Author Archives: Rob

Reflection Removing – Choose Settings Wisely

A previous post had looked at what was, at that time, a development feature in Photoshop that removed reflections from images. Adobe puts development items in Photoshop first to get user experience with them before rolling them out to the software suite. Since Camera Raw and Lightroom’s develop module are basically the same, once it becomes a production item, it also makes it into Lightroom. Such is the case with the reflection removal tool.

I have used it a few times on shots, and it does work pretty well. It isn’t perfect but can be effective. I tried it out on a Typhoon that was refuelling from a Voyager. Shooting through the windows of the Voyager can be a bit tricky and the reflection removal tool can really help. I gave it a go, and the reflection was swiftly taken out. However, when I checked the rest of the image, I saw that a lot of detail in the shot was gone. It was at this point that I realised that the tool has three settings. I was on Preview. I switched to Best and, while the processing took a lot longer, lo and behold the detail was restored.

I have the overall photo above with the before and after versions for a comparison. Beneath I have two crops of the larger image with the Preview and Best settings. I won’t say which is which, but I think it should be pretty obvious. The tool defaults to Preview when you use it so, if you give it a try, don’t be put off if the initial results are disappointing. Make sure to experiment with the settings.

Another Caterpillar Web

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When Nancy and I were in Nanaimo, I took some photos of a web of caterpillars that were on a bush alongside the path we were on. More recently, we were up near Bembridge windmill on the Isle of Wight so I could take some photos of the windmill as the evening sun was lighting it up. As I walked back to the car, I could see something in the hedges and went to take a look. Tuns out it was the same thing. Seeing such a dense cluster of caterpillars is a touch surprising and I would have spent longer checking them out but the others were waiting for me, so I made it quick.

Paint Finish on the Other Bucc

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When I visited The Buccaneer Aviation Group’s event at Kemble, the second airframe was in the process of being prepared for repainting. That is well advanced at the time of writing but, on this day, the airframe had been rubbed back to prepare it. The resulting finish gave a mottled look to the jet, and I thought it could have made a cool idea for a camouflage scheme of its own. I found the patterns it made really appealing.

The jet no longer looks like this so it will be in a historically accurate scheme when next I see it. However, some of these details of the paint are definitely worth remembering.

Washing the Posh Boat

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As the ferry was leaving Portsmouth for the Isle of Wight, I saw this small boat moored up at the marina. Clearly some people like to have larger boats than I have chosen to get! No idea who it belongs to or whether it is one that you charter for events. Either way, as we pulled away, I realised that there were a couple of crew members suspended on the side of the boat cleaning things up. Clearly a nicer time to do this when in port rather than underway. I hope they got everything looking spiffy before the boss showed up!

Amelia, You’re Breaking My Heart

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Okay, maybe it should be Cecilia, and you aren’t really breaking my heart, but I just liked the thought of the song. I had never heard of the airline called Amelia. It is a small French airline that does a bunch of charter and government work as well as operating some wet lease services. They had an A320 parked up on a gate a couple down from my departing flight from Lyon. I know someone whose daughter is called Amelia, and he is quite partial to aircraft. Surely, he didn’t name her after an airline? At least he didn’t name her EasyJet!

Roses Almost at Their Peak

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We took a trip to Mottisfont to see the rose garden. At this time of year, it is supposed to be at its best, so we made the short trip there one Sunday. We weren’t the only ones, which was no surprise. Even early in the day, the overflow car park was in use. As it turned out, we were all a bit late. The blooms had peaked early this year which, given how warm the spring has been is probably not hard to understand.

Even though the peak might have passed, there were still ample flowers to see, and they didn’t look too shabby. Getting shots of the larger garden with so many people in it wasn’t really going to be easy. Instead, I figured it was just a case of minimising the significance of the people where possible. Then you can go for some of the close ups of the individual roses. So many people were taking tons of photos with their phones. I wonder how many of them will ever be looked at let alone shared.

My First Encounter with an Emirates A350

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The history of Emirates and the A350 is one that probably doesn’t make anyone in either Emirates or Airbus happy. They were an early customer for the type but, when Airbus decided to go for a larger engine for the A350-1000, Emirates was really unhappy and cancelled its orders. It was a long time before they decided that the A350-900 should indeed be part of the fleet.

There is still a debate going on about whether they will take the A350-1000 based on engine durability issues in Middle East conditions so who knows what will come. Anyway, all of that is a long-winded way of getting to the fact that the first of their jets have now been delivered. I went to Lyon for a quick work trip and didn’t know that Emirates was using its new jets there.

As we landed, I saw one holding for departure and got some shots through the window of the plane I was on as it departed. A couple of days later, I was departing, and the inbound Emirates had just landed. It was taxiing in as we took off. Some sort of symmetry there. No doubt I’ll see loads of them over time.

Jackdaws After the Scraps

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There is a nice café and bar at the Marina over on the Duver in St Helens. When visiting, we have been known to stop over there for a snack or some refreshments. The local jackdaw population also really likes it. I don’t know whether they would consider buying their own stuff, but they do like to see what is left by any of the other patrons. They are definitely wary of the humans but, if you don’t move too much, they get progressively closer.

I find them fun to watch. Crows and ravens appeal to me anyway but the grey feathers around the head of the jackdaws make them look a little different. I got some wider views of them including some video. I did also go for some closer shots of the birds when they would be near enough for me to do so. The details in the feathers when you look close at them is really interesting to me.

Tip Toe the Dragon Rapide in the Crosswinds

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I’m pretty sure that, over the years, I have posted about the Dragon Rapide. It was the first plane I ever flew in, and I have seen a few over the years. When I went to Shuttleworth’s show recently, there was a Rapide undertaking pleasure flights. I suspect I might add more pictures of it to this blog before too long, but I am going to start with some images of it landing. There was quite a strong crosswind when I arrived at the airfield and the pilot was quite busy bringing the plane in. A nice bit of wing down technique and she kept this old taildragger under control. A little later the wind was really making things interesting, and it was the other wheel that was brought down first!

Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport TGV Station

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I took the rail service from the heart of Lyon out to the airport. It dropped us off next to the TGV station from which it was a short(ish) walk to the terminal. (The sign doesn’t lie about how many minutes it is to get to the terminal, but it doesn’t highlight that the time is to the beginning of the terminal and the bits you want are quite a bit further on to walk!) Anyway, I digress. The TGV station itself is a really stunning piece of architecture. The curves and vaulted ceilings are really cool. There is a central atrium but then the wings that come out each side for the platform access are equally lovely. If you find yourself travelling through the airport and have a few minutes, do pay it a visit!