On Aviation and Photography:
"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart
“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” - - Ansel Adams
UPDATED: September 19, 2010
Hi, My name is Bill and I am updating my homepage to reflect a wonderful event in my life...marriage, September 18, 2010, to my best friend Tara...known to many of you as auntietk here on Renderosity.
We "met" shortly after I joined Renderosity in August 2008. We share a love for photography and indeed all types of art.
We live north of Seattle and enjoy getting to share photographic excursions and information with other Renderositians ( is "Renderositians" even a word? ). LOL
As for me, it seems like I've been taking pictures all my life but I didn't get serious enough to purchase my first Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera until May 2008. In May 2009 I upgraded from an Olympus E-510 to an Olympus E-30 with a wide variety of lenses.
My subject areas of interest include absolutely everything but with a frequent return to airplanes, cars, tanks, etc., ...or as Tara says, machines that make lots of noise;-)
If you are curious, I am pictured above in a Grumman Corsair on a taxiway of the Kansas City Downtown Airport. I used to fly and train others to fly airplanes. That will explain my frequent forays into the world of aviation. Last but by no means least, thanks to Pannyhb for introducing me to Renderosity. The moment I saw it I was hooked.
Fine print: Yes, the photo above is a photo manipulation:-)
Comments (21)
bodo_56
Brillant B/W-Image! I'd like to know who is Shirley ...8=)
giulband
WONDERFUL! No other words need to comment this photo !
durleybeachbum
Super pic! I love the contrasty style.
jayfar
A great shot Bill and I see SHY LIER!!!
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
Faemike55
Very good capture
helanker
Beautiful and clear shot with deep contrast. I like it alot.
jendellas
Love the B/W, great capture. x
Adobe_One_Kenobi
My late cousin Shirley Rantham would be delighted to see this :)
MrsRatbag
I understand that the naming of a boat is an important undertaking; superb shot, love the B&W!
RodS
This is really wonderful, Bill! B&W is perfect for this shot - so full of detail, and lots of good stuff for the eyes to discover.
whaleman
Some spend a great deal of time in finding the right name...others, not so much! Some nice boats there.
X-PaX
Very nice capture Bill.
auntietk
I like the contrast. The way it highlights the boats is just right! Best name so far on a boat was Ragnarok, as far as I'm concerned. LOL! As I recall, that was down in Tokeland, just south of Westport. :)
debbielove
A girlfriend, a wife, the hometown? So many choices, well taken mate and I love the postwork you've applied here. Rob
jocko500
lots of names. i need to get a boat and name it after me. lol
wysiwig
Sometimes a name can trigger memories. I saw Contender and thought of Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront", "I could have been a contender". My stepmother is named Shirley but I can't help think of that scene in "Airplane" between Robert Hays and Leslie Nielsen; Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it? Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious. Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley. Ok now, where was I? Oh yes, the picture. A superb study in black and white, very stark. Excellent composition and post work. I really like this.
Chipka
Layer 1: The Title of the image made me think of Shakespeare, and I immediately thought: "Ah. What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would still be related to a strawberry." (Okay, that's Shakespeare 2.0 with a little too much scientific accuracy thrown in because the programmer is a geek.) Layer 2: Marlon Brando could have been a contender, but I don't think he'd look right on the...um...right side of this photo. Layer 3: "Shirley R" immediately made me think of a college friend of mine, Shirley Oh. Everyone called her "Oh Shirley." Layer 4: the movie "Airplane". How could any reference to Shirley NOT be associated with: "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"? Layer 5: "Aura"...which says to me that Ming the Merciless' daughter, Princess Aura has her own boat. So here we have it, you've posted a complex, layered piece! And it's brilliant. The stark black and white is absolutely perfect: everything is this brilliant contrast and to top it all, there are all of the shapes and textures. This makes me think of some of the lighting and camera work in those Film Noir classics that no one can ever forget. Okay, this isn't as morally ambivalent as film noir, but it's got that visual starkness that works so perfectly, and to top it off, the whole composition is perfect. Really stellar work! Nice shootin' there!
junge1
Great composition Bill and I like the b & w treatment!
moochagoo
Nearly an abstract composition
danapommet
A great title for the 'contender' boat photo and nice contrast!