This was Difficult!

The assignment for the US Civil Rights Trail was the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site run by the National Park Service. I arrived that afternoon to grey skies with grey tarmac and grey hangars. Total gray-out. It was so awful I despaired. I needed to add life and color. But with sunset at 7:30 and the site closing at 5 I was struggling to find a way to bring out that life and their story. This hangar replicates their training plane and facility. I found one Park Service employee who was not just proud of the site but also kind of into photography. I told him of my problem and my idea and he was more than willing to stay very late and help. I set up large strobes to light the plane and give it a warm pop of color while we waited for dusk. I got my new friend to push open the hangar door the probably hadn't been opened in a generation. He was a big strong guy and it took everything he had to shove that giant door aside so I could get the inside-outside look. I then just waited until I had my balanced exposure. I've always loved warm tones backed by cool tones. Never forget that it's the day-to-day employee who can make or break your access. He gets much credit for the shot. In post I just brightened the plane a bit and slightly brought down the blue sky on left.