by Gary Fong
Photographer: Kevin Vandivier, www.kevinv.com
Click to enlarge image
If you’ve got one chance to get it right…don’t mess it. Kevin Vandivier had a shoot to get a skydiver jumping out of a perfectly good a bi-plane. The concept is to show the skydiver doing what skydivers do…taking that first BIGGG step in the wild blue yonder.
As he thought about it, the best camera angle may be from a UFO tracking very close to the left wing from the tail. That particular angle would show the joy or the terror of the skydiver in midair. The next best vantage point might be from the wing itself.
The easiest way to make incremental exposures is to hold onto the camera and press. However, an extra photographer hanging on the wing would interrupt airflow. Unstable air under the wing causes little things like planes falling out of the sky. The next best solution might be a hardwire remote to the camera.
Vandivier wanted the glow of the sunset to provide that golden moment of the day as the air jumper steps off. He set his Nikon on auto exposure to make the right exposure in a changing light situation. Because of failing light, Kevin only had one opportunity to get it right.
There are two seats on a bi-plane, one for the pilot and one for the pilot’s friend. Between the photographer and the skydiver, one needs to make fast friends…or one may be stuck holding onto the wing. Since the skydiver has a one-way ticket, it makes sense to have Vandivier use the second seat for a round trip. He could also operate the remote from that position as well.
Now for the Nit Picking
Unfortunately, these days with Photoshoppers correcting what’s not perfect, it’s nice to see something real. The problem with reality, it’s so imperfect.
One issue with conceptualized photos…it should look perfect…or close to it. The skydiver’s arm looks like he’s hanging onto something outside the frame. It would be nicer if Kevin clicked the shutter just a shade later. But shooting blind has always been a problem.
The second item that caught my eye is the remote cable blowing across the wing. It should have been taped down out of camera range. It would also be nice to have a propellers roaring and the tail wagging in the full frame.
But these are all niceties to talk about. Kevin is risking his life to bring home to armchair adventures a little bit of craziness. There should be a little levity on risk taking….even though he’s hiding in the passenger seat in case the plane crashes.
