I can't quit looking at these photos! It was fun being the subject for once.
I learned a lot from this shoot. I had no idea how long we were in the air. It was extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally.
I've flown a lot of formation, so that wasn't an issue, but circling and watching nothing but the photo plane for so long was stressing. When we were done, they asked me if I knew where I was and how to get back to the airport. I had to look around for a minute to figure it out, but I'm familiar with the area. In the future, I'll think about how disoriented someone could be. I will tell you that during the shoot, I would occasionally see the lake out of my peripheral vision, but other than that I had no idea where I was at.
The other thing I learned was how difficult it can be to get into position. I fly a lot of aerobatics and will say I have pretty good control of my plane. When he asked me to point the nose at him, it took me a couple of tries. Getting the nose turned in without running into him took some thought! Right wing down, left rudder in, and hold... easy enough without another plane next to you!
Anyway, lots of fun and good experience I'll carry with me when taking photos of you guys!
