Mountains

I took this picture from the top of the ISAF HQ bldg at KAIA and cropped it down to look like a panoramic.  The entire city of Kabul is surrounded by mountains and when the sky is clear you can get some amazing views.

Catching my Breath

Hey everyone,

I wanted to drop a quick note to let everyone know where I've been and why I haven't been able to post much recently.  I'm finally hitting the home stretch with my deployment and it's busier than ever.  I've been working 14-15 hour days for the last several weeks trying to finish as many designs as I can before my replacement gets here.  I haven't forgotten photography though.

I'm right in the middle of writing up a review on Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua and hopefully I'll have it posted in the next week or so.  The book so far has been fantastic.  It's more of a textbook-like read but the information in second to none.  I'm really looking forward to finishing it and telling you all a little bit about what I've learned.

I really can't wait to get back to the States and really start studying my camera and applying all of the techniques I've learned while here.  I'll have two weeks at home for my rest and relaxation and then I'm going to head back to Chicagoland for a couple weeks.  I definitely plan on spending a couple days roaming downtown with my camera and I can't wait to get pictures uploaded!  As always, if you have anything you'd like me to discuss or have something you'd like me to review just shoot me a note.  Until next time, take care.

Sunset over the Flightline

I happened to be walking toward my truck tonight and I was absolutely taken aback by the sun.  I was also thankful for the promise I've made to myself to always have my camera with me.  My camera had a hard time focusing but it gives the picture the feel of a painting which I love.

Russian Aircraft Engines: Sense of Scale

I'm including this picture to give you a sense of how many engines were delivered.  If you can imagine, the pile is about 30 feet deep to my left and extends about 100 feet past me!  These engines were delivered to the airport because the US government was paying $30,000 a month to store them.  We asked the Afghans to turn them in for scrap metal since the engines are useless but they refused.  So, at least we found a place to store them for free.  This is probably one of the only pictures you'll ever see of me too, so enjoy :)

Russian Aircraft Engines

300 beat up Soviet-era aircraft engines were recently brought to the Air Corps compound to sit.  Most are from aircraft that no longer fly...  I was taking pictures of the whole group but decided I liked focusing on a few elements, in this case, the use of circles.