… was the headline for this feature on a car I had fond memories of. Back in the 1980′s it was a quick machine, holding class records at pretty much every speed hillclimb course in the UK, driven by Tony Bancroft. Total 911 Magazine gave me free reign to write about the car, then and now, once I’d tracked down it’s current owner.

911 Turbo double page spread.

It’s great to see images used large and T911 designer Neil Freestone did a great job, with three full bleed DPS pages. Watch out for it on a race circuit in the UK or France this year and read the full story in Issue 84 of the magazine.

This shot could quite easily be mistaken for something it’s not. Shoot south into the sun in the early part of the year, make sure there’s a power station chimney in the shot and you have the perfect aerial stock picture for use in greenhouse gas stories and many other topics. But that’s not the full story.

This is what’s known as an inversion layer. An inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e. an increase in temperature with height, or to the layer (inversion layer) within which such an increase occurs. An inversion can lead to pollution such as smog being trapped close to the ground, as you see here. So yes, what you’re seeing is indeed polution, though it’s not all from the power station, instead it’s a whole soup of stuff created by all of us going about our daily lives. Because of the inversion, none of the polution can escape and it’s trapped until a weather front moves in.

Inversions are the bane of the life of aerial photographers. Not always apparent to a casual bystander on the ground, it can sometimes take some explaining to The Client when they’re enjoying some sunshine and call to ask how the aerial photography they commissioned is coming along.

It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, we were sitting in some sunshine photographing this car. It’s a genuine ALMS series car from 2002, finding refuge in the UK as a track day car and potential fun investment by it’s owner. Watch out for it on track days in the UK this summer.
First published in Total 911 Magazine, the car attracted fond memories from North American readers. As I’m archiving away some material, with grey clouds skidding over the rooftop, it feels like it’s going to be quite a while before the sunshine is out and we’re able to venture out to some of the places we’ve planned this year.

Still, we’ve Classic LeMans to look forwards to and if we can manage it, I’ve a sneaky need to visit Tour de Ramparts in Angouleme,an event I’ve heard big things about in recent years. Roll on summer.

When you're standing on the ice, waiting for the snow mobile......

However, that’s a relatively rare set of conditions and this Rab’s drawbacks are significant. First off, it’s not waterproof. Back to damp UK weather and it turns into a soggy sponge in a significant downpour. Also, the feather down filling across the shoulders sags down over time, leaving you with cold points on the tops of your shoulders. This is something that I believe has now been rectified. Secondly, the outer shell is relatively fragile. I caught it on a hedgerow and it tore open. It repaired quite well and still serves as my cold temparature weapon of choice. Overall, the Rab is incredibly warm, very light and the hood is excellent. I can wear just a light polo shirt underneath it in sub-zero temparatures and be perfectly warm.

My other jacket was a bargain in comparison. Bought in a motorcycle discount store for less than £70, around eight years ago. It’s not a cool Heine Gerrick or Alpinestars, just some generic jacket. But it works on several counts for photography work.

First off, the body armour part was removable, so that came out. That left a jacket with more flexibility in the Barbour blouson style. The adjustable waist keeps the cold wind out. There are more pockets than you can shake a stick at, the perfect size for Lee filters, San Disk cards and all the other clutter that you need to have at hand on location. And of course, being a motorcycle jacket, it’s waterproof and tough. I can lie down on cold tarmac, climb through bushes and it doesn’t get damaged.

Downsides are that you look like you’ve left your BMW GS1200 parked somewhere. Also, while it’s waterproof and fairly windproof, it has a low neck line and no hood for obvious reasons, plus it’s insulation is quite thin, nothing like as good or as breathable as the Rab.

So I need a new jacket and I’m struggling. Making a wish list kind of helps but I’m still struggling. Due to the relatively specific nature of what I need it to do, there seems to be no one, single, perfect choice. Here’s the wish list and the front runners:

1. Must be waterproof and breathable
2. Must be as warm and light as the Rab, with a removable hood
3. Must have decent pockets, inside and out, though it doesn’t need to look like a gadget freaks parka
4. Must be reasonably smart and presentable. I know some photographers go for the war torn grunge look on location, but in my view gaffer tape isn’t meant to be worn as a fashion statement. I need to be able to meet the client in this.
5. Must be able to drive in it, at least for a short distance and be able to wear it while shooting from the open door of a helicopter.
6. Must have a durable outer shell, so that if I wall past a torn bush, it may pick up nicks, but won’t give it and tear open like a soggy bag.

So who are the front runners?

I’ve spent so long looking in outdoor shops, they probably have me listed as a shop lifter by now. But here are the top candidates I’ve found so far:

1. Rab. It has an edge, as I own one already. The shoulder insulation issue has been resolved, I believe, plus the latest ones are claiming 1,000mm Hydrostatic head, which apparently means that it’s waterproof.
2. Paramo. I’d not heard of them before, but they seem highly rated by the fell walking and hiking community. The models I’ve seen have very light material, make big claims on being waterproof and seem to have good pockets.
3. Canada Goose. Looks to be the ultimate, especially the Bomber range, which may be a little short, but look to be practical for everyday use in less than extreme weather. Downside seems to be that they’re quite expensive and I can’t find a UK dealer.
4. North Face. They seem to have a bewildering range of gear and while I found a jacket that ticked all the boxes, boy was it heavy. Plus, pretty much everyone in the world seems to own a black North Face jacket these days…

Further down a list might be something by Heine Gerrick or Alpinestars, but I think another motorcycle jacket would probably be a compromise too far, though I’d be happy to be proved wrong.

So that’s what I’ve found so far. I know that several grip manufacturers such as Gitzo make photographer’s vests, but that’s not for me. I don’t want to wear the contents of my camera bag around my body. Put a Pocket Wizard in the breast pocket and it would pass for a suicide bomb vest. Plus, I need to meet The Client in this, remember. This list of mine isn’t unique. The first manufacturer that can provide something that fits those criteria will have a market of professional and enthusiast photographers ready to buy. It doesn’t even need to be bespoke, they probably have a model in thier range already, I just can’t seem to find it!

It’s probably going to filter down to getting two jackets. One lightweight, fleece type thing for driving about, milder days and shooting aerial photography from the open doorways of helicopters, plus one big hitter for all the other weather that gets thrown at me.

If you have any suggestions, experiences or advice, I’m all ears. Just like workflows, every photographer seems to have their own favourite. What’s yours?

Which is the winner? GT3RS vs Ferrari 458 Italia

Read the issue of Total 911 to find out, but in my view, if you have the funding to own either of these two cars, you’re intelligent enough to know that tenths of a second in a test track lap time mean very little. You’re probably far more interested in what they feel like, what they look like and I guess, the image they project of you when you cruise slowly past that shop window and study yourself. And don’t say you don’t look….

Sure, statistics are important and I’d driven both models extensively, but not back to back. On that day in Yorkshire, it became very clear how both cars have utterly differing opinions on what makes a great drivers car. Read the full feature in Issue No 82 of Total 911, or get their iPad app via the iTunes store.

Thanks, as ever, must go to the great team at Specialist Cars Malton and Simon George at 6th Gear Experience

Ferrari 458 Italia and Porsche GT3RS in Yorkshire, UK

Everyone who’s into Porsche loves the final, iconic, aircooled 993. Values are rising ever upwards and this one is rising more quickly than others. Feature about the original Porsche 993RS factory development car that was mysteriously sold to the UK, complete with all the original factory road books documenting it’s early life

“If you’re one of the very lucky few people in the world who has a 993RS parked in the garage, the chances are that this is the car you have to thank that it drives they way it does. Chassis 9009 spent it’s early years working away, talking to the Porsche test drivers so that your 993RS drives the way it does. Or was it used for something else entirely that we’re not yet privy to? One day Chris hopes to find out…”

Published in Total 911, 2011

Rare Porsche 993RS development car

Driver's logbook from the factory Porsche 993RS development car

I’m a huge fan of Capture One software for processing RAW files. For sure, Aperture and Lightroom may have more ‘bling’ and Capture One doesn’t have image archiving without buying the additional Media Pro, but I love the files it produces, having used it since 2003 when I moved to digital with Canon DSLR’s.

This year, I plan to try out the Phase One camera system. I miss my Mamiya 645 film system and as the latest DSLR’s are going for higher and higher frame rates, that’s not what I need in my work. On location, I rarely need more than 5 frames per second, even when shooting aeiail photography or car to car, plus this post by David Hobby voiced what I had been privately thinking myself this past few months.

Take a look at this video showing photographer Eric Schmid shooting wakeboarding action, managing just fine with a Phase One 645 system.

There’s only one part of this video that makes me cringe. Helicopter pilots and aerial photographers may want to look away at around the 1:02 mark. A Robinson R22 at low altitude, low speed, over water is not my idea of fun at all. For that shot, I’d be a damn sight more confortable with a turbine for the extra reliability and power under the pilots left hand….

A Phase One camera system in an aerial photography environment should produce some stunning results, even without the latest IQ180 back, so I look forward to seeing what this might bring clients looking for very large files for advertising and display.

Lightning Jet decaying beside the A1 near Newark

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here’s how I recall it, but feel free to add your own comments. The land was originally a scrap yard and the Lightning’s sad fate was the same as many cold war jets – a spectacular, eye catching gate guardian strategically positioned close to the main route to promote the owner’s business. The reason for the skyward angle of the nose was that the engines, radar and pretty much everything else had been removed, shifting the centre of gravity and making the poor jet tip backwards onto it’s tail.

And there it sat for decades. I’m told the owner’s business eventually folded, but for reasons unclear to me, the jet remained on site. Now devoid of any last remaining protection, vandals moved in, decimating the airframe further, adding graffiti and chopping holes.

Like many people with a love of aviation and fond memories for Lightnings taking off, tearing the air apart making a sound like like a silk sheet ripping, I was saddened every time I drove by.

But now that it’s gone, I’m sadder still. For sure, it was beyond restoration, but I’d seen it as a tough old survivor, resolutely remaining despite the local youths best attempts. So it’s probably now gone forever, melted, recycled and forming part of a drinks can somewhere in the world. If you know otherwise, feel free to add your comments, I’d be interested to hear what others thought of it.

Vandalised Lightning jet near Newark

Lightning jet pointing skywards beside the A1M near Newark

This forms the first of a series of blog posts about a personal project I’m calling Dead Metal, which I’ll write some more about this coming month.

iPhone - Ferrari 358 Italia

I’m a great believer in Chase Jarvis’ mantra of The Best Camera is the one you have in your hand when you see the image, but sometimes, it’s best to just sit and take in the whole scene, instead of trying to frame it through a tiny LCD screen. And that goes for other things to. Over the Christmas period, I zoned out of my social media connections and deliberately resisted the temptation to swipe my screen every time there was a pause in a conversation, or the little device ‘bonged’ a push notification. I did the same with my email, only checking it once or twice a day and having Mail turned off in between. This removed the time thief temptation of breaking off what I was working on to read emails that could wait. And I felt better for it.

iPhone is a great personal device and I’ll be writing more shortly about some of the useful apps I use for my work and others that I find entertaining. But just like Nick, while I won’t be giving up my iPhone and other technology entirely, I will be setting it down in another room for much longer periods than before. Twitter can wait for an hour, can’t it?

This is a very simple, but strangely moving video. Taking clips we’ve all seen before and using that editing skill that the BBC seem to have a unique handle on, creating a compelling video. Watch this an enjoy the voice of Sir David and the camera work of some of the world’s finest.