Veteran photographer gives back to military community

  • Published
  • By Seniior Airman Cindy Alejandrez
  • 349th Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Reserve and active duty airmen had the opportunity to learn from a professional aviation photographer to further improve their photojournalism skills during a two-day aviation photography course at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on Feb. 1 to 2.

The 94th Airlift Wing public affairs team hosted the event for the nine student attendees, assigned to reserve units throughout the country. Professional photographer Tony Granata was the course lead instructor. Granata, who is also a Navy veteran, has been a photographer for 15 years. Doug Glover, a Marine Corps pilot and professional photographer also assisted in helping students grasp camera flash concepts.

The 94th AW invited Granata, because as Lt. Col. Jim Wilson, public affairs officer explained, "Granata is the real deal. The instruction that Granata provides is valuable to beginner or advanced photographers,... because there is always something new to learn in public affairs."

The course offered refresher classes on camera exposure and photo shoot preparation and also offered instruction on advanced camera flash techniques and lighting. The techniques were practiced during outdoor sunrise and sunset photography sessions. Students had the opportunity to explore the relationships between flash or ambient lighting and how these affect aviation photography or those who work on airplanes.

"The group learned a lot of information. This information ranged from using multiple flashes to tell different stories and creating different effects to how to achieve the proper prop arc when taking photos of aircraft with propellers. We also learned how to use others as part of a team to achieve the look of the photo we want," said Senior Airman Joshua Seybert, a public affairs specialist with the 911th Airlift Wing.

After the photography sessions, students had the opportunity to analyze and critique photos as a group, to help each other learn and improve their craft.

The classes Granata offers, normally cost approximately one thousand dollars, however he offered the class for free, for military members, also paying for his own travel costs and expenses.

"I'm a disabled Navy veteran myself, and I'd like to give back to the military members in right now," said Granata. "We (Granata and Glover) really enjoy teaching, whether it's just one person on the flight line or ten."

Granata further explained that he is glad he had the opportunity to provide quality photography classes such as his, which help him build positive relationships with the units. He hopes to be able to teach such classes for other service members.