Saved by the MiGKiller

I came in to work Wednesday morning with a plan for a HoustonPeach centerpiece
photo package, but was worried about what I would get from the assignment.
The plan was for a cooking class, but it was going to be finished late, and was not sure what kind of art I would get. With it bumping deadline, I didn't want to get stuck with boring pictures.

When I got to the office, I discovered a voicemail form the Museum of Aviation. The
call came in early Wednesday morning about them moving a fighter into the front of the Museum. They were to have moved it a full hour before I was due in to work.
This would have made a good centerpiece.

I was sure the aircraft had been moved already, but was hoping the museum folks were still setting up the display. They were still working under the wings when I got there, and it was positioned perfectly for a photo, between the main building and the old control tower. Sun was breaking over the vertical stabilizer. I could see the
wonderful image at the top of this page in my head.


This is the image I captured. I knew if I blew out the sky to get detail in the shadows, I could never darken the sky enough. So I exposed more for the sky and sun, and when I got the image in the computer, lightened the shadows to the way they looked when I shot the photo.

With digital images and slide film, if you over expose, you can never get the detail back. If you carefully underexpose you can make it work. Just bracket a bunch if you are unsure.

Anyway, this was my centerpiece, and the cooking class worked out great for the next day.