Willie is an outstanding pilot! A delightful person and friend with extensive knowledge of Kodiak Island. Not only can his flying skills take you further – his knowledge of its terrain makes every flight an incredible adventure – it makes every flight an experience unlike any other! How could one person sum all that up so succinctly? “My goal for this photo was to portray his office, the cockpit of a Beaver; his home outside, Kodiak; as well as showing how romantic he is! So much had to go into one photo; unfortunately there was only one lens choice: Z14-24f2.8 at 14mm.” This lens is simply extraordinary! There was limited room up front between Willie and I so I went small with the Z 6II lens. Pushing myself as far back in the corner as I could without touching any pedals or pushing on the stick was challenging – hence why I asked Willie about our flyout. As soon as he informed me we’d be climbing out to the north before turning east for an ascent and crossing, I knew my moment had arrived. With Willie secured in a bank, the Beaver could give me direct sunlight while also casting some illumination onto him. As Willie was sitting forward and pulling back his head as much as was comfortable and still allowed for flying, I set up for a starburst effect by closing down all apertures to maximum and watching light travel towards Willie before starting to click and deal with its wide effect. The story behind the click lies within this click; that was how it happened!
