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Al Smith - Commando WWll
Al Smith - Commando WWll
Gringo


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Triptych II (Advanced Editing V*)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Nikon AF Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G IF-ED DX
Location: California
Date: Apr 26, 2007
Galleries: Vintage, Military
Date Uploaded: Apr 27, 2007

 The war plane in this shot is is the famous Curtis C-46 "China Doll" Commando WWll combat aircraft. It is totally restored and kept flying by the many volunteers of the "CAF" (Commemorative Air Force).

The “CAF” is a patriotic organization dedicated to the preservation of the world’s greatest combat aircraft.

The gentleman in the shot is Mr. Al Smith. Al is one of the volunteers at the CAF. I met Al for the first time this afternoon. He had on one of the blue official volunteer shirts and he was nice enough to allow me to photograph him for this entry.

On January 30th, 2007 The C-46 "China Doll" was featured in a music video filmed at the Channel Islands Aviation’s hangar. New custom painted nose art was temporarily attached to the plane for the shoot. Christina Aguilera was the star of the video. She played the part of the 2nd banana.

One of the last photographs I have of my father he was standing in front of this plane over 10 years ago. I think about him whenever I'm around the people and Air Force artifacts of his generation. He loved to fly. He could tell me every detail about the intricate parts of these old planes but like most of us old folks, he couldn't remember what he had for breakfast. I sure miss him.

Statistics
Place: 8 out of 244
Avg (all users): 6.8145
Avg (commenters): 8.2105
Avg (participants): 6.7755
Avg (non-participants): 6.8455
Views since voting: 3960
Views during voting: 356
Votes: 221
Comments: 30
Favorites: 3 (view)

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AuthorThread
 12/11/2007 07:16:48 PM
Now I have a tear in my eye. What a beautiful testimony.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2007 12:42:40 PM
i love this! it tells such a great story. you've told me a lot about your dad but you've never mentioned that he flew. he was a special man and i know you miss him. *hugs*
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2007 09:10:53 AM
Wonderful entry and great story, congrats on the top 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2007 01:09:51 AM
Great shot - tells a great story on its own, but your words add so much. Thanks for sharing this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2007 12:39:09 AM
Congrats on your Top 10 for a Top Gun! (I bet your father would give you a hug and whisper in your ear how proud he is to have such a truly gifted son!)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2007 12:19:11 AM
Congrats on the top ten. I really love those shots....I go to every WW2 air show I can.

Message edited by author 2007-05-07 00:20:30.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/06/2007 10:39:21 PM
great story in pictures - a piece of history - and the plane is cool too!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/05/2007 11:49:14 PM
Just the right combo of images to give us a taste of his war experience vis-a-vis his nostalgic memory. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/05/2007 05:44:13 PM
Very well chosen photos for this triptych series. I bet you got some great stories from Al. Excellent work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/04/2007 09:26:50 PM
a great pictorial, nice editing.. overall a great triptych! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/04/2007 05:55:19 PM
I applaud the creativity on this, especially with the very wide angle perspective on the cockpit shot and the angle of the plane in the bottom portion. A triptych is such a powerful means to tell a story, and this composition does very well at doing exactly that.
I sincerely hope a copy of this makes it into Al Smith's hands as well as his relatives, as this is a very powerful keepsake.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2007 11:13:03 PM
i like it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2007 01:33:48 PM
awsome subject! and I love the portrait! beautiful image
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2007 09:06:36 PM
Excellent story - I love it! 8!

P.S. The portrait could have been just a touch sharper.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2007 11:49:36 AM
if only his face was sharper then this would be really really good instead of really good.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2007 11:21:17 AM
Now thats a set that works well together. very nice and great punchy contrast in your black and whites with a really interesting set of pics. Well done 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2007 01:14:41 AM
Outstanding! 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/01/2007 09:15:33 PM
Nicely done congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 11:52:22 PM
Very Nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 09:11:20 PM
Outstanding visual.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 01:26:36 PM
great story and shots
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 01:21:45 PM
The framing has defintley let this shot down.. that being said, I like the idea of almost telling a story within the shots, which is what a triptych is supposed to be I guess. 7 from me.. well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 10:19:33 AM
Nice classic... well done.. beautiful tones...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 09:59:57 AM
Fantastic! Love the POV of airplane shots, love the subject matter best of all!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 09:52:45 AM
awesome. love the concept
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 07:51:12 AM
Great BW 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 05:13:25 AM
very good.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 03:39:40 AM
From the picture one would assume he was a pilot. Good set otherwise.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 01:07:13 AM
This is BRILLIANT! What a great subject matter and presentation.

My only teeny gripe is that the portrait in the upper right is a little fuzzy. Otherwise - YUMMY!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/30/2007 12:28:58 AM
a wonderful study...I love the wide angle image on the top
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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