Time Machine: Next Stop 1984

This weekend I'll be attending my 30 year high school reunion. It still seems like yesterday to me. One thing I did this week was to go through some old photos from years gone by and I found a few that I took while I was in the Air Force stationed in Iceland. I was part of the 667 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and we were known as "The Bear Eaters" because our mission was to track the movement of Soviet "Bear" aircraft. It was while I was in Iceland that I bought my first SLR. The Canon AE-1 program. I elected to buy this model because it was more advanced than the AE-1 because it had a program mode. You basically set it and left the camera figure things out. So if you've ever wondered how long that green full auto mode has been on the dial well it dates back to at least 1984. Below are four photos from my year in Iceland. These date back to 1984 and were scanned with a cheap all in one printer scanner so the quality pretty much sucks.

Out on the Rocks
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That's me with my trusty AE-1 and 70-300 zoom lens.

Self Portrait - Hair Parted in Center
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Self Portrait - Hair Parted on Side
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I couldn't decide which way to part my hair so I took pictures of two different ways. I'm pretty sure the lens was a 50mm 1.8.

Incoming!
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I guess I've been shooting birds a lot longer than I originally thought :). I remember this shot. My buddy Lonnie Davis and I were out shooting and we stumbled upon a nest for this Tern (I think it's a Tern). Well our presence wasn't appreciated by the bird I looked up and snapped this as the bird was diving down at me to. I have no idea what the camera settings were nor the lens used but to this day this remains one of my favorite photos.

So there you have it a trip back to 1984. Hope you enjoyed the journey :). Donna and I will be married for 20 years in 2012 and we're actually talking about going to Iceland for a week long photo shoot. I'd love to go back as it's a beautiful country.

Multiple Bluebird Images Merged

I've always liked those images where you see several shots merged into one. I've been taking multiple shots of the Bluebird that's nesting in our backyard and finally figured out how to merge them in Photoshop. If you had any idea how bad I suck at Photoshop this is a major accomplishment for me.

Three Shots Merged Into One

Two Shots Merged Into One

Three Shots Merged Into One

I need to work on my technique a bit. Instead of having the birdhouse centered in the frame I should move it over to the right so I can capture more of the Bluebird's approach to the birdhouse.

Learn From My Mistake

Learn From My Mistake
Originally uploaded by zackojones

This is what happens when you fail to check your equipment settings before going out to shoot birds in flight. Previously I had been using my camera in Single-Shot mode and you guessed it. I forgot to switch it back to AI Servo when we got out of the car. This would have been a killer shot IF I weren't an idiot :).

Turkey Vulture

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Taken in Red Bank Landing, South Carolina (Goose Creek), Canon EOS 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L lens. Exposure was 1/500 @ f/8 ISO 100

Turkey Vulture (Catharties aura)

Yes they are terribly ugly birds when you see one up close but they are so awesome to watch when they soar overhead. I shot this particular Turkey Vulture on the base where I work. There's a park that has several ponds and nature trails for you to explore and I saw this guy circling overhead. When I saw him get a little closer I was able to get this shot.

I Wish I Could Fly

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D, EF 70-200mm f/4L USM lens @ 200mm, 1/750 @ f/5.6, ISO 100.

It must be one hell of a feeling to be able to fly through the air like this. This bird is a Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)