and the public perception of the team is not compromised.

Describe what you do in a typical day at an airshow, while working for the team.

The day will always start with meeting the PAO, since she is my contact for the show site. I will then tag along with the PAO or the Coordinator Pilots to the show site.

Where possible, I will obtain images of the ground crew prepping the aircraft. The ground crew are the team’s unsung heroes. As the saying goes “The crews own the jets, the pilots only borrow the jets for a short period of time.”

The flight demonstration is obviously an important element to document; however I also pay a lot of attention to the crowd reactions during a Snowbirds performance. These are images that the Snowbirds pilots and ground crew enjoy very much, since they can’t sense the crowd’s appreciation while they’re putting on a show in the sky.

Do you take part in the team's briefings and debriefings?

In general, I will attend the briefing if I am riding along for a photo flight, particularly if there are any maneuvers that are not part of the standard routine. In that case the pilots and I discuss the logistics and safety aspects before the flight. I may get to sit in on briefings at the discretion of the Boss if I’m not flying.

While I do get to attend some debriefing sessions, sometimes I will be informed a particular debriefing is “close-door.” This usually happens when some serious discussions are expected to take place regarding the flight they just completed. These debriefs are very candid – one of the team’s rules when they walk into a briefing is to “leave behind the attitude at the door” – and the presence of someone who’s not a team pilot could interfere with that openness.

How many photos do you take at a typical show?

Before I switched to DSLRs, my normal count was around twenty, 36 frame rolls for each show site. With the DSLR, my shot count has increased to approximately 1,000 images over a show weekend.

You spoke earlier about being assigned to take air-to-air photos of the team. How challenging is that?

Airborne photo ops with the Snowbirds are most definitely the pinnacle of my aviation photography experience. To describe them as surreal is an understatement. Even though I have had the good fortune of flying with the team a number of times over the last few years, each flight always brings feelings of anticipation. It’s exciting to be immersed in a formation of nine jets, flying so close together that it feels like I can reach out and touch the exhaust pipe or the wingtips of the jets around me. I know it’s a sight that most aviation enthusiasts can only dream about.

Being part of these air-to-air missions is a sensory overload. It is also physically demanding. The two primary issues are dealing with the G-forces and avoiding disorientation. During vertical maneuvers, the camera feels more like a 15-pound bowling ball. Concentrating on the amazing sights through the viewfinder of the camera can potentially lead to motion sickness, which could cause the photographer’s aircraft to have to leave the formation.

Are your photo flights different from the typical airshow media flights?

Very much so. The intent of a media flight is to provide the passengers, who may not have much aviation experience, with a sufficient “thrill factor” without making them airsick, making them pass out from extreme G-forces, or causing them to panic and accidentally hit a switch they are not suppose to. Therefore the media flights are limited to “non-aerobatic” flight profiles. That’s still up to 6o degrees in pitch and 120 degrees in bank, so it is very exciting for the majority of media flight passengers.

In comparison, a contract photographer’s photo flights typically involve the same maneuvers flown during an airshow. These maneuvers put a high level of physical stress on the photographer, who, while he is aware of the demanding nature of the flight profile, is at a disadvantage because he is not conditioned to the G-forces and disorientation the way the regular team pilots are. I suppose this makes the flights more “character building” for the photographers – we have to “tough it out” and at the same time capture the essence of formation aerobatic flying.

Like all military demonstration teams, the Snowbirds always have flight safety as their highest priority. That said, with planning I have been able to capture air-to-air images of some of the team’s most dramatic maneuvers. One such shot was of the Four-Way Cross. Since the cross occurs in milliseconds, positioning and timing were critical. So was the safely plan, given the flight paths of the five jets in close proximity with two going head-on against the other three. Understanding how the sequence is flown and the optical effect of the lens compression, I was able to talk through the shot first with the two Solo pilots and the Standards Pilot. The set-up was further discussed during the pre-flight briefing. The Boss gave the OK only after he was assured that safety would not be compromised and that everyone knew exactly how the pass was going to be made and what their safe exit route would be if the maneuver was aborted.

What do you do to prepare for photo flights? How do you maximize your productivity during them?

It is always a photographer’s biggest fear to mess up during a shoot, and this can happen in so many ways with today’s sophisticated cameras. I always double and triple check my equipment before each flight, and check the settings often during the flight to ensure that a perfectly composed shot won’t be ruined because the autofocus switch had been inadvertently bumped to Manual focus or exposure compensation has been left on.

The switch from film cameras to DSLRs has helped to eliminate film changing, which can cause a lot of distraction and possibly a flight safety risk if the photographer were to accidentally drop a film canister. Again, that would force the photo aircraft to abort from the formation. Large capacity memory cards allow me to concentrate on capturing images and not worry about losing a memory card somewhere inside the cockpit.

What are some of the unique challenges of flying in the different positions in the formation? Or flying in a photo chase aircraft?

The Tutor jet has the side-by-side tandem seating arrangement. While this affords a great vantage point of the pilot “in the office,” it also means the pilot will always partly block the photographer’s view of the main formation – a pilot on the right side of the formation will always sit in the left side of his aircraft to give him a clear view of the lead aircraft, and a pilot on the left side will always sit in the right seat. The passenger always gets the “cross-cockpit” seat. This is less of a problem when flying in one of the “stem” jets, number 4 or number 5.

Flying photo chase has its own set of challenges. The chase pilot is usually the Team’s Standards Pilot, who’s basically the Air Force’s senior Tutor instructor. Since the chase jet is not part of the formation, he can maneuver quite aggressively to get the aircraft in position for a shot. This means he pulls even harder and longer G loads than the main formation does. It is always a tough ride – I think he sometimes forgets that the civilian in the other seat does not get regular exposure to G-forces!

Are you responsible for your image selection and post-processing as well as shooting?

Yes and yes. While I provide most of my images as deliverables, I will not submit those that do not meet my standards as I firmly believe in “quality over quantity.”

As for post processing, one major “awakening” for me when I ventured into the digital age was that, while the “cost per frame” appears on the surface to have decreased without costs of film, the hidden cost in “work per frame” has actually increased. Now the cost of photography includes the time I spend on post-processing, which used to be part of the cost of the photo lab I would take my film to

What is done with your images – who do you give them to, and how are they distributed?

I provide both digital files and contact prints of my deliverable images to the Snowbirds. The images are then be used internally or externally by the Squadron, primarily for PR material. As for the rights, the images for those show sites which I am contracted to perform the service become Squadron property.

To my knowledge, my images have only been used for PR purposes so far. They are not likely to be used for briefing or debriefing since the team videographer tapes the entire show sequence with high-definition video gear. The tape is then used for flight-safety purposes.

Have you found that being responsible for producing imagery for the team has changed your enjoyment of airshows, or your appreciation of what goes on at a show?

My exposure to the airshow industry , from working with the Northern Lights in the 1990s to working with the Snowbirds today, has allowed me to meet great and interesting people at many airshows, whether performers, support crew, volunteers, organizers, or other enthusiasts. Being closely involved with airshows has brought many good times, and unfortunately a few bad times too.

Some of my most vivid memories include the effect 9/11 had on the balance of the airshow season in 2001 and even further beyond, the achievements of amazing people and their machines, and sometimes the sad loss of people whom I have come to know. I have seen how people in the airshow world share a common interest in the greater good of the industry, like a big family. Being part of that family through the Snowbirds has been a very humbling experience.

Do you feel being a civilian affects your treatment by the team?

Probably to some degree, although not in the negative sense. The Snowbirds team members, regardless of their position as pilots, ground crew, or support staff, are all consummate professionals in their areas of responsibility. I strive to meet their expectations in my role, also. I feel a strong mutual respect has developed over the years.

Who have been your aviation and photographic inspirations?

My aviation heroes include Chuck Yeager, Jimmy Franklin, Pappy Boyington, and the Northern Lights Aerobatic Team. Photographically, there’s George Hall, Katsuhiko Tokunaga, Tyson Rininger, and, oh yes, the Snowbirds!

What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of your duties as a SB photographer? What aspect or event has been the most rewarding?

As a Snowbirds contract photographer, the challenge for me at the professional level will always be producing quality images in a safe manner while maintaining high standards of professionalism.

The most challenging aspect at a personal level over the past six years has been experiencing the loss of two Snowbirds pilots, Capt. Miles Selby in December 2003 and Capt. Shawn McCaughey in May 2007. I had the good fortune to know both of them for an entire season before their tragic and untimely deaths, doing what they loved doing the most. While these events were emotionally very difficult for everyone involved, especially their family and friends, they have shown me the power and value of friendship in such difficult times, as well as the strong unwavering support the Snowbirds organization provides.

As for the most rewarding aspect, it has to have been in 2007 when my images were used by the Snowbirds for the cover and center of their promotional pamphlet, and on the cover of Smithsonian Air & Space magazine. I was humbled, but also ecstatic to say the least!

Can you describe one or two of your favorite photos of the team, and what makes them special to you?

Many of my favorites are from formation or photo chase flights during the team’s preseason “Snow Camp” at CFB Comox on the West Coast. Flying in the formation with number 5 is often described as “the best seat in the house” as there are eight other airplanes all around you. It’s definitely the best view for anyone fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fly with the team. It gives you great respect for these highly skilled professional pilots, who fly closer in formation than people drive in congested rush-hour traffic.

Capturing images of the nine-ship formation is hard work, as the chase jet pilot has to effectively manage the energy of the Tutor jet – which is not an overly powerful aircraft – in order to stay with, but out of the way of, the big formation. The pilot on this flight was Capt. Ian James who was a former Snowbirds Solo pilot. Capt. James had an amazing ability to keep our chase jet glued to the formation at a perfect vantage point to capture images like this one. It was used for the inside spread of the 2007 Snowbirds pamphlet.

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