Smithsonian U-H Center

Got a chance to visit the Udvar-Hazy center here in Virginia last sunday. Due to holiday season, the place was packed with people and with so many aircraft around, the background was always busy...

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Thanks for sharing!

I've always wanted to go. I would need to rent an L lens for that visit...

You have some good shots of them. Tough to do as crowded as it they are.

Nice shots please post some more. I can't wait to get there either... I didn't remember that the shuttle exhibit was open already. Thanks for sharing these great photos.

Those are really cool!! I love the above and head on Enterprise shot. Very well done!

Thanks for the comments everyone. I plan to go back there during a weekday to avoid the crowds. And the fastest lens I have is a 17-40 F/4L. On a crop body, it doesn't feel neither wide enough nor fast enough . Just purchased a flash, so hoping to get better pictures next time around.

It's fast enough because you aren't going to want to shoot at f/1.4 either? Except maybe for detail shots where you're trying to isolate something from the background. You're going to need at least f/5.6 to get a whole AC sharp, so think about a tripod if they'll let you in with one.

Thought I was looking at my own pictures. I was there 11/7/09 and took many of the same shots as you did. Between the P&S and the DSLR my wife and I took 500 plus pictures. The Anola Gay got my attention as did many of the others. So much history in one place.

kash80 wrote in post #9286856
Got a chance to visit the Udvar-Hazy center here in Virginia last sunday. Due to holiday season, the place was packed with people and with so many aircraft around, the background was always busy...

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The whole set of pictures can be found here: ~~Link~~

C & C welcome!

Thanks for looking.

very cool. My second favorite plane of all time

I got a chance to go there during my first (and so far only) trip to DC this past summer. So much history in one place, definitely planning on going back next chance I get!

IMO it's one of THE absolute worst places for photography...

Having said that, you done good!

I agree with Jay (FlyingPhotog) as usual, UH is a horrible place to take pictures. Lots of cool things there, just a bad place for pictures. USAFM in Dayton is at best marginally better.

Also, unless you are well connected, then UH is also a tripod free zone. Leave them in the car. You can use a monopod (or at least, I have used a monopod) and they seem OK with that. They like to think there is a lot of traffic there and they don't want people tripping over your tripod legs. In reality, the place is so big, it could swallow a few Super Bowl crowds and there still be lots of room.

I've also shot there with a Kenyon Gyro (the guards had a real time trying to figure it out) and it worked really well there....

Best wishes

Mark H