Having done the ride along with Alan Purwin of Helinet during the filming of Transformers, Alan was interested in getting some publicity shots of the helicopter to use for their own marketing material. He asked if I would be interested in doing the shots and I was more than up for it. What I wanted was to have a high enough vantage point from which to shoot. You want to be looking across or down on the helicopter to get some real context to the work.
Additionally, Alan wanted the helicopter to be mounted with a different camera mount. He owned a company in New Zealand called Shotover. This was the mount that he wanted on the helicopter for the shots instead of the larger ball mount that had been used during the Transformers filming. I discussed with him where to get an elevated location from which to shoot. He had been staying at the Trump Tower for all of the filming and had developed a good relationship with one of the managers there so got me access to use one of their outside deck areas. This proved to be an ideal spot.
We had a series of runs with the helicopter coming up the Chicago River towards me, pulling up in front of me, hovering close by and making diving runs from the River North area across in front of me to be over the Chicago River. I had a radio so I could call in the next sequence or have them run it again. The weather had become a lot nicer than it had been when I was riding along and so I was really happy with the results. So was Alan and they soon were on the marketing materials for Helinet. No doubt they now have new material, but it was used for a while. Sadly, Alan dies in a plane crash during the filming of a movie in Central America. He was a passenger in a plane that crashed on take-off. He was a super nice guy, and I am sure remains sadly missed.
I have shared a photograph of this location on the blog previously. It is a lovely spot on the River Test near Longstock. There are these mesh funnels on the bridge across the river. They are above the water level so I was wondering what they could be for. It isn’t obvious to me that they can be lowered into the water and, if the water was high enough to flow through them, things would be incredibly flooded so I am not sure what purpose they would serve then. The ends aren’t closed off but presumably could be. If anyone has any idea what they could be for, please let me know. Always interested to learn more.
When we lived in the US, I would see lots of photos of people attending events at Bruntingthorpe with all sorts of vintage jets roaring down the runway. Sadly, those days are long gone. The story behind that is not one I know. However, there is still a collection of aircraft at the end of the airfield where I believe they have the QRA sheds with the Lightnings. One morning, I was driving north to Derby for work. I decided a small detour was allowable since it was early in the morning. I had no idea how much was visible from the gates and whether anything was open. Nothing was so I peered over the fence and took a few quick photos before continuing on my way. Everything was a bit cluttered from this angle but the lone Starfighter – while distant – did look particularly interesting. Maybe I shall visit properly one day.
While out on a walk, we saw a load of sheep in a field. One of them was wearing a blue jacket. I am used to seeing people with coats on their pets, but I had never seen a sheep with an added coat. Wool usually does a pretty good job. It was slightly away from the other sheep, and I couldn’t help but decide it was a bit embarrassed by its attire!
Photographing at Heathrow means you get a steady stream of planes with barely a minute passing without another one landing. You can end up with a ton of similar shots. That got me thinking about other things I would like. A close up of the undercarriage and perhaps the flap system came to mind. For some reason – possibly the noise that the bursting vortices made after they landed – I decided that the 777-300ERs would be the ones I tried these shots with. However, an A380 did sneak in.
There is something about the mass of machinery that you get around the main landing gear and the inboard flaps that seems so complex. Of course, this is all under the wing so the lighting is less than ideal, but you get what you can. Just before sunset would be perfect but you don’t get to choose when the jets land. Here are a few of my favourite shots from that part of the afternoon shoot.
Walking through the grounds at Welford Park, this fungus was growing on a downed tree trunk. It looked like some sort of futuristic city to me, and I got a few quick shots before we moved on. I wonder what life there is within the structures. Maybe it really is a city – just for some very small life forms.
In a previous post, I shared some images of the Helinet Squirrel that was used for aerial filming of the Transformers movie franchise in Chicago. When I had been in touch with Alan Purwin about some photos I had got of them in action, he invited me to come along during one of the filming sessions. They were operating from a location in the south of the city – an unusual circumstance because, in those days, Chicago did not normally allow helicopters to land in the city. However, we met up at Midway Airport before heading to the filming location.
Alan was flying whilst David Nowell, the cinematographer was in the left seat controlling the camera installation. They had worked together many times and had a very slick relationship in the air. A producer was next to me in the rear seats. We left Midway and headed into Chicago where we flew around the city a little before landing on the south side. The film crews have clearance to operate at low level and in between the buildings. It is quite a stunning place to be as you slide between the skyscrapers.
The challenge for the team was to visualise what the scene would be. We headed towards the Sears Tower over which an alien spaceship was supposed to be. We were filming the sequences over which the CGI would insert the various elements. These sequences had to be run several times, and each had to be exactly the same so the material could be combined seamlessly. Watching all of this happen whilst seeing the buildings all around you was something else.
I would love to have spent more time with them on the project. I was not part of the regular crew so I couldn’t outstay my invitation but to see all of this in practice when having seen plenty of it from the window of our apartment over the years was something else.
In a recent post, I told the story of my less than successful efforts to photograph the Flying Scotsman at the Watercress Line. In that entry, I mentioned how much public attention the loco gets. Given the number of large steam locomotives that there are in the country, it is interesting just how much more this one attracts visitors. If it helps the railways get some additional revenue, it is surely a good thing. Seeing as I had messed up getting photos on that occasion, I decided to try again the following weekend. The weather forecast was far nicer. Moreover, I spent a load of time thinking about what I would do. Even then, as I headed out in the morning, I had a couple of options with the things I was bringing.
I took two cameras with me and the Insta360 as well. I also had a clamp mount which I hadn’t decided whether I would use for the Insta360 of the second camera. I figured I would decide when I got there. Since the weather was nice and the Scotsman is popular, I worried that it might be pretty busy. There are limited parking spaces on the lane near the crossing I was going to, so I headed out in plenty of time. Of course, when I arrived, there was no one else around. Plenty of time to now kill!
I walked up to the crossing and found it empty. This gave me loads of time to decide on what to do. I had brought some PocketWizards with me. If I was going to use the second camera, these would be used to trigger that body.
As I unwrapped the PocketWizards, I realised that the Velcro cover I used for them would also make a nice wrap for the Insta360 handle. I attached it to the fence and wrapped the handle to the fence posts, and it provided a nice secure fit which meant I know had the clamp mount available. The Insta360 is controllable from my phone, so I was able to leave it fully extended and just activate it from the app when ready. I did a test with it when it stopped recording after 20 seconds. I have no idea why it did that so tried a couple of further recordings which all worked fine so I decided that was good to go.
While the PocketWizards can be used to trigger the second body when the first is firing, I didn’t actually want that. The two bodies were set up for different shooting scenarios – the long lens would cover the approach of the train but, during that time, it would be so far away that there would be no benefit to shooting with the wide-angle lens. Similarly, once it was close enough for the wide angle, the long lens would already be too much so I would have stopped shooting with it. Consequently, I handheld the PocketWizard and triggered it by hand when required.
I clamped the mount to the bottom of the fence with the camera at ground level looking up at the approaching train. I normally use back button focus but I don’t think that would activate via the PocketWizard, so I switched it to front button for focus and exposure. The joy of a flexible screen is that you can frame up the shot without having to be a contortionist which is good news for those of us with a few years under our belts. With everything set up, I set off a few test shots to see if everything was working. It all seemed good so now it was time to wait.
I was expecting one or two movements before the Scotsman which would give me a chance to test things out. There is a shuttle that is used to take people from Ropley to Alresford for the main event so I figured that would come through. It would be going the wrong way but would allow some practice. However, there was more than I expected. The first thing to appear was a steam loco running light in reverse from Ropley. Turned out that it was the Scotsman heading from Ropley to Alresford to join the train. That was a nice option but, of course, it had no coaches and, since it was running downhill, it wasn’t making much power. The shuttle also ran back, and forth which gave me some practice while another train rain down to Alresford for a service that would come after the Scotsman had departed for its first run.
All of this provided me with time to play around with the set up and make sure all was working the way I wanted. Then it was time for the reason for being there. The train departed Alresford pretty much on time. Since it is quite a climb up to Ropley, the loco was making lots of power and there was a banking engine on the rear too. The smoke could be seen through the gap in the trees, so we knew it was coming. Eventually it came around the corner in the cutting, and we could get some shots.
I started the Insta360 first and then proceeded to get some longer shots as it approached. As it got closer, I dropped down and photographed through the fence to look up at the loco as it came closer. Then I switched to the PocketWizard and took a bunch of it as it passed. I have no control on where the camera chooses to focus in that situation, but I was rather happy with the results. I even got some interesting shots of the driver and one of the passengers leaning out of the window. Then I took a few shots of the train as it retreated. That was very backlit, but it still made for an interesting view. And then it was done! All of that prep for a brief moment.
The people rapidly scattered and I started disassembling the things I had put in place. I had brought a small stool with me but that had never been used. Too much messing with gear or chatting to the others that had come alone. It was a very friendly atmosphere and made you feel good about being out on a sunny Saturday morning. I retraced my steps to the car. As I walked along the lane, I heard another whistle and pulled up the camera I had on a strap around my shoulder. The train that had run down to Alresford earlier was now making its run. It was skylined on the ridge above me and I just happened to be by a gap in the hedge so was able to grab a few remaining shots. Then it was time to head home.
I have made a few trips through Southampton Airport recently. On one of these, I arrived back there in the evening. There are no jet bridges at Southampton. You come down the steps, walk across part of the ramp and in a door to the baggage reclaim. This takes you past whatever other planes are parked up. An Aer Lingus ATR was on the ramp with the lights making it look rather cool. I grabbed some quick shots with the phone before any of the staff could complain about me dawdling!
Walking through the village of Longstock, we looked across a yard and saw a family of piglets with a sow feeding on the other side. It seemed that the fence they were near was actually for a park, so we walked around the edge to the park entrance and backtracked to see if the piggies were still close in. Sure enough, there they were. Much feeding was underway, but the piglets were also jumping around and messing with each other as kids are prone to do. At one point, one of them upset another and it let out such a squeal that we were both startled by the noise. It was something else.
They were definitely cute looking little creatures. After briefly being interested by our arrival, they rapidly lost interest and were back to eating and bugging each other. Just the occasional look up to see what is going on. We left them to it and continued our walk.
Having done the ride along with Alan Purwin of Helinet during the filming of Transformers, Alan was interested in getting some publicity shots of the helicopter to use for their own marketing material. He asked if I would be interested in doing the shots and I was more than up for it. What I wanted was to have a high enough vantage point from which to shoot. You want to be looking across or down on the helicopter to get some real context to the work.
Additionally, Alan wanted the helicopter to be mounted with a different camera mount. He owned a company in New Zealand called Shotover. This was the mount that he wanted on the helicopter for the shots instead of the larger ball mount that had been used during the Transformers filming. I discussed with him where to get an elevated location from which to shoot. He had been staying at the Trump Tower for all of the filming and had developed a good relationship with one of the managers there so got me access to use one of their outside deck areas. This proved to be an ideal spot.
We had a series of runs with the helicopter coming up the Chicago River towards me, pulling up in front of me, hovering close by and making diving runs from the River North area across in front of me to be over the Chicago River. I had a radio so I could call in the next sequence or have them run it again. The weather had become a lot nicer than it had been when I was riding along and so I was really happy with the results. So was Alan and they soon were on the marketing materials for Helinet. No doubt they now have new material, but it was used for a while. Sadly, Alan dies in a plane crash during the filming of a movie in Central America. He was a passenger in a plane that crashed on take-off. He was a super nice guy, and I am sure remains sadly missed.
