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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

NASA SCA and Space Shuttles at Dulles 1 Year Anniversary

Happy Anniversary! Can you believe it? Just one very short year ago today, I was present for modern history where I shot this photo of Space Shuttle Discovery arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport, where it now calls the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center home, less than 3 miles from my home.

In a year's time I've met a lot of great people and done a lot of great things. I especially want to thank my friend Jim, who was on board this flight, for everything he's done; and a big thank you to the crew who also has been very friendly and welcoming to me. Huge thank you to Dennis for getting me involved in last year's historic events in a big way, and Erik for supporting me in pursuing my photography.

And to all those I have met and connected with in the last year, thank you all for making the last year a very special one - one for the history books!

Also, due to renewed popular demand, I've made my highlight photos of last year's NASA SCA and Space Shuttle Transport Missions available for order on my client site, for those of you who were not part of the NASA Crew or Fifty for 50th Event. Enjoy!

Here's a recap of what my week looked like just 1 short year ago:

Etihad at Dulles (April 2013)

Following up from Etihad Airways' sneak peek I covered in January, Dulles' newest airline celebrated its first commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Washington, DC, and a few days later opened a new Diamond First and Business Class Lounge at Gate A14. Individuals present for the events included Etihad President and CEO James Hogan, as well as HE Michael Corbin, US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. The entire set can be viewed here.

Monday, April 1st, 2013:

Finally it was time for the A340-500ER to arrive at Dulles, where the aircraft was greeted by a water arch, followed by welcoming remarks from Etihad PCEO James Hogan and MWAA CEO Jack Potter.

Thursday, April 4th, 2013:

Several days later, Etihad formally opened their newest Diamond First and Business Class Lounge adjacent to their Gate at A14. Members of the airline and delegation were also present for the Lounge opening ceremony. Amenities the lounge features include business connectivity and meeting areas, showers, prayer areas, entertainment pods, family and children's play areas, and a fully staffed kitchen with gourmet chefs, among other relaxing ways to spend time before or after your flight.

The executive delegation began arriving, and after a full tour of the lounge the opening remarks and ribbon cutting ceremony commenced, followed by a reception.

My coverage from last week's events at Dulles was used in the Official Etihad Press Releases, and also ended up in anna.aero and Jeff Clabaugh's article in Washington Business Journal, among other aviation news outlets around the world.

Jaguar Alive Driving Experience

After getting exclusive access to the new Jaguar F-Type at the 2013 Washington Auto Show, my friend Jake and I were invited by Jaguar to a track day in which we could test drive all of Jaguar's top end and most recent models, including the 550HP, $155,000 XKR-S, and the pre-production XFR-S, among others. Unfortunately the F-Type was still unavailable to drive, although a beautiful orange example from the Paris Auto Show was on hand to demo under the reception tent. Events we took part in were a Timed 0-60 / Top Speed Run, Autocross Circuit, Traction Control Demo Circuit, and Free Drive of any of the available lineup (the XJL was VERY well appointed). As Jake later pointed out, we drove ~$1,000,000 worth of cars in just a few hours time.

The day started out with being greeted by showcase Jaguars, including a 1967 Jaguar E-Type, with DC plates "ELATED". The event attracted plenty of exotic cars in the parking lot, mostly Jags of course.

Not far away was the Orange F-Type V8 S, and one of MANY XKR-Ss (actually there AREN'T many; the XKR-S is a limited production run vehicle with only 100 examples being sold in the United States).

Our driving experience started out by road testing the XJ, which was very responsive, although the Eco feature that disables the engine in stop and go traffic was a bit strange (we later disabled it). All the Jaguars had very sensitive brakes - not a bad thing, but something that took a few minutes to get used to.

Next we were briefed by Lorraine McKiniry, host of Velocity Channel by Discovery Network's "What's My Car Worth?" who gave a history of the Jaguar brand, culminating in the 2013 lineup, and discussion of future plans for the carmaker. Then it was out onto the track, where first up was my 0-60 / Top Speed run in the XKR-S. I reached 90MPH with a 5.5sec 0-60 time (unofficial - official times are forthcoming). The track was uphill on cold, hard tires, so the XKR-S' specified 4.0 - 4.2 sec range wasn't possible given the conditions. You can watch my runs and see the live telemetry below!

Next it was on to the Autocross Course and Handling Tests. I had a more strict course instructor than Jake did, so I wasn't allowed as much freedom on the course as Jake was which was somewhat disappointing. The result was a top time of 39.6sec compared to Jake's 37.something sec time. The Handling Course in the XFR-S was much more fun however, mostly because I startled and impressed the course instructor with a massive drift - he wasn't expecting it, but he was shocked that I maintained full control around the entire turn in a textbook drift without the traction control engaged. His reaction after I snapped the car back in line for the straightaway was "WHOA!!!... OK.... Um... I didn't know you could do that. That was very good... Wow!... You handled that.... really well!..."

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures from this or the rest of the day... because I was too busy driving!!!

It was an amazing, fun day! I wish we'd had more track time! I think our performance on the course would have improved dramatically with just a little more time to become more acquainted with the cars; but this goes without saying! I also had two people, one of them a Jaguar representative, ask me who I was writing for - I apparently looked like an automotive journalist for this event (not paparazzi, like so many other occasions - I'm so happy!).

Loved it! I can't wait to do another track day like it! Now we're looking into other events sponsored by Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and others to experience more!

Rupeng for Mason

Sometimes it's important to have fun! Rupeng is a friend of mine who is running for Student Senate at George Mason University; these photos are going to be turned into Meme Posters for his campaign at Rupeng for Mason. I shot some fun photos of him (in addition to some serious ones... but the fun ones are what he'll be using more of in his campaign) during a VERY quick photo sesh. I've also been giving him a bit of campaign advice, which is more marketing than campaigning; you have to be able to market yourself (something I admit I'm still learning to do myself). This post may be updated in the future as Rupeng creates Memes from these images - I will update with his usage as he goes!

Eero Saarinen's Dulles Airport Main Terminal

This January I was commissioned by Washington Dulles International Airport's Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to photograph Eero Saarinen's historic Main Terminal building. When MWAA employees retire, they are presented with a commemorative photograph of the Airport's Main Terminal, normally signed by other employees who worked closely with them, giving support and leaving their good wishes. Even I received one when my 7 years with the Airports Authority came to a close.

This photo is, however, dark, out of date, and no longer known where the negative is for reproduction. The Airport wanted an updated version; a portrait of the historic Airport at its 50 year anniversary. One that is bright and shows how the Airport has flourished. It's a pretty picture; I like it a lot!... but it's reached its time, and I was tasked with creating a suitable replacement. Quite an honor!!!

The photograph was taken from an unusual angle not often seen; most photos of the Terminal are shot from the West, given the ease of access to Daily Garage 2. The retirement photograph is shot from the East, which requires access to the Signature Flight Support hangar's upper rooftop - the decision to shoot from this same angle was easy, as it is so unique. Weather was a constant factor, and it took 3 attempted shooting days to get the final image. Below are some of the shots I took while on the rooftop, waiting for the perfect lighting, chronologically from my first attempts to the final image.

It was very strange seeing an aircraft depart for Germany that I know I've been aboard, and was present for its very first landing at Dulles.

Finally I had the shot I was looking for; dramatic sky, and a brightly lit Terminal. The lighting on the Terminal wasn't quite warmed up yet, so the final image actually is a composite of two exposures to bring the dynamic range back to what was visible at shooting. I had been focusing on wider shots since that was what the previous photo had been, but I quickly noticed that a zoomed view offered greater perspective and overal character to the image. My gut was right, and the Airport unanimously chose my final shot of the Terminal; zoomed in to 140mm, with vibrant streaking across the sky.

The final photo is available for print purchase on my client site here.

The Airport LOVED it. Absolutely LOVED it. I was shocked how much; I actually got hugged when they saw it, and it quickly got around to other offices - the Finance Department will actually be using the image as the cover for Dulles' latest Annual Report, along with several other of my images inside. The photo was an exercise in Photoshop as well, as there were two large utility trucks parked in front of the Terminal that proved challenging to remove; the end result is quite stunning!

Finally, as I turned to leave, my gear already packed in my bag, I saw the new full Moon, orange on the horizon as it had just risen as the sun set; I quickly set my gear back up and got a moon shot before retiring from the Signature Flight Support rooftop, a new portrait of Dulles saved to my camera's CF card.