gthomas101

Thats the difference between a photographer that has spent the years and dedication to learn the craft of making a image and someone that screws a camera to a helmet and jumps out of a airplane. the dedication that comes from making a image with a 4x5 or a 8x10 takes time and mistakes, and more time and more time. But then again ive spent thousands of dollars learning the craft with film before digital came along. The photos are kinda boring without skydivers in it, but they do tell a story and thats what a image is all about, not showing off the egos of our buddies in freefall. but then again thats alot of fun also, so what the hell do I know. I thinks it pretty cool he set up a project, saw it though and has the respect of one of the top photogs in the world, he just wrote his ticket into nice career. gthomasphoto.com

I heard the only obstacles that gets run into at MRVS is Toms car. On a serious note though MRVS is the best place to jump in the midwest except oklahoma now theres a state with the best jumpers around. gthomasphoto.com

heres a couple recent ones! gthomasphoto.com

I have video of me passing by a guy close enough you can see the stiching on the canopy, at first i wanted to blame the other guy, even though he was not where he was supposed to be according to the dive plan, then after a couple hundred camera jumps later I come to relize I have a big red x and everybody is out to kill me if they are given a chance, I also have video of somebody dumping after a 8 way and they swore to me and the other 7 people they track long and hard then I showed the video on the big screen and the story changed. I sometimes get a hard time because I go over the plan ever single jump many times over and over and over and I always get the same thing" dont worry dude" and my response is I have a ten year old to go home to and yoour not going to be the reason Im not going to see her. I dont care if I have a rep for being anal about plans but if they want to see there faces on print then its my rules if not Ill sit on my ass and drink a soda. So its up to me to save my life everysingle time if somebody kills me I have come to relize its my fault for letting them do it to me. Im glad everything came out ok, way to @#$$ close. gthomasphoto.com

The only bad thing is now Im really going to miss every one of you guy, I want all of you bastards to think of me while your packing in a airconditioned building while Im getting @#$% red dirt up my ass. as usual the everybody showed up suited up steped up to the plate to put on one hell of a boogie, now if the SOB can control the weather he would be bullet proof. Ill miss MRVS and the knuckleheads. Gary gthomasphoto.com

Allright I can see where this is going, Im just warning anybody that wakes me up at 2 in the morning to go get pizza can kiss my @#$. gthomasphoto.com

Looks like the river rats are at it again. I think you forgot to mention the bus surfing event. Looking forward to the weekend. gthomasphoto.com

In the middle of the dive she unzipped her jump suit and pulled this camera out and took my photo, pretty crazy and a first for me and the TM. just another day at the dropzone!!!! gthomasphoto.com

As far as the drinking thing going on I dont know and cant say for sure, as far as a group leaving the dropzone after watching a 206 not have such a good day and going to another dopzone and doing there tandems there I can say 110% this happened, because well I photographed everyone of them and listened to the stories, some of the stories were typical non jumper stories, I dont know about you guys but I have seen my share of 182s jump started with a pickup, Ive seen planes blow engines , but some of the stories hit the nail right on the head. The reason I replied to this is the couple of threads attacking the reason for this post, is it politics to give a shit about the skydiving community in KC well maybe you can call it what you want, but ask yourself this since the tandem accident a few weeks back how many of you have been ask about this, 75% of our students know about it and ask about it, and that happend in another state, so lets say something happens in little old hickville MO just out side of KC at the largest dropzone in kansas city just how many of the tandems are going to give us a call and say hey did you here about somebody getting hurt and by the way can I come spend 200 bucks. so everybody that calls this dropzone politics can well for the lack of a better word F#%$OFF. this about keeping things real and making skydives in the safest way possible. Oh and if this post weems a little grumpy welp its monday and I jumped my ass off this weeked and Im tired and my ex wife has all of my money but I still stand on the F^$% OFF statement. gthomasphoto.com

ok ive been lurking for awhile so i thought i would post a couple. gthomasphoto.com

Description: The Kansas City Skydiving Center is the largest dropzone in the Kansas City area. We are the only full-time turbine dropzone, offering jumps from 14,000 feet out of our Cessna Super Caravan. The Kansas City Skydiving Center strives to be the most fun-jumper-friendly dropzone in the area, and offers free load organizing, events every weekend, and discounted weekday jumps. The Kansas City Skydiving Center is the place you'll want to call home. " Im looking for the weekday discount jumps as well as three people that are looking to make tandems for the first time that know I jump, they went onto the internet and found there sight and ask if this place would be better to jump at than the place I do because they are the largest one in the KC Area, I told them they may be the largest but without a aircraft to get them to 14,000ft its going to be kinda hard to make a tandem. This is the heartburn alot of people in the area are having and this is the point I brought up two months ago, these folks came in under the radar , promised alot and are not giving what they promised. They said the weather for the weekend was looking good and they were going to have another turbine, just like they said they are the largest in the area, these may be marketing issues but it is still not the truth and it only hurts the student and tandem bussiness in the area. As Ive said before you can put jelly on a shit sandwich but its still a shit sandwich. but then again its sunday and raining so Im bored. gthomasphoto.com

ok I think my post came off a little wrong, I should say that after I made my first jump I relized I had found something I had always looked for, I loved the smell of a canopy, I still love the smell of of a canopy, along with the cool air as the door opens, the view looking down towards the ground hanging off the step of a 182, everything about this sport and packing my own chute made me feel more like I was apart of it, and the DZO pushed learning everything about the sport early because after all jumping is only part of the sport. as for the most important part of packing for me is , the slider and the PC. As the DZO used to tell me, pack like your life depends on it!! gthomasphoto.com

What I find funny is that there are folks out there with 50 to 100 jumps that have only packed a few times, Packing is not a hard thing to do, remember we are skydivers it needs to be easy for us. On the other hand I was taught to pack after my second jump and I jumped my first pack job on my first clear and pull, but that was just the way we were taught, the buddy I went through my trining with did the same thing. Oh yea I also was spoting the airplane by jump 8, which is also a lost art these days. So I say throw it in the bag make sure everything is clear, smile as you leave the airplane. and remember jump numbers dont mean shit when your packing. gthomasphoto.com

"Clearly they played a bit with reality in describing themselves as a long standing place that was 'closed for winter' until April 1 rather than a new one. But that's marketing again." My ex wife did this and it cost me a hell of a lot, and as old boy told me once "the truth is the truth and when you just told me a half truth you just lied" but what the hell did he know he was my grandad and he had just caught me burning up the south forty. I agree I think this has gotten a little over the top but hey you guys are keeping me amused, but here is what I dont understand, the web site says hot showers, which by the way I dont give a shit about just ask the staff at MRVS on sunday, they also advertise alot and have none of it, somebody in another thread let use know that his money is going to the best possible place to jump, If I read the web sight threw my gear in the car headed out to find a shed in a feild, I might wonder a little about the rest of the operation, now if they had on there web sight a photo of a shed and didnt say they had these things I wouldnt give a shit, I would climb my fat ass up into the plane enjoy. my point being be truthful up front about the operation, let the people in the city know whats up, dont come in throught the back door. skydivers dont really give a shit about this stuff as long as they have 60 secs to flail around int he sky but the locals do becasue they are not going to get a pay off as we are. you can believe all of this because my exwife tells me im a smart ass all the time. gthomasphoto.com

bad, bad day, nothing but 14,000 ft jumps, tandems falling out of the sky with big smiles, experienced jumpers making killer dives and wonderful sunset jumps. Ill be thinking about you guys out there tommorrow having all that fun. gthomasphoto.com

ok, just thought I would say how much fun we had last weekend. I suppose Ill have to jump out of the bird agin on Saturday. gthomasphoto.com

3 loads in a a little over a hour friday, 25 loads sat, good dives, cameras not working like they should, good friends, really old stories from the old days around the campfire "not sure if they are true since i couldnt even drive when they happened", good food, alot of smiles, packing way to fast, meeting new really kick ass people I hope to get to meet again, alot of wind, more wind , and more wind and by the way did i mention wind, a great sunset load with all the different DZOs from the area. I had a great weekend with all me old and new friends and I would like to thank, Tom, Chris, and Jen and everyone else that put this thing on, and Pattie for the free soda, Tim for flying his ass off. This weekend reminded me thats is not the size of the bird but the friend on the plane with you. gthomasphoto.com

lets see I read somthing about a porter and food, but what we really want to know is when are the Gofast girls getting there. gthomasphoto.com

This thread is about a upcoming boogie, not why experienced skydivers are leaving KC, There was only one attack, a little over the top but I think every skydiver in the area is feeling a little pressure right now, there are some really good changes happening right now, I think for the most part in the end Skydiving in the KC Area will only benifit from all the changes, My first dropzone I started at there was only two experienced people I think they had around 100 jumps or so, ever sat around 6 am we would be at the airport "all four of us including the DZO, ready to jump as this was in western kansas the winds would come up around 10 or so, we would jump aour asses off then set around and talk about the jumps and what it would be like to jump with others, Ive also jumped at big dropzones with alot of people blasting in the landing area, Ive meet alot of people in this sport good and bad. For me this comes down to one thing, who I jump with makes the jump, who I drink a cold soda with at the end of the day makes this sport, yea I dont drink beer with the knuckleheads. who packs my reserve makes the sport, who has taught me to fly camera makes the sport. Every sunday night i drag my tired ass home and the first thing I do is look though the 1000 or so photos I took that weekend and I feel good about jumping with these folks, do I like everything about them , hell no, do they put up with my picky ass when I ask them to stand in one place for a photo, hell yes. . for some reason. The facilties at MRVS are the best in the area, the extra ham pattie puts on my sandwich every sat and sunday makes my fat ass smile, the staff at MRVS are some of the best I have ever been around, and yes the hot showers are nice, The cookers that are going to be full during the boogie are going to be kick ass. All I know is if this was a 182 boogie I would still be there, I would be pissed about not going to 12,500 but I would still be there becuase the thing I learned in 1992 when I made my first jump its not about the plane your jumping out of , its about the guy or gal across from you in that kick ass sunset load. Im looking forward to jumping with the skydivers from the two other dropzones , All I have ever heard is good things about chris and jen, Its going to be a dam good weekend. Since My ex wife says Im a know it all smart ass you guys can take all of this to heart. gthomasphoto.com

this last saturday on a three way one guy went low, I stayed with the other two, got a opening shot of one guy, back fliped threw out the chute and watched as the low guy threw his out directly below me I missed him by maybe 10 ft but he caught my right side, very scary shit, new rule in my book ,,,, If i cant see everybody, the dives over for me. the video makes my ass slam shut everytime i see it. gthomasphoto.com

"When you where busy researching at your Dz did you see anywhere in those rules that you have to be a uspa member to make a skydive? The answer to that is NO, you do not have to belong to the USPA to skydive! " If I had my way I would spend the 50 bucks I sent to uspa on a couple of jumps, but its the game we play. If your going to be a USPA dropzone and get help from the top dogs there, shouldnt you have to play the game also? Thats just my opinion. Im not questioning you Joe but I think this is a valid point. I dont know the new people but as with us all when we show up to a new dropzone all we have to prove ourselves is out log books and ratings and membership. When I go to a new dropzone I always check out whos plane and facilities I will be risking my life in. This is from experience not just something I thought up one day. gthomasphoto.com

First off I know both dropzone owners and I know for a fact that they would never speak a bad word about skydiving or bash the sport. I agree with every skydiver out there that the higher we go and the faster we can get back in the air makes us all happy skydivers. But, at what cost? I also agree it would be nice to have a turbin in the kansas city area, but before we all jump for joy lets ask our neighbors on the other side of the state how the drozones are doing with turbins, are they making money are they feeding there families with a turbine. Face it folks , If you own a dropzone you are a bussiness owner and you have to make money, the DZOs that were there at the meeting were invited they did not just show up. They have a right to voice there opinions on a subject that might take food from there families mouths and yes Im sure they are concerned, wouldnt you be? They also have a right to be concerned about safety, after all what the new dropzone does affects everybody, no person out there wanting to make a tandem wants to see a incident on the evening news. I think the biggest problem I see is a new dropzone with big promises coming in , stiring up the pot and not staying in bussiness. In the mean time dropzones in the area that have worked there asses off to make a living here for years might not be able to make it through this, in my opinion. Now my biggest bitch about all of this is the post on on the events forum promises wonderful boogies, hot air , and so on, this is all great but if this area could support that wouldnt you think it would already be happening, as the old boys back home would say you can put jellie on a shit sandwich but its still going to taste like shit. now thats my one jab and ill leave it at that. I hope the new DZOs will learn something from this skydivers are fickle and they will go somewhere else if somthing better comes along, except for the ones who are loyal to there dropzones. are you going to have enough loyal people just starting out to pay for a turbine or are you going to find out why there are only 182 dropzones in the area. alright now you whinning bastards can fire away. but this weekend im going to my dropzone and jump out of my little 182 and smile a hell of alot because the DZO needs dumbasses like me to jump when is really fucking cold out so they can keep the doors open. Gary gthomasphoto.com

I thought this was kick ass, simple and yes somthing that looks pretty easy to do, Sombody that makes there living form video work might not be impressed, As a photographer I have made money from my art, every photo contest I have ever entered I have either won or placed in the top third in every class, then one year a nobody took a shot of the crowning of miss kansas, looked like a pretty easy shot to me and I didnt give it a second look, the bastard beat me out of best of show, The photo I entered I risk my life to get, It was lightining striking a grain elevator during a sunset storm, one I have made alot of money from, I was pissed and told the judge this, but after three years of thinking about this I have learned even the simplest shots may bring out somthing in the veiwers eyes , and to me this is all that counts. some of the best shots I got I use skills I learned in the beginning of taking photos. gthomasphoto.com

Im not sure what im looking for, Im looking for a 8mm player and recorder so we do not need to use the cameras to edit with. What are these called and where do I look for one. thanks Gary gthomasphoto.com

When shooting with a high key backround, I always shoot in manual, I meter for the sky and stop the camera down so that my shutter speed is where i want it, 200 if i want to stop the action and slower if i want to catch some action is the photo, I hand hold the flash away from the camera which i also set manually, I hold the flash off to the left and above so it will help cover the area better. with a 15 mm lense it will not cover the entire frame but it will help, the trick is to get the photo looking somewhat like you didnt use a flash. If you turn the flash up a stop or two and use some kind of relfector while hand holding it cover a wider angle and give it a softer light on the subject. I have found that letting the camera do my thinking I get the photo the camera wants and not the one I want. But im a control freak, so my ex says so I would not listen to a word I have just said. Gary T. gthomasphoto.com