A yellow SNJ-6 Texan U.S. Navy World War II training aircraft diving down toward the airshow center line with a solid blue sky framing the background. White smoke puffs out and back from the fuselage as the plane gains speed.
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SNJ-6 Texan Aircraft Aviation Photography Information
Goal of the Photo
With this photo, the goal was to capture the raw kinetic energy of this powerful radial engine driven training aircraft as it performed aerobatic maneuvers. Airshow pilot Jeff Shetterly puts the over 75-year old aircraft through its paces during a dynamic performance during the Decatur, Illinois 75th Anniversary Airport Air Show.
The angle of dive produces an aggressive stance, along with the trailing white smoke form a powerful photo of a classic air show aircraft. The blue sky perfectly frames the yellow paint scheme of the plane creating a striking photo. The angle of both the plane as well as the perspective of the photo reminds me of a bird of prey gaining speed on its attack.
Photo Post Processing
Within Adobe Lightroom Classic, the exposure was slightly increased and the contrast was very slightly decreased to bring out the brilliance of the aircraft. Color temperature was lowered slightly and Whites, Blacks and Shadows were brought up. These changes brought out the real character of the photo bringing it to life. In Photoshop, the Corcoran Studio logo was added in the lower left and the image was sized appropriately for inclusion on the website.
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