Concrete Proof

Grand Colonial Style, From Every Angle

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Fighter pilots and aircrew gunners in World War II always said the key to survival was being able to swivel their heads constantly, to search the sky for enemy aircraft. It's probably a great attribute for a photographer as well, to look up, down and sideways in search of common sights that produce uncommon effects.

I shot this frame as I walked down Flinders Street on Monday. This stately old building was right opposite me and I was struck by how well maintained the facade is. Nice brickwork. Fresh paint. Window sills in good nick.

That's when I realised that the clear blue sky and the main dome reflected in the windows was the perfect foil for the strong colours and lines of the building's exterior. I was in a hurry, but I'm glad I stopped for a few seconds to take this shot.

(Extra, extra, read all about it: I've been interviewed here.)

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Kitty Glitter

Look Over Here, Hawk-Eyes!

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while would know that I love photographing just about anything, especially if I can find an unusual angle for a shot. These shots of a Curtis P40 Kittyhawk were taken at an air show, and I was just thrilled to have the chance to photograph an aircraft of World War II vintage.

If you've been to an air show, you'll appreciate how difficult it is to work the angles or get close-ups. You see, aircraft are always cordoned off to prevent people getting too close to them. And because there are always crowds at each exhibit, it can be quite a challenge to get just the plane in the frame and not the bobbing heads and waving arms of hundreds of excited planespotters as well.

Yup, aviation photography on an airfield or a tarmac is very different from the challenge of aviation photography at an air show. I have always been a keen student of aerodynamics, the history of air combat and just about anything that flies. The first frame (above) is a deliberate attempt to show just how slender the fuselage of a fighter was, is and always has been.

It's great fun photographing a sleek jet fighter, but I really appreciate the chance to train my lens on a red spinner, propeller blades and a beautiful set of fishtail exhausts. That sort of thing doesn't happen every day.

By the way, if you have an interest in stories about fighter pilots of World War II, then you might appreciate just how privileged I was to tell the stories of two RAF pilots of that era. It was my very great privilege to painstakingly piece together the heroism of a Typhoon pilot and a Hurricane pilot; stories that would have been impossible to tell without the power and reach of the internet. The first feature is Life And Death Of A Hurricane Pilot and the second is displayed in full on Terry Fletcher's wonderful Anglo-Indian Portal at The Story of 'Tiger' Rajan.

By the way, I am currently working on my third novel, called The Jadu Master. A couple of significant chapters deal with the fighter pilots of the RAF and the Luftwaffe, as well as the aircraft they flew. In this instance, I am doing extensive research on the performance (and all other relevant data) of the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Bf-109. Yes, I'm enjoying myself. Yes, I have lots of data. And yes, I'm acutely aware there is always more information just around the corner ....

The quest for knowledge and understanding never ends.

Shell Shocked

Explosive Truth Has Been Revealed

A landscaping crew about to grind a tree stump in Key West, Florida, discovered 30 World War II mortar shells buried on land once owned by the US Navy. A worker hit and broke one of the shells, but it did not detonate. About a dozen homes were evacuated and cars cleared from the area while a bomb squad removed the explosives on Friday.

FOOTNOTE: Blast one out, turn off the lights.

The Roaring Forties

Better Than Theatre, And They're Great Props

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

During the Air Show, I was standing maybe fifty metres away when I saw the pilot climb into the cockpit of this Grumman Avenger. Realising that I could position myself to capture a classic vintage sight, I sprinted over to shoot what I knew would follow in a few moments.

There was the classic cough-splutter-cough-splutter-roar routine as the engine fired and the propeller jerked stiffly before moving in a blur. And I had my picture. The first frame has not been digitally enhanced in any way - the grey/sepia tones are simply caused by the billowing fumes that emanate from the exhaust stacks.

Several onlookers turned away or covered their mouths and noses as the smoke wafted over them. Me? I just breathed deeply, and gratefully. It was like inhaling incense at St Peter's in Rome.

Then, as the Avenger pilot taxied out a few minutes later, I realised I had another really rare photograph. Off his port wing was a World War II-vintage P-51 Mustang. The sun was over my right shoulder and I got three frames as the harsh light glinted off the Avenger's wings.

Interesting light conditions, too, because the afternoon sunlight was strong, yet the sky in the frame was moody and sullen grey. You know the really strange thing about the second picture? If you didn't know it was shot this week, it could well have been an authentic scene from any Allied airfield in the Forties.