Once again, the social media juggernaut Instagram has connected me to another amazing talent behind the lens. Last year in Anchorage I watched a flight of two Cessna 170Bs depart the Lake Hood gravel strip in the daylight evening, then return about an hour later. I knew the two pilots, based in Soldotna, and someone in my group commented they'd gone on a photo shoot. At the time I was jealous, but nowhere near as jealous as I was when I saw the results.
Leonardo Correa Luna, hailing from the South American nation of Uruguay, is the latest in a series of absolutely amazing backcountry aviation photographers we've featured on this site. A captain flying for a Chinese airline, he spends most of his time on the job, but returns to the US whenever he can to fly his own Cessna 170B.
There is a stunning quality about his work, an eye for immersing the viewer in the scene, use of optical phenomenon like reflection, scale, and juxtapostion, and a combination of crispness and color saturation that leave us celebrating his art as the first of our featured photographers for 2017. I recently had the opportunity to connect with the friendly and humble Leonardo to ask him our standard 6 (or more) questions:
Six Questions
BPHow did you begin flying? Were you always interested in backcountry/bush flying? Do you own an airplane? What is it that you enjoy about backcountry flying? What is flying like in Uruguay and China?
LCLI come from a family of pilots; my dad and uncle are Air Force pilots, and all I've wanted since I was a kid is be a pilot.
Shawn Holly and his amazing 170, complete with Sportsman STOL Kit on the wings and an IO-360 under the cowling, with a fantastic pilot at the controls. Location: Close to Anchorage.
Bush flying is actually a recent discovery for me since buying my 170 in California a couple of years ago, when I started flying in the US. Bush flying, at least in the way pilots fly in the US, is basically non-existent in other countries. I had only done some flights with other pilots on a recent trip to Alaska and is just amazing! The freedom to land anywhere is incredible. And as an airline pilot that flies in China I am totally surrounded by very strict laws and regulations, whereas bush flying freedom is exactly the opposite.
Bryan McMahan testing my nerves! Bring it on Bryan, I will not move!
Uruguay is a small country of just 3 million people. Flying is expensive and heavily regulated; even to just do touch-and-goes around the pattern you need a flight plan if the airport has a tower! But I do have good memories of flying Piper Cubs from a small uncontrolled grass runway-- hand start, no radio, door open, and 500' AGL following the roads in Class G airspace. Uruguay is totally flat, so that is how you enjoy flying back home. General aviation in China, while not officially forbidden, in practical terms it is. The airspace is controlled by the Air Force such that it is basically impossible to fly here, only some flight schools fly GA airplanes.
Andrew Beale gives a hand to Arturo Polo Ena with a big 35" Alaskan Bushwheel.
BPWhat are your other adventure hobbies/passions? Do you shoot photos of those as well?
LCLI read a lot, especially aviation history books. I enjoy street photography. Along with my daughter and girlfriend, all of that keeps my schedule quite busy. I also travel a lot, and always try to combine all these things into every trip.
This is Alaska! Do I need to say more? Getting my first introduction to bush flying in the hands of amazing pilot Johnny Mc Mahan.
BPYour photography is amazing. What are you looking for when you shoot? What makes you pull out the camera when you're out flying?
LCLI am always looking for a story, the photo must tell a story, and that is my favorite kind of photo. While most people prefer a close up of a plane with the big prop making a 360° arc, I prefer a photo of pilots and mechanics on the ground working on their planes, or a huge landscape with a small Super Cub in the middle. If I am in the airplane my favorite subject are clouds, especially at sunrise or sunset.
The Green Machine! Arturo Polo Ena from Spain showing how is done in Alaska!
BPDo you ever think: "This shot is different or innovative"? Or do you just fire away and sort it out later? How deliberate are you with your composition?
LCLIn my early stages of photography my good friend and mentor photographer Max Haynes told me: Don't try to find innovative angles, as every possible angle has already been shot... And he was right. I don't like staged photos; I like to shoot the moment, especially if the people involved didn't see me, and when that happens I do try to get a good composition. You need to see, think, and move fast.
The legend... Paul Claus has more than 35,000 hours and 5,000 in the Super Otter! Pay attention to the sticker on the right side of the cockpit.
BPWhat's your favorite piece of kit/gear? What's your go-to body/lens/filter configuration for cockpit and/or for ground-based shooting?
LCLThat changes all the time as I constantly like to test and buy gear (don't we all?) Lately I am having a lot of fun with the DJI Osmo and doing some short clips. For cameras, I recently started to go old school with a Leica M (I love street photography.) For aviation I use a Nikon D-810S body. For inside/cockpit shots my choice is the NIKKOR 14mm f/2.8.
Double Terry!, Terry Godes' 170 reflected on Shawn Holly's 170 rear window; we landed on the beach so I could switch airplanes without losing time by returning to the airport. You have to love flying Alaska-style!
For air-to-air I will actually bring two cameras: One with a NIKKOR 24-70mm, and another a NIKKOR 70-200mm. If the pilots involved in the photo shoot can fly close formation usually only the 24-70mm is needed, but if you need more space for safety the 70-200mm will do it. For ground-to-air, where there's some distance to the action, like at air shows, I will use the Sigma 150-600mm Sport.
Terry Godes banking hard, keeping the turn off the wing of Shawn Holly's 170 while trying to get the pond on the background. We shot this at a location close to Anchorage; the landscape was not particularly beautiful and the day was cloudy, but when we saw this pond we circled around trying to get the shot, and we did! Great pilots make great photos!
BPAre any of your photos for sale to the public? What if I wanted a poster of one of your shots for my hangar? How would I go about getting that?
LCLWhile my new website (the one I never finished) has the capability to sell, I haven't activated that function. If you see something you like (not for commercial use) just send me an email! isettaclassics[at]gmail.com
Lake Hood! The biggest seaplane base in the world is just amazing!
Complete gallery
https://backcountrypilot.org/features/category/pilot-spotlights/six-questions-leonardo-correa-luna#sigProGalleria34693ff752
