Lately, I have received quite a few comments on this photo of Steve Sorg and his plane. Most people ask how in the world I got a shot in front of Steve with the runway in the background. One person asked me if I was on a tower with a long lens, another asked if I had a timer or a remote shutter release.

     The paper was doing a story on Steve’s refurbished classic plane. I met him at Palmyra Airport for the shoot. Afterward, Steve asked me if I wanted to take a ride. There are two cockpits in his plane; the one in back is where Steve was flying the plane. The other cockpit is located in front of the other and is a very small space, consisting of a seat and a bar handhold. Realizing that the limited space wouldn’t allow me to take my regular camera and gear bag, I decided to take my little Canon point and shoot. Once we took off, I was glad I made that choice. The force of the wind on an open cockpit would have prevented me from getting pictures with my other camera. But the little point and shoot that I bought from the clearance table for $150 was perfect. I was able to hold the camera above my head without it flying out of my hand and get the pictures I wanted. When we did a fly-by of the Lake Lawn airport and pulled up I snapped this photo. There is about a second or two delay with a point and shoot so I had to think ahead and even then I wasn’t sure if I got what I wanted until we landed.
The photo took a second place in the Wisconsin News Press Association in the portrait personality category. What I like best about the photo is that is was made without a big expensive camera. I’ve made several presentations to 4H groups and use this photo to illustrate the point that a great photo is up to the photographer and his/her vision; it’s not about having big, fancy equipment. You can have a point and shoot camera and still get a great photo.