It’s Here! Moose Peterson’s Incredible Book on Aviation Photography: ‘Takeoff’

It’s one of the most long-awaiting books of its kind, and we’re so excited it’s finally here (and in bookstores right now), it’s Moose Peterson’s ‘Takeoff: The Alpha to Zulu of Aviation Photography’ — an incredible book designed from cover to cover to help you create amazing photographs of airplanes, on ground or in the air, and tell the amazing stories surrounding them through your pictures.

First, check out the book’s official trailer (below), from Moose himself:

Here’s the book’s description from the back cover (but if you can’t wait any longer, here’s a link to order yours now on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or direct from the publisher at Peachpit Press).

Aviation photography is the perfect mix of sleek, beautiful machines, blended with nature’s beautiful skies and fields, along with a fascinating collection of fearless pilots and capable crew, all wrapped in a rich, significant, and crucial part of history. Few genres combine this many elements and invoke this much passion from photographers. This one-of-a kind book from Moose Peterson, one of the world’s most recognized experts in aviation photography, not only teaches you exactly what you need to know to start making beautiful, intriguing photographs of aircraft but inspires you and pushes you creatively and technically every step of the way.

Moose takes you through all the basics for camera gear and settings, showing you what he travels with and the settings he uses to get those tack sharp images. He covers one of the most important aspects of aviation photography—light! And, he gives you a number of examples of how to take the best advantage of that light any time of the day. He shares the critical techniques you’ll need to master to create the illusion of flight, speed, and romance in a still image, including which types of prop blur you’re aiming for (and which types you want to avoid).

You’ll learn how to make the most out of air shows and fly-ins—what to shoot while you’re there, and what you might want to skip or avoid altogether (and why). You’ll learn how to photograph aircraft on the ground, from ground-to-air, and ultimately air-to-air, and how to capture one of the most important elements in aviation photography today: the fascinating pilots and crew—the people!

Moose shares many wonderful stories and adventures along the way, which illustrate how, as photographers, we’re also storytellers, and the importance of bringing out those stories in our aviation photos. Plus, you’ll gain free access to his acclaimed KelbyOne film, Warbirds and the Men Who Flew Them.

With this book, your camera, and your passion, your success in aviation photography will quickly take flight!

The book is in bookstores right now — orders yours from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or direct from the book’s publisher, Peachpit Press.

We’re so proud of the incredible work Moose has done with this book, and how openly and honestly he shared his techniques, his images, and his stories with the readers. We were honored to get to work with him on Takeoff as his publishing partner, and my hearty congrats go to Moose and his wonderful family for creating some really unique in our industry.

Also, a big high-five to my in-house book team — Olympic Gold Medal editor Kim Doty and the world’s best book designer Jessica Maldonado, who knew how special this book would be, and worked so hard to craft a book that will have such an impact on so many photographers. You two are the best!!! Also, a very special thanks to our wonderful publisher Nancy Davis at Peachpit Press for having the vision to get behind this project from the start, and for believing in it from start to finish. Thank you, Nancy, you rock!

Well, you can see we’re very excited about this (this is a big day for us), and we hope you’ll tell your aviation-loving photographer friends about Takeoff! They are going to love it!

It’s a short week this week — let’s make it a great one! :)

Best,
-Scott