35mm 1/45s @ f/5.6, ISO 320

I got back from the Reno Air Races Sunday.  It was a fantastic time as always.  The air races are probably one of the few events in the world that has the amazing numbers of flying warbirds all in one place.  It’s pretty incredible to be standing on the ramp and see five P-51′s spin up their props and taxi out to the runway.  The shot above is a P-51 named Wee Willy II.  I took it after the sun dropped below the mountains that circle the airport.  This made for soft light on the airplane and wonderful colors in the clouds.

Exp: 1/200, f/10, ISO 200
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS @ 200mm

Over the last couple days I was able to go out to the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV.  It was a great experience.  If you’re an aviation buff like I am and you haven’t been out to Reno make sure you get it on your list of things to do next year.  The aircraft on display and that race are like nothing you’ve probably seen before.  Between the corsair, bearcats and clip wing mustangs there’s something for everyone.  Since this was my first trip to Reno I was welcomed by the seasoned photographers many more than happy to share tips for the best places to stand.  I’m definitely never going to forget standing out on the pylon having 7 AT-6′s racing straight at me … yeah I got the picture.

Check the blog next week I should have a link to an album of the shots I took, right now I have about 3000 more images to go through.