Credit: Lyndsay Curtis, my wife, best friend and business partner
First off, thank you to Scott and Brad for letting me share my story with everyone. I met Scott during his (mis)adventures in January.
My name is Tony D. Curtis and I am a 2nd Class Petty officer in the U.S. Navy and my job title is mass communication specialist (MC). My job is to use all aspects of media (photo, video, public affairs, etc.) to help tell the Navy's story to the general public. I'm stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).
Within my job, my passion is photography. I can't explain how lucky I am to have what I think is the best job in the Navy.
It took at least 1,600 sailors to spell out G-H-W-B for our namesake's birthday and I was chosen to fly in a helo that day to get this shot.
Aboard the ship, we have Navy-trained firefighters, police officers, a post office, a small ship store, a cafeteria, a weekly newspaper and more. It's literally a floating city. We have enough space and supplies to support the deployment-sized crew of 5,000 Sailors and up to 90 aircraft anywhere in the world.
Being able to combine my love of photography with the access of shooting in such a cool environment is incredible. The most dangerous and exciting part is shooting on the flight deck.
There is just so much going on, lots of colors and lots of repetition. It's very fast paced and we're trained to keep our head on a swivel, constantly looking around to make sure we're safe. Anytime I go onto the flight deck, I have to have proper safety gear and another Sailor from my shop as a spotter, keeping me out of the way of these F/A-18 hornets and super hornets, E-2C Hawkeyes and MH-60R/S Sea Hawk helicopters.
The flight deck is awesome but we don't just cover the equipment taking off and landing over and over again. The thing that makes the carrier so special is the Sailors. Every Sailor has a different story, a different job and we're there to capture the moments as each Sailor does their job.
With all the training the Navy has provided, I've done my best to pass it on to my best friend and wife, Lyndsay Curtis. When I'm not out to sea or on the ship, we work together on our own portrait business.
Being in Norfolk, Virginia, my two lives of civilian photography and the Navy photojournalist cross quite a bit. This is most apparent during homecoming ceremonies for deployed units. It is probably our favorite thing to shoot.
Photography is my job, my hobby, and my passion. Luckily I get to pursue it at work and at home and have a blast doing it.
Tony D. Curtis was named the 2012 Navy Photographer of the Year and won the 2012 D.C. Shoot Off "Chip Shot" Best in Show award. He is getting ready to transfer to his next set of orders in Sicily.
You can see more of Lyndsay and Tony's work at LyndsayCurtis.com or Facebook.com/LyndsayCurtisPhotography, and follow Tony on Twitter or Facebook.
If you are interested in talking to a recruiter about joining the Navy, visit Navy.com
Simply outstanding! And thank you for your service to our country!
Wonderful shots Tony! Thanks for sharing.
Outstanding! You serve your country proud!
YES!!! One of my favorite guest posts to date.
Well done MC2, Hope you like Sig I know I did!
PH1
MC Squared! Great post! Proud to know ya. Big high five for winning POY and Chip Shot!
High five!
Great post, great images and a big thanks from Texas for your service to our nation!
Just wonderful. Great shot. And thanks.
Tony, Great story and wonderful shots. I love the pose of your wife by the fence too!
Really cool post. That GHWB shot must have been a “ok can’t mess up this shot” moment. “crap I left the lens cap on!”
Totally awesome!
stunning photos!
Tony, Thank you and the crew for your unselfish service! Nice post and yes what a great job. Blessings at you.
Awesome Mr. Curtis- here’s hoping that you contribute to this blog at least a couple more times with some cool stories and more epic flight deck shots. Old Kelby’s blog really could use more thrilling action like these jets provide (I would posit that the two best posts this year have been of his trip out onto CVN-77 and the one about his visit to the Pensacola base). We need more jets! Seriously Mr. Curtis sir, I could not imagine a more thoroughly thrilling occupation than being a photographer on an aircraft carrier. Stay safe out there and keep up the great work, and much respect for your service. -Nate from Maine.
Great photos. Thank you and all your fellow service men and women for your service.
Outstanding work MC2. As a retired ITCM once stationed aboard the U.S.S John F. Kennedy (CV-67) I can appreciate the hours you put in and being on a carrier there is always an element of danger in your job (aka Flight Ops). Well done shipmate