Deuce

Opening shock is really, really hard on zoom lenses. I used my 28-200 a few times before I got a 100 prime, and the zoom mechanism got trashed from opening shock. So, if you are going to use a zoom anyhow, use the kit lens. I'm seeing more and more Zenitar's on the DZ, and for the money, it's the dog's bollocks. (Too much time in the company of UK residents )

I like to tell my students that they should start their flare when they are standing on the balcony of a two story condo on the beach. You will be at about 10 to 12 feet above the ground when you are standing on the balcony of a two story building with standard 8 foot ceilings. So, go stand on a balcony like that and see what the horizon looks like, and get a feel for it in your peripheral vision. Maybe that will help.

Saturday.

Oh, really? Check the attached and try and find anything like it. http://www.poxon.org/craig/skydive/images/wingsuit/hercules2004/pages/IMG_6207%20copy.html As to subject matter, most everybody in skydiving specializes in one discipline (or one of the "classic" disciplines as Fordy would say ) because of time and money limitations. Haven't got mine yet, but I'm curious about it now.

Ach! I got to try the new Cola-flavored kind. It is the hard liquor that every 8th grader dreams about.

Still putting my magazine submittals in. You in this one, Thomas? So much freaking fun. Even with the crappy foam party pictures that covered my locker when I got home.

Sweden! I'm on the left the guy made of leather, CDB is in the middle, and Jari the birdman is putting his tongue in CDB's ear. Jari fed me Salmiakki, though. So he can ear-rape anybody I know...

Dude, the response is "Hey Deuce, that would be ME" Thanks for sharing the jumps! Again, you tearing by me at terminal handholding that rig was just one of THE coolest things I have ever seen in freefall. I really hope I get to come back in two years so I can pick your brain some more. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the only Finnish I currently know is "Salmiakki!"

I just got back from almost a month in England and Sweden. (thanks again, Skreamer! I promise not to darken your doorway until I get my frequent flier miles back up!) Swedes were like Northern Californians where everybody was blonde, pretty much, and had ice cream every day with lunch. Met a ton of Hollish people, and mucho Finns. I like drinking with the Finns best, and drinking Finnish booze with this one Swede in particular. The Herc Boogie is like any great boogie, but more "in ordnung". The rules are clear and simple, and the penalty is exactly as described. I love the place (Europe) and the people. As a Yankee, though, I think the degree of socialism there takes better care of the majority, but holds back the truly gifted. So, mondo entrepreneurs like Jari and Henri come to the US to make their fortunes, and bless us with their culture and ways. My Euro freinds Gareth, Ben, and Iwan are evidence of how effort is better rewarded here, but "regular" guys like me would probably do better in a lovely more socialist European culture. Sweden was very much like an organized California. The people are GREAT.

Nah, the Herc inspires great bouts of creativity in people who originally intend to exit stable, but get inspired to dabble in new disciplines like sit flying and freestyle. I would say that the skydiver in orange and white was simply inspired by the super-terminal airspeed of the herc. Most of the organizers discouraged such creativity, but as a camera flier, I found it quite fascinating. So fascinating, in fact, I was inspired twice to do unique camera flights of my own creation!

No argument, but it is astoundingly badass to watch.

The man can dance, but the singing voice.... Thanks for the fun, Andy. Both Andy's...

Please see attached, and come back. What's wrong with the picture? The guy is hand holding his Canon with the ( I think its a ) 100-200 mm Image Stabilization lens. He exits the Herc handholding it. He flies way above the skydive and visually frames, via the viewfinder, the shots he wants. He even alters the zoom for cropping. In freefall. At the Herc Boogie, if your assigned organizer isn't manifested for a while, you can go along as second camera with other organizers, with their permission. Heck we even had as many as four on some loads. Anyhow, one of the most astounding things I've ever seen in the sky was this guy, he's a Finn named Ola, I think (Somebody please correct me as I'm probably wrong) continuing past me in freefall after I deployed, taking pictures and framing as he went by at terminal. We had agreed on in before hand, but seeing it was just amazing. I wish I spoke Finnish so I could have asked him more questions, but I did find out that learning this technique only cost him one camera. At pull time he clicks it into this carabiner thing on his chest strap.

That's 15 skydivers a load, right? With camera? Two things: one, in the bigger picture, that is not a lot of skydivers if everybody follows the rules. Two, what were the rules. Bill's statement about spiralling down out of big ways is different than the rules I had to follow at the sequential record last April, and the Herc boogie that we just finished. Rules there were 90 degree turns only (I got dinged for doing a flat 180 at Herc, one more and I'd have gotten axed) no spiraling down, no hooks. So, at Herc, we had 40+ skydivers in each narrow landing area, and at Z-hills we had 130-something (at the beginning) landing in one very big landing area. So, 15 way should be able to play nice in one landing area, and however many it is should all follow the rules (whatever they may be) Most RW folks want to see the initiation of the track as it is an important part of the skydive. Even if the camera flier pulls at the same altitude as the competitors, the camera flier should have just as much separation as everybody else, if they have decent tracking skills.

Nice pics Tony! I especially like the low light photos with the fill flash. Still using the Kodak? What lens? -and thanks for sharing.

WHat's his face was in the clan once. You guys get any skydiving in lately? Dog days of summer for sure....

I'm cleaning up my files before posting stuff to my shutterfly site, and wanted to share some of these. I must say, the organization of the boogie was utterly amazing. The cooperation between the volunteer organizers and the military was a model of efficiency and civility. One cool thing was that since we were "military" jumping we could jump through a completely closed cloud deck. I mean, no ground anywhere to be seen. The bottom of the deck had to be above 4500 feet, and we were usually right above the DZ. I had only one out landing, and we were way the f out. Nice chance to chat with John LeBlanc as we walked back. Anyhow, about the volunteers who make this whole thing happen. Thank you. The food was great, the parties were epic, and the jumping and new friendship memories will last a lifetime. I am actively pursuing the rights to distribute Salmiaki in the United States. One of these pics is of Schwede on the mixed team of Markku's Finnish supersonic base team and Gareth's international men and women from U.N.C.L.E. It was the second to last jump of the boogie, my 32nd and last for Herc Boogie 2004. I'll be putting more up here as I go through them, and I should have the whole thing up sometime tomorrow.

Shut up, Remi. That said, it is very different from culture to culture. I tried to tip one of my packers in Sweden and she would have none of it. Insisted on giving me exact change. My other packer would let me round up small amounts, but returned change if it was around 50 crowns. (Just over $5, if I'm doing the conversion right) and that's for a whole DAY of packing. I never expect tips, but they are appreciated.

I have the Canon 20 and the Sigma 14 aspherical. I had serious condensation problems with my 14 in Sweden. We don't get much humidity in California, but at about 6 or 7 grand in Sweden, I'd get condensation right in the center of the 14. So, I shot big exit shots with the 14 and then switched to the 20 for the bulk of the formation pictures. A European camera flier told me the 14 is problematic in humid climates, and I have to agree. Something to think about. It's also scary hanging that big exposed piece of glass out. At least on the 20 you can put a UV filter on it.

What he said. But, I'm willing to take the extra neck grief for some of the shots I can get with the 10D, that I might not get with the 300d. Particularly on my recent Herc boogie outing. Big groups getting out of that thing as it hauls across the sky really made me appreciate that 9 shot burst and then the follow-on quick shots. For just about everything, the 300D is a great camera that does it all. I would not wonk around with the firmware.

I did that a while back. Like a year ago with the Kenko and my Diamond. It's here somewhere.

Sounds fun.. how big is the record now?

The weight loss got you proselytizing, JP? I'm proud of your discipline and glad for your health and fitness. Just ignore the people that see something different in the mirror than you do.

Careful. Skreamer can be dangerous with a plank! OK, I'm done being a good photo-monkey emailing pictures home to be submitted for publication. Off to the imperial war museum!

Yes. Lovely photos.