Photographer Hikes Sequoia National Forest To Get Insane Shots Of Fighter Jets Blasting By

Updated Apr 27, 2020 10:28 PM EDT

Arguably the most stunning military aviation images taken on terra firma these days are being shot by Christopher McGreevy, who goes by the handle Ohwiss on his must-follow Instagram page . They show America’s greatest fighters and trainers blasting through incredibly rugged and beautiful terrain at very low-level. While the Mach Loop in the UK is famous for this kind of aviation photography and the now tragically restricted Star Wars Canyon was once a similar Mecca for aviation photographers , no well-defined vantage points exist today in the United States for capturing this kind of action. McGreevy, an adventurous spirit, didn’t let that stop him. He decided to hunt down new perspectives to quench his military aviation low-level flying thirst and the results of his efforts are absolutely stunning.

The images you are about to see below didn’t just fall into Chris’s lap, nor were they taken while sitting in a car outside the airport fence—he puts the work in. They are captured deep in the Sequoia National Forest at a number of undisclosed locations. We asked Chris a bit about his passion for this unique form of photography and how he successfully captures $80M fighter jets ripping through rugged terrain at over 500 miles per hour:

“I’ve had an interest in aviation since I can remember. My Grandfather was a B-24 pilot in the Pacific and TWA Captain, so as a kid I spent a lot of time at airports and playing with model airplanes. As a teen, I moved onto building models, flight simulators, and borrowing my parent’s film camera for airport day trips. Somewhere along the way airliners started to lose my interest and low-level military flying became the ultimate shoot for me. Star Wars Canyon was a great place for that, but with the closure, a few others and I were forced to search elsewhere. I love spending time in the backcountry and hiking, so hunting jets out there is a fun addition to those trips. … Gone are the days of driving your car to a paved parking lot at Star Wars Canyon and getting quality shots. Hiking an hour or more in the mountains or desert with 50 pounds of cameras, water, radios, and a map is now the norm. I spent a lot of nights looking at maps, searching for spots that I think a jet could fly, then I try to plan a day to go and see for myself. I always check the weather beforehand and make plans based on that—sunny and calm winds are what I’m looking for. These trips typically involve a lot of hiking and bushwhacking through brush, so the danger of snakes and ticks are always on my mind. I’ve encountered a few rattlers, came home with a tick, and even saw a black bear once. Once I’m at my destination I rely on several scanner radios that I bring, each scanning a few specific frequencies, but my ears are the best tool I’ve got. The sound difference between a jet up high and down low is very recognizable, so I often sit in silence, just listening and waiting.”

“I’ve had an interest in aviation since I can remember. My Grandfather was a B-24 pilot in the Pacific and TWA Captain, so as a kid I spent a lot of time at airports and playing with model airplanes. As a teen, I moved onto building models, flight simulators, and borrowing my parent’s film camera for airport day trips. Somewhere along the way airliners started to lose my interest and low-level military flying became the ultimate shoot for me.

Star Wars Canyon was a great place for that, but with the closure, a few others and I were forced to search elsewhere. I love spending time in the backcountry and hiking, so hunting jets out there is a fun addition to those trips.

Gone are the days of driving your car to a paved parking lot at Star Wars Canyon and getting quality shots. Hiking an hour or more in the mountains or desert with 50 pounds of cameras, water, radios, and a map is now the norm. I spent a lot of nights looking at maps, searching for spots that I think a jet could fly, then I try to plan a day to go and see for myself.

I always check the weather beforehand and make plans based on that—sunny and calm winds are what I’m looking for. These trips typically involve a lot of hiking and bushwhacking through brush, so the danger of snakes and ticks are always on my mind. I’ve encountered a few rattlers, came home with a tick, and even saw a black bear once.

Once I’m at my destination I rely on several scanner radios that I bring, each scanning a few specific frequencies, but my ears are the best tool I’ve got. The sound difference between a jet up high and down low is very recognizable, so I often sit in silence, just listening and waiting.”

Christopher and one of his beloved subjects, an F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA-122. , Via Christopher McGreevy

Here are some of the crazy results from Christopher’s mountain hunts for metallic birds flying in their natural environment:

Christopher McGreevy

Some of you are probably asking yourself what gear was used to take these epic snaps. McGreevy tells us he shoots with Canon 7D Mark II, a 6D Mark II, a Sigma 150-600mm zoom lens, and his TRX1 and SD100 radio scanners are brought along for the assist.

Here’s a big thanks to Christopher for letting us share his amazing work with the world. Make absolutely sure that you follow him over on Instagram , he has a ton of other shots taken outside of the remote low-level routes. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年4月27日晚上10:28

如今，在陆地上拍摄的最令人叹为观止的军事航空照片，无疑出自克里斯托弗·麦格里维之手，他在Instagram上的账号是Ohwiss，绝对值得关注。这些照片展现了美国最优秀的战斗机和教练机在极其崎岖壮丽的地形上低空飞行的英姿。英国的马赫环线（Mach Loop）以拍摄此类航空照片而闻名，而如今已关闭的星战峡谷（Star Wars Canyon）也曾是航空摄影师的圣地，但如今在美国却鲜有合适的拍摄地点来捕捉这种精彩瞬间。然而，麦格里维天生热爱冒险，他并没有因此止步。他决定寻找新的拍摄角度，以满足自己对军事航空低空飞行的渴望，而他的成果也的确令人惊艳。

您即将看到的这些照片并非克里斯偶然得来，也不是他坐在机场围栏外的车里随便拍的——这些都是他辛勤努力的成果。这些照片是在红杉国家森林深处的几个未公开地点拍摄的。我们采访了克里斯，了解他对这种独特摄影形式的热情，以及他是如何成功捕捉到价值 8000 万美元的战斗机以超过 500 英里/小时的速度在崎岖地形中呼啸而过的画面的：

“我从小就对航空很感兴趣。我的祖父曾是太平洋战场上的B-24轰炸机飞行员，也是环球航空的机长，所以小时候我经常去机场玩模型飞机。到了青少年时期，我开始制作模型、玩飞行模拟器，还借用父母的胶片相机去机场一日游。后来，我对民航客机渐渐失去了兴趣，低空军用飞机成了我梦寐以求的拍摄对象。星战峡谷（Star Wars Canyon）曾经是拍摄这种飞机的绝佳地点，但随着它的关闭，我和其他几个朋友不得不另寻他处。我喜欢在偏远地区徒步旅行，所以去那里寻找喷气式飞机也成了我旅行的一大乐趣。……以前那种开车到星战峡谷的铺好停车场就能拍到高质量照片的日子已经一去不复返了。现在，背着50磅重的相机、水、无线电和地图，在山里或沙漠里徒步一个小时甚至更久才是常态。我曾经花了很多个夜晚研究地图，寻找我认为喷气式飞机可以飞行的地点，然后我会尽量安排一天时间亲自去看看。我总是提前查看天气预报，并据此制定计划——我最想要的是晴朗无风的天气。这些旅行通常需要徒步穿越灌木丛，所以蛇和蜱虫的危险始终让我心存顾虑。我遇到过几条响尾蛇，回家时身上还带着蜱虫，甚至还见过一次黑熊。到达目的地后，我会依靠随身携带的几台扫描收音机，每台收音机都扫描几个特定的​​频率，但我的耳朵才是最好的工具。高空和低空喷气式飞机的声音差异非常明显，所以我经常静静地坐着，只是倾听和等待。

“我从小就对航空感兴趣。我的祖父曾是太平洋战场上的B-24轰炸机飞行员，也是环球航空公司的机长，所以小时候我经常去机场玩模型飞机。十几岁的时候，我开始制作模型，玩飞行模拟器，还借父母的胶片相机去机场一日游。后来，我对民航客机渐渐失去了兴趣，低空军事飞行成了我最热衷的拍摄对象。”

星战峡谷原本是个寻找喷气式飞机残骸的好地方，但随着峡谷关闭，我和其他几个人不得不另寻他处。我喜欢在偏远地区徒步旅行，所以去那里寻找喷气式飞机残骸也算是给这些旅行增添了不少乐趣。

以前那种开车到星战峡谷的铺好停车场就能拍到高质量照片的日子已经一去不复返了。现在，背着50磅重的相机、水、收音机和地图，徒步一个小时甚至更久，深入山区或沙漠，才是常态。我曾经无数个夜晚研究地图，寻找那些我觉得喷气式飞机都能飞到的地方，然后努力计划一天的时间亲自去看看。

我总是提前查看天气预报，并据此制定计划——我最喜欢晴朗无风的天气。这些旅行通常需要徒步穿越灌木丛，所以蛇和蜱虫的危险始终让我心存顾虑。我遇到过几次响尾蛇，回家时身上还沾染过蜱虫，甚至还见过一次黑熊。

到达目的地后，我会使用随身携带的几台扫描收音机，每台收音机扫描几个特定的​​频率，但我最好的工具还是我的耳朵。高空和低空喷气式飞机的声音差异非常明显，所以我经常静静地坐着，只是倾听和等待。

克里斯托弗和他最喜爱的拍摄对象之一，来自VFA-122中队的F/A-18E超级大黄蜂战斗机。（图片来自克里斯托弗·麦格里维）

以下是克里斯托弗在山地搜寻自然栖息地中飞翔的金属色鸟类时取得的一些惊人成果：

克里斯托弗·麦格里维

你们当中有些人可能想知道这些精彩照片是用什么设备拍摄的。麦格里维告诉我们，他使用佳能7D Mark II、6D Mark II、适马150-600mm变焦镜头进行拍摄，他的TRX1和SD100无线电扫描仪则用于辅助拍摄。

非常感谢克里斯托弗允许我们与大家分享他精彩的作品。一定要去他的Instagram账号关注他，那里有很多他拍摄的、并非局限于偏远低海拔路线的照片。相信我，你绝对不会失望。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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