| Jeff
Olesen
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Viewing
the earth from 70,000 feet is something few people will ever experience.
For Lt. Colonel Jeff Olesen, a pilot of a U2 Reconnaissance Plane,
it's a regular occurrence.
Wanting
to share the spectacular sights from the edge of the earth's atmosphere,
Olesen began photographing during his flights. The high amount
of ultraviolet light, the extreme atmospheric conditions, and
the fact that there are no manuals for photographing at such
high altitudes (where the dark of outer space mixes with the
brightness of daylight on the earth below), made photographing
extremely challenging. Through trial and error, Olesen found
the winning combination of a Canon EOS 1v body with a 17-35mm "L" series
lens. To manage the lighting difficulties of the high altitude,
he uses a Sing-Ray blue-gold polarizing filter.
"The
lighting up there almost demands a filter of some sort," Olesen
said. "That filter, combined with Fuji Velvia and Provia films
to capture blues of water bodies and greens has been the secret
to any of my successes."
West
Coast Imaging has the great pleasure of printing Olesen's images.
Working with Master Printer Terrance Reimer using our Exhibition
Print Service, Olesen is creating a portfolio with a truly unique
story and view of the world. View some of
his exceptional images.
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Lt. Colonel Jeff Olesen in his pressurized flight suit.
The U2 Reconnaissance Airplane is a single-pilot plane that operates
at 70,000 feet--at the edge of space.
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"Early in my training to fly the high-altitude reconnaissance U-2 airplane,
it became clear to me that few EVER had seen the sights I was now privy
to – the earth from above 70,000 feet.
Photographing
from that environment provided unique challenges, to say the very least.
I researched, and then acquired the necessary professional equipment and
film to turn my interest in photography into something potentially special.
The next year and a half was spent, literally, pioneering high altitude
photography as I had no professional experience base before me to draw
upon. Eventually, with the use of slides, I was able to begin capturing
the world from my unique perspective. The earth has many different faces
around the world.
The
next year was spent with different "professional" imaging establishments
explaining to me that my slides, though beautiful, were too much of a
challenge for their "pros" to bring to print. On average, one
of every 10 prints I received was acceptable. All I desired was for the
print to look like the slide. Period. The prints I was receiving were
flat, dull, and off in color. One establishment explained they could
not economically spend the time on my prints with $100,000 customers
in line behind me. How frustrating after all my experimenting and expense
to be told the slides would never become accurate prints.
A friend informed me of West Coast Imaging. I sent them 5 very different,
challenging slides to be scanned and brought to print. I asked if they
could simply make the print look like the slide. Their scanner and Master
Printer went to work. I received 5 incredibly striking prints. Brilliant
and precise, they managed to bring to life, beyond my expectations, the
captured sights of the transparencies.
West Coast
Imaging passed on all five prints. They achieved results that other professional
imaging establishments could not. They are my only choice for handling
my unique and demanding needs.
As
my photographs have been viewed by others, some viewers involved with
the U-2 program for over 20 years, the consensus is there have never been such
beautiful photographs depicting the view from the cockpit in the 40+ year history
of the plane. West Coast Imaging literally made aviation photograph history,
and continues to with each order I send."
Jeff Olesen
Lt. Colonel, USAF
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