donnanook1 said:
some would not take there turn at the doors or ramp
Not too sure what you are trying to say there...
It wasn't so much that some wouldn't take their turn, but that some wouldn't move out of the way and continued to hog the doorway.
donnanook1 also said:
all they had to do was take the shot
True - but perhaps not quite as simple or straightforward as all that... I recall this trip quite well and remember asking another "so-called photographer" (a professional who earned his living from photography...) what lens he would recommend. The answer was "use a telephoto, they aren't very close..." So I put a 135mm lens on - and was then startled to find that they were actually very close. This, of course, was before the days of good quality and affordable zoom lenses, so I was stuck with 135mm. I was actually very pleased with the results, but it most definitely wasn't a walk in the park. As I recall, I was on the bottom row on the ramp and had someone with one foot on my head and another person with one foot on my shoulder. In those circumstances, framing an image isn't easy - and nor is trying to be alert for jet wash or countering vibration. But, yes, the pilots did indeed do a super job of putting the Lightnings where required...
I'm not even going to talk about the shots from the side door, other than to comment that there were two or three people who were really greedy and wouldn't move out of the way to give others a chance - especially when one of the Lightnings was coming alongside and lighting the afterburners, which produced a most splendid flame. I never did get that shot - and nor, for that matter, did I ever see any results from anyone who did.
In conclusion, it actually isn't quite as simple as just taking the shot... My camera was manual, which required focussing, setting shutter speed and aperture, framing and then trying to stay steady when hitting the shutter release button, all the time with a couple of people basically standing on top of you.... You really should try it some time...
And thanks for the kind comments, chaps...
I am not a loony... I used to be, but I think I am better now...