"Meet the Pilots" day at Intrepid

After much planning and anticipation, yesterday was "Meet the Pilots" day at Intrepid.  Eric brought in 6 fighter pilots, locally and from around the country, who actually flew aircraft aboard the Intrepid's flight deck. (Click any photo to enlarge).

Colonel Brent Richardson,  F-16 Falcon plot .. Rollie Shay, A-4B Skyhawk pilot .. Rear Admiral Lew Chatham, F11F-Tiger (Blue Angel #5) pilot .. Mike Barger, TopGun Instructor and co-founder of JetBlue Airways .. John Gill, TBM Avenger pilot .. Frank Murray, A-12 Blackbird pilot .. (my husband) Eric Boehm, Curator-Aviation & Aircraft Restoration

The day began with a panel question and answer session held in the Intrepid's Lutnick Theater, moderated by Mike Barger and Eric with assistance from Dina Ingersole.  Following  a casual lunch on the ship's fantail, the men took their places alongside their aircraft to answer questions from the public.  Eric presented each man with a commemorative piece of the Intrepid's original wood deck. 

Eric presenting plaques to Avenger pilot John Gill and FJ-3 Fury pilot Sam Folsom

In 1963 when Eric was only 4 years old, his dad brought him to his first air show where he saw this actual F11F Blue Angel #5 being flown by this pilot, Rear Admiral Lew Chatham.  Eric found Admiral Chatham through the Blue Angel reunion's website, leading to this amazing "full circle" moment.

To see more events on Intrepid, please visit Proof Positive Photography.

Squirrel and Gnome

With all of the critters in our yard, I always keep a camera handy.  Case in point, to catch a squirrel who's looking like he's giving advice to the gnome about where to shoot his slingshot.

 

 Shot with my Nikon D300s and Nikkor 70-200mm VRII lens.  ISO320 @ f/2.8 for 1/250s.

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website.

Late Spring bird photos

Its that time of year when we see the young birds around our yard, learning to fly and being fed by their parents.  Here's a young female Cardinal. (Click to enlarge any photo).

And a baby Sparrow being fed by a parent.

A few days ago, we had our second visit by a Northern Flicker, a male this time.  We had a female here last Memorial Day but hadn't seen one since then.  He has a bright red "Y" shaped marking on the back of his head.  As he flew off, I saw the flash of his yellow tail feathers which are characteristic of the Eastern version of this species. 

 

All photos taken with Nikon D300s and Nikkor 70-200mm VRII lens at 200mm and heavily cropped. 

To see more bird photos here on Proof Positive Photo blog, click here.

Glen Rock Community School Spring Ballet Concert

Saturday, I enjoyed photographing the 30th Annual Spring Ballet Concert for Patch.com.  The performance, under the direction of Denise Piccino, featured her artfully choreographed dances, "Music of the Spheres", "The Elements", "Masques", and "Alice in Wonderland".

Shot with Nikon D300s and Nikkor 70-200mm VRII lens. ISO 500, f/2.8 @ 1/320s

The shoot was a challenge .. This was a low-light, fast action shoot with flash not permitted.  My test shots taken at a high ISO yielded too much grain, so I backed off on the ISO, and worked with shutter priority and in RAW.  With significant time in post, I got the images I was after.

I just love her expression.

These children were so joyful!

Wonderful dancing and acting.  Glen Rock has many talented residents!

Link to all 51 photos are posted here, on Glen Rock Patch. 

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website.

Birds at Manasquan Reservoir

A weekend getaway to the Jersey shore, long overdue and very welcome.  Here are a few new bird shots taken at the Manasquan Reservoir.

Nuthatch with sunflower seed lunch

Redwinged Blackbird with insect lunch

A juvenile Catbird with a lovely song

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website.