Influence Artists One Year Anniversary - Part 5 (Back At Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum)

 When we landed, it took me a minute to collect myself. I was still on an adrenaline high and my mind was still up in the air. As much as I was afraid, I was also having so much fun I didn't want it to end. But it did feel good to be back on the ground. Once my brain landed, I picked up where I left off before the flight... I got some more Airwolf pictures and some more pics of the other choppers. Most of the cars had already left, by the time we got back. So I was only able to get pics of one of the cars at the meet. But, I didn't mind too much, considering I had just gone on my second aerial photography tour! Definitely going to be doing it again, too. I won't say where I'm going to fly next. But I will tell you that it won't be another DTLA mission. Not to say that I won't do that again. But I have something else in mind for my next trip in a helicopter. Until then, I'll leave you with the last of the pictures from Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum. If you would like to fly with Mr. Petgrave, check out Celebrity Helicopters or follow him on Instagram @Robin.at.tam. If you would like to go to the next @InfluenceArtist x @LosAngelesGrammers meet, follow them on Instagram for updates on when it will be. Thanks for checkin' out the Bsombin' blog! And check back soon for more Bsombin'!

Influence Artists One Year Anniversary - Part 1 (The Presentation At Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum)

Thanks for checkin' out the Bsombin' blog! Last November I went to an Influence Artists x Los Angeles Grammers photo meet at Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum. TAM opened it's doors for photographers, models, and car enthusiasts to gather and collaborate in the name of art. Robin Petgrave (the man in charge at TAM and the owner of Celebrity Helicopters) was also generous enough to give helicopter riders over DTLA for a discounted rate. Despite my fear of heights, I couldn't pass up the chance to take a helicopter ride over DTLA with my camera! Needless to say, it was the best photo meet I had ever been to!

A few weeks ago Influence Artists x Los Angeles Grammers had another meet at TAM. And, once again, Mr. Petgrave was offering discounted flights over DTLA in his helicopter! And this time they also had Jon SooHoo (The LA Dodgers' official photographer for over 30 years) as a guest speaker! Thanks to the wonderful LA traffic, I was late and missed the first half of Mr. SooHoo's presentation. But, I was able to enjoy some of the slide shows he presented and got to hear him speak about some of his experiences with the Dodgers' organization. He also shared some advice about working as a professional photographer and talked about subjects like gear, shooting with film vs. digital, and how he stays creative after 30+ years working as a photographer.

Once Mr. SooHoo was done with his presentation, I headed outside to see what was going on with the helicopter rides... Mr. Petgrave was still out flying. So I decided to go get some pictures of the other helicopters that were parked at the museum. I forgot that Mr. Petgrave had recently come into possession of one of my childhood obsessions... Earlier this year he added one of the original Airwolf helicopters (from the '80's TV series) to his collection of helicopters! I remember watching that show every Saturday night as a little kid. Sundays I would go outside and ride my bike around the neighborhood and pretend I was flying in Airwolf and taking out the bad guys. I geeked out pretty hard (and went on a total nostalgia trip) when I saw her parked outside of the hanger. So I started get some pics of Airwolf and all the other choppers, the planes, and the cars while I was waiting...

"Influence 3"

Thanks for takin' the time to check out Bsombin'! Back in November, I found out about a photography event that was being held at the Compton airport. The airport is home to Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum. A museum and learning center owned and operated by Robin Petgrave (@robin.at.tam on Instagram). The museum houses a variety of helicopters and airplanes, from military aircraft to small single engine propeller planes. Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum is also a learning center that provides inner city youth with an opportunity to learn about aviation and engineering. The kids are literally learning to be rocket scientists, at the museum! The museum even has it's own gourmet food truck, built out of an old DC-10 airplane, and a beautifully lit dinning area. I didn't get to try the food. But it smelled amazing!

On November 10th, the museum opened up its doors to co-host a pop-up art gallery / photography meet, along with @influenceartists ( a nonprofit pop-up gallery that showcases talented artists and influencers) and @losangelesgrammers (an Instagram feature account showcasing Los Angeles photography). It's a long drive to Compton, from where I live. But, when I heard that Robin would be giving $75 helicopter tours over DTLA through out the day, I was set on going. Despite my fear of heights, I wanted to shoot DTLA from a helicopter as much as I wanted to breath! It was also the day after my 41st Bday, so I took the opportunity as a gift from the Universe. It was a mission getting there. But, when I pulled up and saw all the old military aircraft and the DC-10 food truck all lit up, I couldn't help but smile. When I walked in there were about a dozen photographers showing and selling their work. Since the helicopter ride was what sold me on the event, I headed straight to the ticket line to get my ticket. I wasn't the only one excited about the heli rides and there was an hour wait before I could get my turn. After getting my ticket for the helicopter, I checked out the show. I picked up a print from Kristen Bautista (@killakristennn), and headed to the bar to prepare myself for what I thought would be the scariest photo mission of my life... Although I got there late and missed the photo meet, there were still a few models and a handful of lowriders there. So I got to work shooting, while I worked on my beers. By the time my turn on the helicopter came around, I was starting to freak out. But, sweaty palms and all, I jumped in and buckled up as soon as they said I was up! The funny thing is, I was so excited (and in disbelief about actually being in a helicopter) that I wasn't scared at all. The flight lasted about 30 minutes. But it felt like 5. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had the good fortune of living. It even helped me with my fear of heights. Still afraid of heights. But I feel more in control of that fear now.

I'm extremely grateful to Robin Petgrave, Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum, Influence Artists, & Los Angeles Grammers (and everyone else who was involved and took part in the event) for giving me and the other photographers the opportunity to come together to shoot, network, and even fly in a helicopter! Here are some of my favorite shots from the night...

@raquelitalamasbonita_

@kelseyroseketting

@kelseyroseketting

@raquelitalamasbonita_

Influencers 4 is being held at Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum this Saturday (01/19/19) and more amazing photographers will be showcasing their work there, in case anyone is interested in checkin' it out. 

Thanks for checkin' out Bsombin'. Check back soon for more stories, adventures, and art!