Liberty & Freedom

[spyglass]

Last summer while camping at Deception Pass in Washington I decided to sneak away from the campsite and head South down the Island. I stopped at the entrance to the Air Force Base to enjoy the jets they have on display. Seeing magnificent machinery retired and propped up is about as sad as seeing the head of a wild beast stuffed and mounted on a wall. Sure it offers a glimpse, some of the details and features, but you will never feel the power, hear the roar, or truly know the creature at hand. Kind of like looking at a picture of a fire. No matter how great the picture is, or the caption that accompanies it, you could never know what fire is until you feel the heat, experience the light and energy radiating from it (and in my opinion, get burned - not a life threatening burn, just good enough to make you crawl into your cave and suck your thumb for a day or two).


On that note, this is one of the shots I took of the jets that day, proper up and tamed, in the harsh mid day sun.  






This is what I saw in my mind (actually the rockets were deployed.... but you get the idea)  








Spyglass

[blackcloudbrew]

1. nice story and cool morphing of the photo. Your PS wizardry continually amazes me.

2. factual point, unless there is an actual AFB on Whidby Island, the base there is a Naval Base - Oak Harbor. It's a Naval Air Station not an Air Force Base and that aircraft you've morphed is an A6 Intruder - carrier based ground attack aircraft used by, again, the Navy. As a retired Naval officer I have to correct this for the record.

Regardless, I love that area and I remember your images from that trip.

Earl
LCDR USNR-R

[Prieni]

Nice work. But now that jet cannot refuel, you did seriously limit it's reach

It could do with a bit more of heat haze in the exhaust. And is the glow of the afterburner really blueish?

Good idea and a fine story.

Prieni

[Ron Kruger]

I agree completely with your well-written post. I felt exactly the same way about pictures of Sophia Loren. Fell the burn, baby.

[tcom]

Wow, nice work, pretty good PP work!

[Mike Pearson]

Cool transition Spy 

Mike

[robt61x49]

Good use of PP.