IWM Duxford Paratroop Photography evening
Date: May 29th 2024.
Event : IWM Duxford Paratroop Photography evening
Location : IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK, CB22 4QR
The event was called Duxford in a different light. This is an evening event set up for photographers, around a theme. As we are approaching the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the theme this year were paratroopers in and around a Dakota. There were also be other aircraft available to photograph.
The weather was overcast with showers forecast and indeed about one hour into the shoot it rained for about 15 minutes. None of this was a problem for the photography.
I set out looking to get some different angles and views of the aircraft on display, but more likely the interaction of the paratrooper reenactors in and around the Dakota would be my main objective.
The challenges on the evening like this based on previous experience, is usually the other photographers. There are always three or so photographers who think the evening is there for them alone and they’re very disrespectful of everybody else. They are often in shot they often step forward for close-ups when there are 30 other people trying to get a wide shot. Previously this had been poorly Marshall by the organisers, as it turns out this year was the same.
It was a 5 o’clock arrival time onto the grounds at Duxford, with a safety briefing by the control tower at 6 pm. This year for the first time every one had been asked to wear high visibility jackets as we were being taken air side on the airfield. The evening started with one of the visiting Dakotas, taking off doing a few circuits of the airfield and then coming back into land and taxing up to an area in front of the control tower. A number of reenactors probably totalling about 30, dressed as 1944 period US paratroopers then marched onto the airfield and Started interacting with each other around the Dakota. They would pose individually for photographs, they would do group shots, they would then look to pretend to be boarding or embarking the aircraft and marching up and down. Very much doing set ups as requested by the photographers and the organisers.
Some interesting photographs, again nothing special, a lot taken from very low down on the ground just to get a different viewpoint. Taking pictures of the static aircraft was not very exciting as one static aircraft looks very much like another static aircraft, and I have many of those over the years.
I was well prepared for the session. I had the right equipment. I had the right clothing. I had the high viz so all was good from that perspective. I got some decent shots. I don’t think I could’ve done much more perhaps if I had taken a collapsible stool to rest my leg, it might have been more comfortable.
As stated above I got some decent shots, I don’t think anything competition worthy was taken. On reflection I doubt whether I will do this again next year as I didn’t come away with great shots, I got frustrated with the other photographers and the way the evening was organised, and hence I left an hour before the finish . I do not think I would be returning next year.