Where are the days when you can leave all the developing decision to your trusty photo finisher?

Shooting RAW has almost nothing to do with colour burn out and once the colour is already burnt out there is nothing you can do to bring them back.

Honestly I’ve never been impressed by the quality of work from the “trusty photo finisher”. Scratches on negatives, bad colour correction, etc. In addition to that, especially ground-to-air photography, often requires some final cropping to make a pleasant composition. Therefore some 40 years ago I made the decision to do all darkroomwork myself (B&W and colour negative). Compared to learning how to use programs like photoshop, learning how to frame, expose, colour correct and develop films and prints requires quite a bit more of effort and cost.

Colour burnt out has indeed to do with the initial (over)exposure, but this is very much the same with using colour positive film. Burnt out parts can never be regained. However, when using RAW digital and provided that you watch out for overexposure by checking the histograms regularly, many corrections in exposure, colour and contrast can be made in postprocessing which would not be possible with film in the same quality.

Having said that, I will continue to use both digital and film (especially for B&W).

Since a few months I’ve turned digital with a Nikon D2X. The resolution, sharpness and colour fidelity of this camera surpasses anything I’ve used in film camera’s, including medium format. Not to mention its speed ……………

Mil Helicopters

A few old photo’s, which I took of Mil helicopters in 1966 at Schiphol and 1967 at the Paris Show. They include the MI-10 and MI-6 at Schiphol and the Mil-10K and Mil-6 together at the Paris Airshow.

You may have noticed that the MI-6 Hook at Schiphol Airport is the same one as the MI-6 at the Paris 1967 photo. This aircraft, reg. CCCP-06174, was demonstrated in Paris in a fire fighting role. Later that year CCCP-06174 crashed in the south of France while on a fire fighting mission.

And another bunch…….

G-HUNT

Here’s one taken at Soesterberg Airbase (NL) in 1981 (if my memory is correct). It’s not a very good one I’m afraid. Taken in very bad weather conditions.

I think the Hunter is a Navy FRADTU (Fleet Requirements and Drogue Towing Unit) aeroplane which in the early 1970s was based at Bournemouth Hurn. I suspect they operated some Sea Vixens too.

In 1970 I followed an approach radar course at the College of Air Traffic Control at Hurn. Whe also did practice surveillance radar approaches with aircraft returning from drogue towing missions. Those were mainly Meteor’s and Scimitar’s.