The best of Sunrise/sunsets and into the night, at Reno... Lets see them.

[RAD2LTR]

As I sit here editing pics from Reno 2023 (still), only days before I would have been leaving to do it again, the reality that I'll never get to shoot another Reno sunrise ramp shoot again is really weighing heavily on me. They were such special moments in time. In the morning, the nip in the air, and the sounds of the street sweepers clearing FOD from the ramp (and screwing up photo opps at just the wrong time) The anticipation for the color to pop, and the sun sparkling gold across the east side of the ramp. The possibility of disappointment when the color just didn't pop, and fell flat on its face. The possibility of a dawn patrol flight from one of the fast guys. The optimism of a great day of racing. The level of unsaid emotion present in the moment.

















I feel so honored to have been witness to these sunrises since 2016. Until I got credentials, I'd look at all the sunset and sunrise pics here on AAFO and would wish I could take part in these moments. Finally in 2016, I got to, and then I was able to make some of them happen for everyone else to shoot.

Will

[RAD2LTR]

Sunsets were just as epic, often more so than the sunrises. I got to shoot my first Reno Sunset in 2012. I'm going to try and post these chronologically as they show how far my skill with the camera has come, both in editing, but also in my learning how to take an artistic shot. (I've actually had people tell me that my photos are too artistic... Isn't that the point? )


2013 brought an epic afternoon thunderstorm that dumped a lot of water in a very short period of time.



2014 I witnessed my first evening engine runs.



2015, one evening brought us 3 night runs...


2017 was a special year for me. People had been asking to get Dusty's freshly restored A model Mustang out for a ramp shoot, and were getting shot down. I asked politely, and my wish was granted. (Thank you Dusty) It was my first real shoot, not just someone else's that I happened to be there for, but one that I made happen, and I really didn't know what to do, so I just went with what I thought looked okay. I was too excited to think about much else. There were no clouds, but I had the most sought after Mustang at the races, and I made the most of it, as best I knew how. (Yes these pics are out of order... I was pulling from different places to post.)






So, after my success in 2017 with Shanty Irish, I got to shoot Full Noise. This shoot came SO close to not happening. First off, the truck to tow the plane out was MIA. Still the party in the pit was going strong, and so the decision was made that there were enough people there to just push it out. And so we did. I made a best guess on where the light would hit should it come out.
There was some amazing cloud development off to the north and west, but the sun was obscured behind it, and there wasn't much color.

We were mostly standing around waiting for the sun to come out, but Graeme and the team were ready to go home. I asked for 5 more minutes, if the sun didn't come out, then we could call it. They said yes, and so I made the best of what I could get, thinking I had 5 more minutes to get whatever I could as the color just wasn't going to develop.
Just as time was running out, the color started to appear...

This bought me a little more time. I figured the color was going to be fleeting at best as the sun was just coming through a narrow gap between the Sierras, and the clouds.

Then something amazing happened. The sun was down, behind the mountains, and the clouds lit up.




This shot is 100% unedited aside from being formatted from RAW to JPG. I didn't touch it in any other way.

Amazingly many of the cloud formations stayed put and granted us some amazing photos the following morning.

2019 was thin for sunset shoots. Vicky Benzing had just bought Miss Van Nuys and was kind enough to leave it out on the ramp one evening.


2021 was proving to be a challenge due to a fire to the north west that was sending smoke down all week long. Still, we had our moments.


I think it was Saturday night that the smoke finally fully cleared. I had no shoots lined up. I was stopping by the One Moment pit to say Hi, and Andy asked if I wanted to do a ramp shoot. Yes, lets do it! 5 minutes later, the best shoot of the week unfolded thanks to the smoke clearing, and the Sierra Nevada Wave parking some clouds off to the north.


Again, the color was delayed, but it worked. Not like 2018, but mixed with the bright colors of the plane, it worked.

The color gave way to contrast.


I don't remember which evening this was. It might have been Sunday after the races.

To be continued...

[wingman]

This one is not Reno, but has racers...

[RAD2LTR]

2022 I was able to attend my first PRS. There were two beautiful highly polished Mustangs and a very nice Yak on the ramp just begging for a epic sunset to shoot with them. There was high anticipation for some epic shots, but it looked like the light just wasn't going to do anything so almost everyone went home. Dave Horn and I stuck around, and we were rewarded...




I printed this 20x30 on metal, and its amazing.

For September, again, forest fires all over northern California were blowing smoke our way. This made ramp shoots tough. Still, there was some good stuff to be had.

Moments after this shot was taken, we were all kicked off the ramp by security... That was the end of ramp shoots for 2022...


2023. Knowing it was my last chance to do ramp shoots at Reno, I set out to have one set up for every evening of the week... A very tall order. With some help from some friends, (Tony Cruz, Micky Perez, and a few others) we managed to make some pretty great shoots come together.

It started with a shoot that I was hoping to have the 4 oldest racers present for... I got two. Miss A and Bardahl were both stuck in the pits and didn't make it out. I did however get Jimmy Stewart's cross country racer "Thunderbird" and Vicky's (now called Plum Crazy). After a lot of frantic running back and forth between pits, I got the two out and tried to place them so I could get the home pylon in the background. This was hard because of how far home pylon was, and the fact that I couldn't set the planes really close enough to make it work. With the light fading I got them set as best I could to achieve the goal. (There were a LOT of people who questioned my decision, but it wasn't their shoot, it was mine, and I felt it important to have Home Pylon in the shot, even if it was a bit too far away.) Did I make the shoot challenging for everyone including myself? Yeah, I did. But that is what separates those who are good from those who simply shoot a picture.


This printed pretty nicely 20x30 on metal...




This printed nicely as well.


The following evening I managed to get Swamp Fox out for not just a sunset, but also a sunrise shoot. That meant it was going to be out all night long... as well.
Nothing really spectacular came from this shoot (at least for me) still, it was a beautiful bird under a Reno sunset.


I had verbals for shoots with both Bardahl, and Miss A, but those just kept falling through. Doc was really interested in doing one, but with the heat exchanger issues, and everything else that transpired, it just never came together.

Saturday night rolled around and the idea to shoot Ol Yeller with Thunderbird on the ramp came up. There was just one problem, I was out on the pylons and didn't have time to talk to all the parties involved. Micky Perez and Joe Kates actually spent the day going back and forth between the two owners to make it happen. There were many differing ideas on how to set the planes, and someone had mentioned that Ol Yeller was not interested unless home pylon was in the background... I tried to make the argument, that Home Pylon was too far away for a good shot and so it became a mad rush to set both planes in a way that would show them well, with home pylon in the background, and work with the rapidly approaching sunset... The clouds were in place for something special, but there was just no way to set in an ideal way to get both Home Pylon, and the very promising sunset. The other photographers were ansey, owners were getting flustered, so again, I did my best to come up with something that would satisfy the requirements for home pylon, and hopefully the epic sunset that was setting up very similar to what happened with Full Noise in 2018. We thought about swinging the planes around to work better for the sunset, but there just wasn't time. To make matters worse, I knew this was going to be the very last Reno ramp sunset shoot ever. I HAD to make this work somehow. (No pressure at all...) The planes were set, so I set about getting the "required" shots. I was rushing so that others could get in on it before the light went away. I missed several opportunities that presented themselves to others that I flat out missed. (I am glad others got the pics I'm referring to. Hopefully they will post them here.)



The light on the clouds in the background wasn't doing anything, and at this time, it should have been if it was going to. Sadly it was just dark with nice texture.

I really didn't know what John Bagley wanted for a pic, so I was working as fast as I could to produce something that he might hopefully like. At the same time, I really wanted to get the heck out of there and allow everyone else in to take advantage of the rapidly disappearing light.

At this point I called it good and opened the shoot up to everyone. There was no time to reset the planes, just take what you could get.


And then it happened... from the wrong direction... sadly lots of background clutter, but there wasn't anything I could do about that.





And then the light was gone...


The final Reno sunset ramp shoot was over.

Sunday as well all know ended on a low note sadly, much the same as the Cleveland National Championships did.

As the very empty feeling of knowing that was the end sank in, I saw racers on the ramp, some epic clouds and got to work... I was supposed to be at the dinner, but one last chance to shoot a Reno sunset... I couldn't say no.

















And with that, the final chapter of Reno closed under a dark and unsettled sky. I had missed dinner, and most of the awards, but these final pics were worth it. I remember feeling a profound sadness as I walked away from the ramp, knowing I'd never be able to do this again, at Reno. Perhaps somewhere else, but never again at Reno. Now, just days away from when I'd be normally packing the car to head up, I'm sitting here thinking of all the people who have passed who inspired me to learn how to shoot stuff like this. The people who inspired me, who inspired others, and who documented Reno through the lens of their cameras. (Sorry to drag things off in that direction. It wasn't my intention, its just kinda hard to not think about the fact that the event is gone, and so are a number of people who I'd normally be seeing shortly, who, like the races are now just memories. )


Hopefully this thread kicks off another epic thread full of amazing photography and moments in time.
Will

[RAD2LTR]

This one is not Reno, but has racers...

Other races are open to post. I just can't post any since I was never at any of them. If its a racer, at Sunset, sunrise or the dead of night, at a race, its open game!

Will

[RAD2LTR]

In the years between when AAFO started, and when I got to return to Reno in 2010, the pics of teams burning the midnight oil, doing late night engine runs, and the like really caught my attention. I thought it would be so very cool to be there to see night engine runs with flames out the exhaust ect. In 2012, I finally got to experience the Pits at night. Well, it was cool, but less than spectacular. There were a few teams working, but mostly it was just empty with some interesting shadows, but with a little light painting, actually shooting pics turned interesting. I was still new to digital photography, and was still relearning how to shoot at night. I SO wanted to see an engine run, but no luck. It would have to wait...




2013 gave me a very soggy evening on the ramp Saturday night. My photography at night still sucked, but the challenge of getting a cool and different shot. I was really struggling with how to deal with the yellow sodium lights used on the ramp. Those made life so tough. I tried to compensate with a very cold white balance. It sort of worked, but not really. At least things weren't yellow. Oh, and light scatter... Oi.









2014, the year I started to figure things out...


Finally, I got to witness an engine run in person. I gotta say, it didn't disappoint. Epic prop-lightning as well. This night quickly became the most amazing experience I had experienced at Reno to date.





If 2014 was awesome, 2015 wins for the night engine runs.


Just starting to see some exhaust flame...

As Rare Bear was taken back to the pit, out came Argonaut. Wait. what? We get a Sea Fury also? Yes Please! I don't remember what issue they were having, but it was super cool to get 2 night runs in the same night.



The night still wasn't done... Out came Strega.

The engine runs were done for the night... but I wasn't.


Okay, that wraps it up for 2015... Now how to get out without having to go all the way down to the Pit entrance.... I think I managed to slither under a gate or the fence. I almost got stuck...

2016, my first year with credentials... Oh I couldn't wait to shoot night runs....


That was it... That was all we got. Perhaps they'll haul Voodoo out... No such luck.



We did get an engine run... Just not one that was super cool.

I managed two nights in the pits this year...





2017... No engine runs, but for the first time ever, I successfully caught lightning on camera... It was so easy, but it took patience, and a tripod. What could be better than posing racers in front of an active thunderstorm cell?










When you push the processing too far... Way too far...


This is still one of my favorites.

This was the only night I got to shoot lightning at Reno, at night. It was a huge learning experience, but it really was an amazing night on the ramp.


To be continued...

[wingman]

Here's a Bakersfild sunset. The airplane on the left here was featured in many of Will's shots above -- still with the same Race number.

[Pylon1_Mark]

It's going to take awhile to go through my archives, but I have a few images I grabbed that fit the topic here. I have to admit that Will set a very high bar with all of his stunning images, but I can think of no better way to pass the time than prusing through his photos. Getting photo bombed like that is ALWAYS a good thing - thanks Will. Let me add a bit to your post if I may....


Team Dago Red, Reno 1999... dawn patrol flight. Bill Kerchanfaunt at left, pilot Bruce Lockwood in the cockpit.... with crew members Mike Wilton (right wing) and Clay Liston (left wing).


Pilot Bruce Lockwood in Dago Red, 1998 following an early morning dawn patrol flight... and actually my favorite shot of Dago Red. Not my favorite because of the image, it's my favorite because that was a hand-held panning shot at 1/30th of a second WITHOUT image stabilization (hadn't been invented vet). With today's tech, it's a pretty commonplace image though - but it's still my favorite.


Dawn Patrol - Reno 2002... Pilot Skip Holm with Dave Fagowagga at the wheel chock.


Dawn Patrol - Reno 2001... Pilot Bill Destefani in Strega (taken earlier in the week, before the events of 9/11)


VOODOO
This has to be my favorite night-time image of all time, bar none! Even though a night-time engine runup is exciting to the extreme... sometimes you capture a moment in time that will never be repeated like this one (taken by my old friend Mark Robinson). This image is more than just a visual stimulation, it invokes an emotional reaction. A good image can be appreciated, but one that makes your hair stand-up on end is a very special one indeed... as Mark saw & captured actual voodoo taking place on the ramp that night.

Probably post more next week... got too much to do around the house this weekend :-(

[RAD2LTR]

Mark, YES! Now we are talking. Most of those very images are the ones I wanted to emulate, the ones that lit my creative desire to capture, and to experience. I love the Dago Dawn patrol shot (your first one). I don't think I've seen that one before. I do remember the 2001 dawn patrol shot, as well as the '99 one of Voodoo. Good stuff.

Will

[RAD2LTR]

2018, into the darkness... Following what had been a pretty epic sunset shoot with Full Noise, Graeme was game to do a night engine run for us. As the color continued to linger, even though the light was mostly gone, Graeme's crew chief climbed in, and fired Full Noise up, for a Full Noise night shoot.



I didn't actually get many pics from this that came out well. I think I forgot my tripod, or my remote shutter wasn't working. I can't remember what it was, but I got very few pics.

2019 was a bit lacking in the cool shots at night, but this freshly restored OV-10 Bronco under the Big Dipper was pretty cool.

The only flyable PV2D Harpoon wasn't a terrible subject either.


A very nice Grumman Goose was worthy of a shot as well.


2020 was a no go due to the pandemic, 2021 I had zero night shots, 2022 was limited by there being a lot of smoke in the sky, and only one very brief night run by Clas Thunder, the Thunder Mustang. That run couldn't even be called a "run" as the engine only ran for a couple seconds. This was following an engine replacement, and they had the wrong engine tune loaded into the computer, so it wasn't happy. I had discovered a neat partial solution to the sodium light issue, an astrophotography filter that cut down the yellow band of light, correcting much of the yellow cast in all the ramp pics. Even so, with all the smoke in the sky in 2022, things still had some strange color cast to them.

2023, the end of an Era.







The final night run of the Reno era... Crew chief Mike Frank hauled Rushin Thunder out for a systems check after a gear issue. I wasn't expecting the run, and was in the Miss Trinidad pit as they took the tail apart to repair the rudder trim tab issue that occured after the race during cool down. I heard the engine on Rushin Thunder fire off and ran out to the ramp. I don't think I had a tripod and I'm pretty sure I was hand holding these.


Just the slightest bit of exhaust flame starting to show...





And with that, my final night shot from the Reno era...


Will

[CRJpilot]

Team Dago Red, Reno 1999... dawn patrol flight. Bill Kerchanfaunt at left, pilot Skip Holm in the cockpit.... with crew members Mike Wilton (right wing) and Clay Liston (left wing).

Hey Will and Mark, I just want to say thank you for the amazing shots, it took me a while to go through them all.

Mark in your first shot of Dago in 1999 doing a night time run-up, you mentioned Skip in the cockpit. I was there that year and I do remember Bruce Lockwood piloting Dago that year. Was Skip actually doing the run-up instead of Bruce? The official records show Skip beginning to fly Dago in 2000.

I don't mean to be picky, just looking for clarification.

Thanks, Don

[Pylon1_Mark]

Mark in your first shot of Dago in 1999 doing a night time run-up, you mentioned Skip in the cockpit. I was there that year and I do remember Bruce Lockwood piloting Dago that year. Was Skip actually doing the run-up instead of Bruce? The official records show Skip beginning to fly Dago in 2000.

I don't mean to be picky, just looking for clarification.

Thanks, Don

My memory isn't as good as it used to be... you're correct. It was Bruce. I didn't check like I should have, thanks for keeping me honest Don

[wingman]

One from a long time ago...

[RAD2LTR]

Neal, that is a very cool shot.

Thanks for playing.

Will

[Pylon1_Mark]

How about some more Dago Red
1st 2 pictures are from Reno 96', the next 3 are from Reno 2001, the remainder from Reno 2002