One day’s shoot was under brilliant winter sunshine, and I got plenty of light but harsh shadows.

For the second shoot, I chose an overcast gray day with great light diffusion. The contrast between the two groups of photos is interesting.

I’m not a great photographer, so I appreciate digital cameras (in my case an old Canon EOS Rebel). I use the A-DEP setting, to maximize depth of field for outdoor shots, and ISO 1600. I take zillions of photos and choose the best ones. The best part is, I’ve had folks ask me when the air show was!

The Messerschmitt in the May 2014 FSM was the third Erich Hartmann-flown Bf 109 I’ve built. (With the amount of winter we’ve had, you’d think I’d rather build something that belonged in the desert!) Given the whitewash camouflage, it seemed appropriate that I should photograph it outside in winter.

I shot the lead photos for this article on two separate occasions when the temperatures were warm enough that the antenna didn’t go slack (seriously).

I live in the country, so finding good locations is easy — I’m surrounded by them.

I used a large sheet of cardboard for the base. I glued Woodland Scenics’ grass and turf to the sheet, then rubbed most of it off until I had a base with a slight hint of green.

The biggest problem was getting the model up high enough to get a good, realistic camera angle. The answer was staring me in the face: Pose it on the roof of my car! There’s a gentle curve to the roof, so I could set the horizon at almost any angle.

I raided the kitchen cupboard for icing sugar, which I sprinkled liberally on the groundwork before shooting my first round of photos. After shaking off the loose sugar, I shot my second round.