We had a great time with everyone who came to our meetup at the Jefferson Memorial to watch the World War II warbirds fly over D.C. on May 8. Thanks again to the wonderful Colonel Scott Willey, who told us all about what was flying over. We got a couple of you lucky ducks VIP access to the roof of the tallest building in Rosslyn, and tons of you scattered around D.C. getting whatever sights you could. Here are the best shots from the #WW2Flyover:
Chris Williams and His Mechanical Miracles: Tips for Photographing Airplanes
Photography by Chris Williams
This Friday May 8, WWII planes are flying over the National Mall. To enjoy the sky parade, Exposed DC is hosting an event around the Jefferson Memorial. Photographing airplanes flying in the sky can be complicated—timing is everything. To help anyone bringing their camera down to the Mall, I asked aviation photography expert, Chris Williams, who also taught our Knowledge Commons class at Gravelly Point last fall, a few questions about his craft and to share a few tips about capturing great aeronautical images.
Photograph the WW2 Flyover of the National Mall on May 8 with Exposed DC!
Update: Our National Parks permit was approved! We’ll have a small tent and rest area, and Exposed magazines available for sale. We’ll have our banners out so we’ll be easy to find!
Living in the nation’s capital affords us some unique opportunities for photography. On May 8, 2015, we’re about to get a doozy. Between 30 and 60 airplanes that flew in World War II are going to do a flyover of the National Mall to celebrate the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) day.
Join Exposed DC for a meetup at the Jefferson Memorial, where we’ll get an incredible view over the water of the airplanes flying at 1,000 feet over Independence Avenue. The first aircraft will fly over the Lincoln Memorial at 12:10 p.m., and the flyover is expected to last between 25 and 40 minutes.
We’ll also have a special guest: Colonel Scott Willey of the U.S. Air Force (retired). Scott Willey is a retired US Air Force colonel who has been around airplanes all his life. He is the senior docent at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center, is a volunteer member of the restoration team that works on all of the museum’s artifacts, and lectures widely on aerospace topics. In addition, he is the principal author of the nearly 1800-page set of docent guides that covers both the Mall and Udvar-Hazy displays.
You can find tons of information about the flyover at Air & Space Magazine, which is the media sponsor for the event (and where your lovely Exposed DC director is an editor), including other viewing sites if you sadly don’t wish to join us, what aircraft will be flying over, and WWII-era spotter cards you can download and print, or view directly on your smartphone.
Stay tuned for more info, including swag from Exposed DC, photography tips from our aircraft spotter experts, and more!