National museum of the USAF
The photos on this page were taken during a visit to the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio. The museum is located at the Wright-Patterson AFB. The museum is a "must see" venue for photographers and aviation buffs. There are three very large hangars filled with very diverse aircraft. The aircraft in the hangars are on the floor and suspended from the ceiling. It is best to plan on spending a full day at the museum based on the number of displays and the size of the facility.
The photos at the museum were taken with a combination of flash and ambient light. For the ambient light photos the camera was mounted on a "Gorilla Pod" . This allowed the camera to be placed on the floor, on tables or chairs or to be wrapped around rails and posts.
The use of a tripod is highly recommended since ambient light photography is a very effective technique at the museum. Flash can be used as either a fill light or as the main light source. Care must be taken when using flash since the metallic surfaces of many of the planes are very reflective.
