From my late teens, photography has been a part of my life, first with slide film and then dabbling in some black and white. Like many young, low-time pilots, however, I had little income and considerable debt in my early 20s, so photography took a back seat in those years, during which I flew mainly in Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia, the Caribbean and Central America. Unfortunately the images I never took are lost forever, and that is a lingering regret. Once I was able to acquire an adequate camera, I vowed that would never be the case again!
The past few years have allowed me to refine this passion through my involvement at MHM Publishing, shooting air-to-air throughout Canada and the United States. In late 2008, I was able to plan, fund and gain approval for a trip to Afghanistan. Being there with a camera and access to military helicopters flying throughout the country enabled me to provide a unique perspective on the events taking place there - a perspective that is not often made available on the daily news. I eagerly anticipate further opportunities to share the world from the air through my images, providing fresh vantage points on global events, including the recent earthquake in Haiti.
Additionally, these experiences have presented me with a unique window into a very broad range of helicopter operations: from civilian to military; from airborne law enforcement to emergency medical services. Coupled with my own full-time career as a working helicopter pilot, I am constantly amazed at the broad spectrum of applications people devise for rotary-wing aircraft.
It is challenging working a helicopter in some of the environments in which we operate; it's an entirely different challenge to photograph the machines in a way that does justice to our profession. Simply being up in the air with a big camera does not guarantee positive results! Learning to accurately articulate my needs as a photographer to other pilots - many of whom are high-time but without close formation experience - has been one of the major hurdles to overcome these past few years. I've been getting better at conveying my needs to photo pilots, and it's been a truly enjoyable experience to be a "customer" for a change.
At the end of the day, there is an endless, fascinating world out there, and whether it's directly related to aviation or not, there's always something or someone fascinating to photograph, interview, or fly for. I'm in a pretty fortunate position to be able to experience these things from not only the cockpit, but also behind the camera.
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| Ted Carlson | Greg Davis | Guy Maher | Dan Megna | Mike Reyno | Skip Robinson | Heath Moffat | Brent Bergan |
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