Robert Stave
My name is Robert Stave and I live in Ridgefield, Connecticut. I consider
myself an advanced amateur photographer. I am primarily self-taught
regarding my knowledge of photography. I did take a photo course in
college that taught me composition and how to develop prints of my own.
My interest in photography began as a small boy with my mother’s box
camera taking pictures of neighborhood friends and adventures. After
that, I progressed to my dad’s Bell & Howell 35mm camera. I experiment-
ed with aperture and shutter speed combinations to shoot my favorite
sport cars or my brother jumping his sled in the snow.
In 8th grade I “graduated” to the big leagues when I was able to buy a
true 35mm SLR camera, the Pentax MV. It had a lot of manual capabil-
ity, but also an exposure light system as a guide. This saved countless
frames of poorly exposed and wasted film. I absolutely loved that camera
with its tack sharp f1.2 50mm lens. I haven’t used that camera in decades,
but I still have it stored away as part of my own history.
My current equipment is a Canon EOS 40D crop sensor using Canon
L-Series glass in 18-35mm f1.4 and 70-200mm f2.8. I’m invested in Canon
and love the fact that I can pick up almost any model they make and
know how to operate 80% of the features in short order. My future holds
a Canon 5D Mk IV to supersede the 40D which is now long in the tooth;
especially with respect to sensor capability and low light ISO range.
My interest in aviation photography stemmed from the fact that I loved
photography and always wanted to become an astronaut or fighter pilot.
In fact, I went through flight school while in college at the Rochester
Institute of Technology. Prior to graduating with a B.S. in Packaging
Science, I was also proud to earn my Private Pilot’s license. I had wanted
to join the US Navy to become a Naval Aviator in the era of Top Gun.
However, my nearsightedness kept me from the military flight programs
and I went into the corporate world as a Packaging Engineer. Flying for
me is both fun and historical.
Each year I try to fly in, or actually fly, a different warbird to experience
the sight, smell and feel of these historical planes. To date, I have flown
in a Waco UPF-7, B-17, B-25 and B-29 and I have flown a T-34, T-6 and
the P-51 Mustang, Crazy Horse. My list grows longer each year and now
dual control P-40’s are on the scene. Have I mentioned that I have a
very understanding wife?
I have always been drawn to US military history and military aviation.
The World War II era pulls heavily on my sense of patriotism and
the individual sacrifice that generation made for the greater good of
our country and to free the world from evil. I am honored and in awe
whenever I get to meet a veteran, or simply read the history of their
accomplishments. I wish that my photography in some small way can
honor them by preserving a visual record of the great machines that they
flew into battle.At airshows, I use the Canon described above and will switch from the
wide angle for close up ground work to the longer zoom lens for air work.
I find that the Canon 70-200mm is fast enough to be hand held for most
aerial performances. With the right field position and crop sensor, it also
has good reach to pull in the aircraft. However, there are times when I
wish for a longer lens.I shoot both RAW & JPG at the finest settings and largest file sizes the
camera will allow. The RAW file is used for editing, but sometimes hav-
ing the duplicate JPG makes additions to Facebook or Instagram much
quicker. I need to spend more time learning the fine points of processing
software but do use all three; Photoshop, Lightroom and iPhoto depend-
ing on the edit. I try to get my shots as correct as possible in-camera to
minimize post processing work. I try to limit the editing to simply color/
contrast/exposure settings.I joined ISAP a month ago and learned about the organization in one of
the magazines on aviation, but don’t remember which. I wanted to be part
of the organization partly because of my passion for aviation photography
and partly because there are really talented people in the group whom,
by their simple sharing of their images, challenges me to be better at my
own skills.I love to teach others about photography principles, equipment and
techniques. In college, I had several roommates who were “photog”
majors and found more often than not, I understood their course work
better than they did. I helped them understand the technical information
they were being taught. I’ve taught many other friends and most recently
my teenage son how to pass his high school photo course with high
marks. It’s very rewarding to see other people enjoying the same passion
that I have.Finally, even though I am new to the organization, my advice to aviation
photographers would be to strive for the differences. We already love
the subjects themselves. But, this is not always enough. If possible, try
to place yourself in unique positions, employ angles not normally seen in
other’s work, and provide a compelling background or foreground to truly
complement your subject. Don’t freeze spinning props. Convey a sense of
motion. These are beautiful machines and look best when captured doing
what they were created to do. Happy shooting.MEET OUR MEMBER