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The COOLEST PICTURE EVER.


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This thread has me wondering that if in 20 or so years we will see pics of say an F-35,22,15 and 16 together and say ahh remember the classics?

Actually, I don't think so. I'd say most of those will still be in use in 20 years. At least in some variants.

Even the A-10 is to fly another 21 years!

So they will be classics, but not in the way of, say, the Century Series.

View from a MiG-25

mig-25a.jpg

Wow. Just that! Wow.

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F-104G_starfighter.jpg

This one's not a GREAT photograph, but it certainly has an interesting collection. I'd call it a great history of mass produced export fighter programs. I have to admit, I haven't seen three generations of primarily export, light-weight fighters in one shot before.

How about this one then? Even though the Meteor and Hunter were actually warbirds repainted in Dutch markings (or still in service in the UK?) I still think it's a pretty cool idea! (sorry for the low quality scan. photocredit: 'Vlucht door de tijd')

untitled1uh7.jpg

Edited by Koen L
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Feel the force of the great MiG!

What's this then...the words Mig and great in the same sentence...who woulda thunk it...;)!

That was meant as a light hearted joke...in case some of the sensitive folks missed that :( .

:D

Regards.

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Rocket, actually, since it was unguided.

Regards,

Murph

I do indeed stand corrected. The rocket effect of those Century Series aircraft is still cool though in my humble opinion.

Regards,

Don

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Feel the force of the great MiG!

mig-31_2.jpg

Whoa, what happened Su? The shot of the guy kneeling in the exhaust can and the ejection seat test pic are kinda interesting, but these are hardly the "coolest pix ever." Look at Don's F-101 shot, look at that MiG-31 photo you posted and compare the two:

The Voodoo shot has a slight forced perspective in it's composition that accentuates the aircraft's motion. The burners are lit and normally overcast days can ruin a good shot, on this day the clouds help by cutting back the natural light, increasing the visibility of the flames. The structure of the clouds, more a result of the weather than the motion of the camera and the shutter speed, further conveys a sense of speed due to their parallel composition with the ground. And, while all that is going on in it's environment, the Voodoo is breaking the tree line which implies movement up from the ground. The low angle of the camera reflective to the subject matter brings the viewer right along with subject.

The MiG-31 is shot on it's final. The wheels and flaps are down, the speed breaks are extended and is that a periscope over the aft cockpit? Regardless, it's all causing drag. The aircraft's disposition is slow and looks cumbersome. The sky behind it has a slight motion blur, enough to remind us that the plane isn't going very fast and the composition is flat. Nothing about that photo says "Feel the force of the great MiG!"

It's a good reference shot for a modeler and I could see that -31 photo used within an article, but the F-101 photo, that's the kind of image that makes the cover. The C-17 shot is good too, as it points out how maneuverable that machine can be. As a viewer, I can't tell how accurate that photo is (how far away from the dust cloud is the C-17?), but that doesn't matter as the photo has drama. Maybe not as much as some of the Tweet-bashing, but there's still that "whoa!" factor. The pix Sebastijan posted are also great examples of good composition.

You're a MiG/Su- design fanboy and that's perfectly fine. That should be irrelevant but I mention it as an acknowledgment and a qualifier to point out that you can't declare a photo "awesome" or "great" simply because the subject matter is something you feel strongly about. You can try to tell me that it's subjective, but I've been an Art Director for a long time now and that simply just isn't the case. I say this not to flame you; you were going in the right direction with the pic of the Su-27s so I know you can do better. I tried looking for a good shot of a Russian fighter (hell, I still haven't found that cool in-cockpit shot of 2-3 F-102s or F-106s in afterburner); I looked around a bit this morning for some MiG-17, MiG-21 and MiG-25 pix that really stood out but I didn't have more than 30 minutes to spare (I didn't have time to go to airliners.net or Fence Check). Plus I don't know all the good places to look for good shots of Russian aircraft so I didn't turn up anything and I don't know how much time I'll have today to devote to continuing that search. But, they've got to be out there.

Actually, I don't think so. I'd say most of those will still be in use in 20 years. At least in some variants.

Even the A-10 is to fly another 21 years!

So they will be classics, but not in the way of, say, the Century Series.

Wow. Just that! Wow.

In 50 years, people will look back at the F-15 and F-16 and say about either one, "Damn, that was a great airplane."

untitled1uh7.jpg

LOL, Cool! It's a Dutch version of the photo that started this thread!

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How 'bout this one?

Not cool in a speed sense, but in a rather morbid way.

The lighting, the time, the weather, the state of the aircraft and it's surroundings - all somehow spell expiration, ending, death. A plane bolted to the ground, skewered through the engine, never to fly again. Even though the stance still captures that longing for flight, reaching for the sky.

529b_SV303804_800.jpg

But it still looks fast.

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21688.jpg

CFTs push the Viper up to about a 6 on the Gary Busey scale.

gbs1.jpg

Don't get me wrong, I find the Israeli Vipers to be a real cool subject to model, what with all the extra ECM bumps and warts and even the spine, but the CFTs are just plain ungainly. And yet I've got a resin set of CFTs at the house waiting for me to start on a particularly specific Viper project... :yahoo:

The lighting, the time, the weather, the state of the aircraft and it's surroundings - all somehow spell expiration, ending, death. A plane bolted to the ground, skewered through the engine, never to fly again. Even though the stance still captures that longing for flight, reaching for the sky.

Pretty good description!

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[snip]but the CFTs are just plain ungainly.[snip]
No-no, you're wrong!!! They make it look so much cooler! Much more powerful.

-not that I don't value your opinion :whistle:

Seriously, I like the look of the CFT'ed Vipers. Now the Raffy and Tiffy on the other hand...yuckicon8.gif

:yahoo:

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How 'bout this one?

Not cool in a speed sense, but in a rather morbid way.

The lighting, the time, the weather, the state of the aircraft and it's surroundings - all somehow spell expiration, ending, death. A plane bolted to the ground, skewered through the engine, never to fly again. Even though the stance still captures that longing for flight, reaching for the sky.

529b_SV303804_800.jpg

But it still looks fast.

Gotta agree on this one.

Better way to die standing proudly and gazing to sky than fade away in the boiling desert.

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In the world of SPEED, there have been many pretenders but only ONE Contender ...

SR7101.jpg

Don't know if it's the Coolest picture ever but the SR-71 should be in the thread ...

Gregg

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In the world of SPEED, there have been many pretenders but only ONE Contender ...

SR7101.jpg

Don't know if it's the Coolest picture ever but the SR-71 should be in the thread ...

Gregg

I'll give that a hearty AMEN :cheers: !

Despite not being my favorite aircraft, I think that the SR-71 is the coolest looking bad @$$ on the block...any block...period :) !

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No-no, you're wrong!!! They make it look so much cooler! Much more powerful.

-not that I don't value your opinion :)

Seriously, I like the look of the CFT'ed Vipers. Now the Raffy and Tiffy on the other hand...yuckicon8.gif

:cheers:

Hey, the A-10, AH-64 and C-130 are all ugly as sin (Sorry Jon), but they get the job done. CFTs are the Viper's "love handles." Now that the Viper is getting up there in the years, it's gaining weight.

Here is my pic of "coolest" pictures ever :)

Disqualified. The second photo, the Blackjack over the desert airbase, is not cool, it's a friggin' composite, and a pretty lame photoshop job at that. Seriously, my agency has interns that can do a better compositing job than that. The thread's about photos, not illustrations ("illustration" is not defined by the materials one uses to create it). That cheapens every good photograph that's been posted so far. First photo (Blackjack and Bear) ain't bad but the third one is weak. Nothing wrong with a foreground object obscuring part of the subject, but it's got to be well done, halfway thought out (happy accidents happen, but not here). That might as well be a telephone pole in front of it. I'll tell you the same thing I told Su-34...

...you can't declare a photo "awesome" or "great" simply because the subject matter is something you feel strongly about. You can try to tell me that it's subjective, but I've been an Art Director for a long time now and that simply just isn't the case.

And for those who think I've been harsh today - understand that the best professor I ever had was once a freelance photographer for National Geographic. I witnessed people, grown adults, leave the studio in tears during his critiques, that's how brutal they were. The choice was simple, we could either develop a thick skin and improve the quality of our work or go do something else with our lives. So I signed up for every photography and graphic design class he taught and aced 'em all. I've been in the design/advertising business ever since and I constantly have to find photos or art direct photo shoots for my clients.

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