Legend has it that back in the 17th century a Dutch captain set sail from the Netherlands to the ‘East Indies’. Around the Cape of Storms, better known as the Cape of Good Hope in what is now South Africa, he continued sailing in defiance of a violent storm and as a result the ship and all its crew perished, but not before the devil cursed the ship and it’s captain to sail the oceans until the end of times…
Last Friday ‘Frisian Flag 2022’ came to an end: two weeks of NATO aerial exercises led by the Royal Netherlands Airforce in Leeuwarden, Friesland (which was actually a large country dating back to the 4th century BC, and now a province in the northern part of the Netherlands…small historical factoid)
The very best alternative to creating an illusion is to simply present reality. And in the case of jet photography, that is to be right next to the pilots up in the sky where all the action is taking place. The most likely scenario for most of us, however, and the second best option is (having to) to simply stay on the ground and hoping for a bit of luck (which you can’t control), and some good preparations (which you can control)…
At the end of my first – and still only ‘Frisian Flag’ exercises I had a colleague asking me where I was located when I took the shot of the Dutch F-16. The shot was angled in such a way that it gave the impression I was positioned not on the ground but above the F-16. This was the first time I realized (I’m just a beginner after all :) that the roll of the jet (angle from nose to tail), pitch, and angle between myself and the jet can create this illusionary effect…
The best you can wish for as (ground-based) jet photographer, is the so called ‘go-around’, or as we call it in Dutch: ‘doorstart’. Little did I know that at that particular afternoon, it was Lt. Col. Ian ‘Gladys’ Knight’s last day in his F-35 Lightning II at the Royal Dutch Airforce. And little did I know that the pilots from his squadron had some plans in mind to properly show their respects and send their goodbyes to ‘Gladys’…
Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to observe a number of F-16s and F-35s from our Royal Dutch Air Force pulling off amazing moves. I couldn’t help staring at some of the F-35 shots, almost as if there was an underlying message, in a way perhaps similar when you’re looking at art and you feel there is a story or message being told…
Living relatively close to an airforce base does provide the opportunity to catch some cool shots of our latest acquired fighter jet here in the Netherlands: the F-35, or in full: the “Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II”. This brand new toy is not without controversy however…
