F3F—in Black and White
How I planned a photo essay on Instagram.
Ever since I started competing in F3F, I’ve always carried a camera — it just feels a natural thing to do, thanks to the beautiful slopes that we’re blessed with in the UK.
Since those early days, I’ve attended more than 150 F3F events — yes, it seems incredible looking back on it, but F3F offers so much that I think I can be excused. The result is a sizeable collection of images, many of which are included in the competition reports which are available on my website (see Resources for link).
Earlier this year I decided to embark on a new project — the idea was to post a selection of my favourite images to Instagram. What follows is an account of how I approached the project, together with some of the images chosen.
Choosing a ‘Look’
A key decision was to concentrate on the pilots rather than the models — after all, F3F ships all look pretty much the same. It’s the pilots who are the soul of F3F and that is what I wanted to express.
To achieve a consistent look, I decided to display the images in black and white. Stripped of colour, the images would have a timeless feel — I thought it rather appropriate, given that F3F as a class has changed little in 30 years. Finally, all the images would be cropped to a square.
A trawl through the archive provided a set of candidate images. These were then edited, and the final versions stored in a folder ready for transfer to Instagram.
An Image a Day
I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with Instagram! On one hand, it’s home to a vibrant RC community, and there’s a lot of good content. On the other hand, Instagram is a beast which needs constant feeding. To stay relevant — especially if you don’t do video — you have to keep posting images.
So I try to post an image a day. It requires some discipline, but that’s no bad thing. One day the pool of decent images will dry up, and that day will mark the end of the project.
Camera Kit
My current slope kit consists of a Panasonic G9 with two lenses: an Olympus 12–45 f/4 and a Panasonic-Leica 55–200. Together these cover a focal range of 24–400 mm (35mm equivalent). The complete kit is weather resistant, and weighs around 1500gm.
I also take along a Ricoh GR II. This has an APS-C sensor and an excellent lens, yet fits in a coat pocket. Some of my favourite shots have been with this camera.
Processing
For photo management and basic editing, I use an older version of Adobe Lightroom. The monochrome treatments are done with Silver Efex Pro, also an old version.
The older software is more than adequate for my needs, and avoids the treadmill of annual subscriptions and hardware upgrades.
It’s a Wrap!
Slope soaring and photography go together beautifully, so I hope that this article has stimulated both your aeronautical and photographic interest.
To view my Instagram images which are the subject of this article, visit the link in Resources below. Note: an Instagram account will be needed to view the full set and if you want to follow the feed in the future.
©2023 Michael Shellim
Resources
- F3F — in Black and White on Instagram. — The feed which is the subject of this essay, although note my handle on the Instagram platform is @mikeshellim.rcsoar.
- RC-Soar.com — My full archive of F3F competition reports and photos.
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