I am amazed by the precision and control at such high speeds that are required for this type of display, but of course this is also the culmination of hours upon hours of training and practice.
Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend I was able to enjoy the Air Show at Rhyl and one of the attractions was the ever popular RAF Display Team the Red Arrows. I was lucky because the weather was perfect and the sky almost totally cloudless. The flying display was superb and luckily for me the team got to complete the full display, the following day it was cut short due to a bird strike smashing the cockpit of one of the jets although fortunately no one was hurt and the pilot was able to get back to base with one of his colleagues providing an escort.
I have lots of images of the Red Arrows on the day so narrowing it down to just a few is incredibly difficult. I will share some over the next few days showing different manoeuvres, and while the still image doesn't really do justice to the skill, the drama and the overall spectacle they are still pretty cool.
Given that these are famed as the Red Arrows and the planes are bright red you might wonder why the first image I have included in todays post is black and white. Well the answer is simple I was experimenting, and to me at least the image works really well. By increasing the contrast slightly I have been able to emphasise the speed of the turn and I think it highlights the swirls in the smoke trails to great effect.
The next two images are more traditional colour shots which look great but of the three I think my favourite is the first image. Let me know your thoughts.
The first image is taken from one of the towers looking along the ramparts and into the distance towards Germany. This region was hotly contested throughout the centuries and changed hands between France and Germany several times. The castle itself has fallen into ruin and been reconstructed over time too and is now a remarkable place to visit.
The second image is og a sculpture that sits on top of the well in the inner courtyard. I wish I could say more about it but sadly I didn't pay enough attention to the information display so all I can say is that it is an interesting sculpture of a mermaid.
The final image is of the main staircase which leads from the inner courtyard and is housed in a hexagonal tower. Can you tell whether you are looking up or down the stairs?
I have had many mental debates about whether I should post this image because it is a candid shot of two unknown children. I was visiting a castle in Alsace and making my way through the different rooms when I spotted this scene. One parent was standing in the way to create space while the other parent was trying to capture a photo of their children. Without thinking I captured the moment from where I was standing, but in the low light and without adjusting my settings I wasn't sure what I would get.
A little further on when I had chance to look at this image I realised that it was quite special but by then it was too late to speak to the parents to offer to share it with them.
I wasn't sure whether I should post this stolen moment, even now as I am writing this I am hesitating, but in the end I have decided that it is too good not to share. I love this picture, I love the joy captured in the moment, I love the light and shadows and I love the wonder of the little child with arms outstretched as if to say "Look at this!"
