Need Advice for Military Shoot tomorrow

[gregkendallball]

Tomorrow morning I will be heading to Dyess AFB to cover the Change of Command ceremony for the local paper. Not being in the military, or having much experience with military matters, I'd love to hear from some folks about things to look for, things not to miss, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
GKB

[CaptainTom]

faces of incoming and outgoing commanders. Overall with lots of flags.
They'll tell you were to stand.

[LEATHERNECK]

Ah man you'll like this. If you can get any info from PR at the base find out:
Is it outdoors(usually)?
Will it take place on the parade deck(usually)?
What areas will you be limited to(lens consideration).
The time will be an issue for the angle of the sun...so be prepared with a flash for they will be wearing a cover(hat) that will shadow the eyes.
If possible try to position yourself to get some shots of the passing in parade of the troops and then position yourself to get some shots of the transfer of the base/battalion colors(flags). The retiring commander will be handing these over to the incoming commander. Look for those moments of saluting(cool).
This is it in a nutshell...the basics...the rest, just wing it...there will be plenty of shots to get; and this is based on how it is done in the Marine Corps....not sure about the Air Force way but should be along the same lines of military protocol.

[Daniel Bates]

Ahh, changes of command. *sigh*


There are a lot of speeches, and everything (EVERYTHING) is scripted and introduced. They'll very likely have a dress rehearsal about an hour before the actual ceremony; if you can make that, you'll know exactly what's going on. If you can't, just go with the flow.

Key photos: As Rodney mentioned, the passing of the colours. Also, the handshake and/or salute between incoming and outgoing commanders.

[LDB]

What a cool honor. Congratulations on getting to document activities of some of the heroes of the nation.

[BrokenBiker]

Alright...here's the "inside scoop." From what I understand, it'll be inside a maintenance hangar used for annual aircraft inspections. There won't be any maintenance going on, and any planes will probably be moved out. The lighting isn't too bad, but a flash will probably be necessary. Like stated before, there will be a rehersal beforehand but I don't know the schedule. Also, there will probably not be any marching/parading of troops as it's in a hangar. But, you can expect a rent-a-crowd and several attendees. I'm on leave right now and out of state, but I'll send you a PM w/ my buddy's phone number on it. He might be able to help you out a bit more. He said he'll be around/available, and he works in the same hangar.

Good luck with your shoot!

[rusty_tripod]

This sounds like a great opportunity. I suspect it will be much like a college graduation with lots of speakers and perhaps, some formal rituals which could include inspecting the troops, flag details, etc. With speakers, there will be some down time. However, as mentioned earlier, be sure to get appropriate group shots of old command, new command, and the act of transference. I would say it is basic photojournalism and documentation were both background (aircraft, if present) and formality are represented in some way.

[gregkendallball]

Thanks, everyone, for your input.

The ceremony was short and sweet. The base PIO basically let me float around wherever I wanted, which I thought was pretty cool since there were about $5 Billion worth of B-1s in the hangar. I'm sure that, had I done anything suspicious, a hundred people would have jumped me in no time!

The whole thing lasted 30 minutes. There was a huge US Flag backdrop, and I *almost* got a great shot of the new commander "assuming command," but my prime spot was taken, instead, by the USAF photog lady. I'm sure her shot mattered a little more than mine, but I still think I got a few decent shots.

Appreciate all the feedback,
GKB