UH-60 Sling Loads…A Happy Surprise!

Being a pilot in the Army deployed in Afghanistan tends to keep one pretty busy.  There’s usually very little time during the day to pull out a camera and really get focused on shooting and producing good images.  Some time ago, I had a very rare opportunity to do just that.  It started out with me being the hook-up man for one of our new pilots training for sling-load operations.  I was to ride over to the training site then get out and hook up the loads as the instructor pilot and trainee practiced the operations.  A special load of plywood was readied by another unit’s riggers and was waiting to act as our training load.  However, when we got to the sling yard, the riggers were still there.  They were hoping to get in on the training as well, and offered to do all the hookups.  This left me free to spend some time shooting…and shoot I did.  I came out with dozens of photographs.  These were all taken with my Panasonic Lumix point-and-shoot, and I’m really happy with the quality that came out of them.  They were processed in Lightroom and many were treated with HDR.  There are some black and whites, and they are all given that “old style” grainy look.  I wanted something reminiscent of the old film days.

All in all, I’m happy with how they turned out, and I’m glad to say that I think everyone else is too.  So far, they’ve been used for Facebook Icons, as backgrounds for certificates, and in several other media outputs.  Not bad for a “last-minute”, “point-and-shoot” kind of day.  I’m looking forward to getting this type of opportunity with my DSLR’s.  I’m sure the extra control and options will pay dividends.

Here are a few of the shots from that day, and as usual, you can find the rest in my gallery under UH-60 Sling Loads.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have.  They were a pleasant surprise when you were expecting to hook up sling-loads all day.  Thanks to the pilots and the hook-up crews that allowed me this opportunity.

Thanks and as always…Enjoy!

Ben