Thank Mike i'll be talking to some friends of my dad who are in the Airforce, also is it true that if you're in the airforce you can basicly fly anywhere in the world real cheap? all you gotta do is ask around for empty space
thanks,
Daniel
That's called flying Space Available (Space A). Anyone in any branch of the military including cadets, retirees, and dependents (and maybe more that I'm not thinking of) can fly space a. There are caveats however. If you are a dependent or retiree you cannot fly from one place in the CONUS to another place in the CONUS unless you are travelling with your sponsor.
Space A is a good deal in some circumstances, and a bad deal in others. The aircraft commander doesn't have to take Space A pax. There could be last minute cargo that would bump you off. The plane could break or slip. It's not like flying on the airlines, believe me.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Yes. Yes you are. Unless you're going on a C-5 and there are fewer than 75 people going space a. Of course if you're trying to go on a C-5, you're going to have to wait a week while they fix the landing gear.
You'll get troop seats which aren't comfortable. Generally made of netting. Bring a sleeping bag and some warm clothes. Find some ambien if possible. That's what we do.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
would the AF even consider me because of my back though?...
Would any military branch? No idea. I'm a navigator, not a doc. Have you considered going to college before the military and entering as an officer BTW? ROTC, OTS (or OTC depending on the branch), or the various academies are all great ways to get an education, have a job after you're done, and get your commission.
Hell, you could be like me, get your ROTC scholarship and go to Illinois Tech in Chicago. They paid me to go to school there. I didn't even have to fill out an application or go through any interviews or anything. They sent a letter saying hey, we noticed that you got a ROTC scholarship and if you'd like to come here we'll pay for all your tuition, room and board, fees, and pay you $500 a semester plus all you have to do is call us and say yes and we'll get your acceptance letter out the door tomorrow. Not even the GI bill is that good.
Just saying.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Hell, you could be like me, get your ROTC scholarship and go to Illinois Tech in Chicago. They paid me to go to school there. I didn't even have to fill out an application or go through any interviews or anything. They sent a letter saying hey, we noticed that you got a ROTC scholarship and if you'd like to come here we'll pay for all your tuition, room and board, fees, and pay you $500 a semester plus all you have to do is call us and say yes and we'll get your acceptance letter out the door tomorrow. Not even the GI bill is that good.
damn. that don't sound to bad... next year i'll be joining NJROTC, for high-school. so we'll see how that hashes out... whats all involved in being an officer? obviously better rations, board, and pay. but would that still allow me to be a combat photographer
As far as I know you will not be an officer and photographer. I think the officers that are involved with VI are communications officers. That's just as far as I know though.
I know you still have several years until you decide on what you are doing be keep in mind, doing you passion for a living sometimes takes away the passion. Then it's just a job.
damn. that don't sound to bad... next year i'll be joining NJROTC, for high-school. so we'll see how that hashes out... whats all involved in being an officer? obviously better rations, board, and pay. but would that still allow me to be a combat photographer
thanks for all the advice thus-far guys
Can't speak for the other services, and I don't know that much about AF combat camera. But here's the thing. As an officer you'd be in charge of a unit of combat cameramen. You'd likely get to do some of it yourself, but that wouldn't be your primary job.
maybe i should just stick with my origional plan, go to college, then make my own studio...
Just remember, you cannot un-go to college. Once you've got your degree, it's something that you will always have. Your options are wide open from that point. If you did ROTC, you'd be an officer with a 4 year committment to the USAF. If you didn't do ROTC and you still wanted to enlist, every branch would be more than happy to have you.
My recommendation is college first THEN choose your next step. You'll be glad you did, I guarantee it.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Can't speak for the other services, and I don't know that much about AF combat camera. But here's the thing. As an officer you'd be in charge of a unit of combat cameramen. You'd likely get to do some of it yourself, but that wouldn't be your primary job.
Thanks for the link, Mike. Some excellent shots, there. And you know what? If they weren't so big, I'd show some here (no copyright with government shots.)
Just remember, you cannot un-go to college. Once you've got your degree, it's something that you will always have. Your options are wide open from that point. If you did ROTC, you'd be an officer with a 4 year committment to the USAF. If you didn't do ROTC and you still wanted to enlist, every branch would be more than happy to have you.
My recommendation is college first THEN choose your next step. You'll be glad you did, I guarantee it.
I agree with Mike on this... getting a degree, no matter what it's in or where it's from, allows you to "check the box" that says "college degree" anytime you ever have to apply for a job or give information about your education, for the rest of your life. That simple check mark that has nothing to do with your intelligence, skills, worth as a human being or anything else for that matter, can have a huge imapct on whether doors are open or closed to you in the future.
The other thing is that if you go to a school that has an ROTC program, you'll probably be able to get involved on a completely volunteer (i.e. no contract) basis for at least a year, maybe even two ("try" before you "buy"). That's how I got involved, by attending drills and weekend training for a year before signing up. Of course that was now 20 years ago (yikes!) and things may have changed. Once I joined ROTC, I also enlisted in the Army National Guard at the same time and took advantage of their officer training program.
But do think long and hard about whether you want to be an officer. It involves a very different set of duties and responsibilities, and whether you like it or not will depend on why you want to be in the military in the first place. I enjoyed it and learned a great deal from the experience, but I've had two friends that went the other direction. One enlisted and stayed enlisted, the other enlisted, became an officer, and decided to go back to being a non-commisioned officer. Both of them figured out that the reason they were in the Army was to do the "G.I. Joe" stuff and as officers they wouldn't or didn't get to do nearly as much as they'd like.
The other thing about being an officer is that there will not be as many opportunities to do the things you might be interested in. Like most organizations, the military services are like pyramids. As you move up, there are fewer and fewer spaces available, and the competition can be quite fierce. Back when I was first getting in, Active Duty wasn't even guaranteed to ROTC graduates. I'm not sure if that's still true or not, things have probably changed a great deal in the last several years.
Thanks for the welcome. I don't have a lot of pictures to show off. Here's one it might be interesting. I took this picture with a Canon SureShot in Afghanistan.
You won't be able to pull up any imagery, but there is some information that will be of interest, e.g., the Tasking ComCam link will take you to a page that provides phone number and addresses for each of the Service's combat camera groups.
You will find publicly released photos on the AFIS main site:
Have you considered going to college before the military and entering as an officer BTW? ROTC, OTS (or OTC depending on the branch), or the various academies are all great ways to get an education, have a job after you're done, and get your commission.
A friend of mine went this route. He's been in for some time. Prior to flight
school, he earned a masters while working at Travis. He's a Major now and
working on a second master's. He's flown fighters in Afghanistan and run the
flight sim in AZ (I forget where).
He's done well for himself.
If you are planning a career in the military, make sure you get what you
want out of the deal. My buddy was originally dealt flight school and when
cutbacks cancelled his schooling, he was offered an out or anywhere/any
job. He chose out and was lucky enough to come back in when there was
an available pilot slot with no loss in rank/seniority.
Good luck Daniel. If you think your back is going to be an issue, see if there
are excercises, etc. that you can do to mitigate the problem.
Ian
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
If you are planning a career in the military, make sure you get what you
want out of the deal. My buddy was originally dealt flight school and when
cutbacks cancelled his schooling, he was offered an out or anywhere/any
job. He chose out and was lucky enough to come back in when there was
an available pilot slot with no loss in rank/seniority.
Good luck Daniel. If you think your back is going to be an issue, see if there
are excercises, etc. that you can do to mitigate the problem.
Ian
there are exercises that the therapist told me to do and such to help keep it strong...
also, i was considering getting a bachelor/masters in Buisness and whatever photography degrees there are. i want to eventually open my own studio, or Camera store.
Admittedly, I'm slightly bitter
Probably beating a dead horse here, but I feel compelled to say this.
Definitely go to college first, and do all the research you can before deciding whether to join or not. If you decide to do it...watch yourself and make sure you know everything you can about what you'll be doing and who you'll be working with. On the whole, it's not bad, but like the civilian side, there are those who will do everything they can to screw you over, just because they can. I just got kicked out a month ago because I worked with people like that (I'm still upset about it, but getting over it...college here I come).
If you can make it work, it's an awesome thing to do.
Ok, I'm done, shutting up now.
Good luck, and be careful.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the ones that take our breath away.
Go to college first? I find that very odd advice myself. If you have your degree then use it! Why waste time in any other venture other than your chosen profession immediately after getting your degree? Once you are a new-grad you need to get into your profession and start using that knowledge.
Military, then college, makes much more sense to me, especially given the military will help pay for your college if you do things in that order.
Go to college first? I find that very odd advice myself. If you have your degree then use it! Why waste time in any other venture other than your chosen profession immediately after getting your degree? Once you are a new-grad you need to get into your profession and start using that knowledge.
Military, then college, makes much more sense to me, especially given the military will help pay for your college if you do things in that order.
according to the parents, college money won't be an issue.... so if i do join the military it'll be for self-satisfaction and such like that. or for a career in Combat Photography.
I don't want to discourage you from your conviction. However, having a
college degree before you do will do more for your military career and for
your career beyond the military.
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
Daniel,
I just noticed this thread, and felt compelled to share one small detail with you from my personal experience...
IF, you make a decision to join up make sure that you go into the branch that *you* and YOU ALONE want to go into. DO NOT make this decision lightly, and do not let anyone 'talk' you into going into a different branch for any reason, and certainly not for the food or the shelter or the booze.
You mentioned the Marines, well I am the son of a Marine. I ran into a little bit of trouble around my 17th birthday and it was decided that I should "consider the military". I was fine with that and had my heart set on going to see a Marine recruiter. Well, being that I was 17 I needed parental consent to sign up. Unfortunately, the people that had custody of me at the time (an Aunt and Uncle), refused to even consider the Marines and gave me the choice of Navy or Airforce.
Let's just say (for the sake of time...), that it didn't work out.
In my heart I knew then and know to this day that I should have been a Marine. Yes, I know that you have to earn that title, and with utmost respect to those who have, I *know* I would have. Some things are in the blood, this is one of them.
So, *if* in your heart you know that you would like to earn the title MARINE (or Army Ranger etc.), don't sell short-go for it. If you don't you may wind up carrying the baggage of your decision for a long time. If it's not in your heart, there is nothing wrong or even sub-par with going into a different branch or direction all together.
Now, about becoming a combat photog......
Well, I'm afraid you pays your way and you takes your chances with that
If every keystroke was a shutter press I'd be a pro by now...
....so do you know of any websites that are of Military photographers that i could go to, to look at what i would be getting myself into ....
Daniel you would not (hopefully) be entering a World War One situation, but Frank Hurley is my all-time photographer hero, some of his great wartime work is at this link. http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-hurley.html -
and his earlier work for which he is probably more famous is here: - both are worth a look through I think.
Comments
That's called flying Space Available (Space A). Anyone in any branch of the military including cadets, retirees, and dependents (and maybe more that I'm not thinking of) can fly space a. There are caveats however. If you are a dependent or retiree you cannot fly from one place in the CONUS to another place in the CONUS unless you are travelling with your sponsor.
Space A is a good deal in some circumstances, and a bad deal in others. The aircraft commander doesn't have to take Space A pax. There could be last minute cargo that would bump you off. The plane could break or slip. It's not like flying on the airlines, believe me.
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Yes. Yes you are. Unless you're going on a C-5 and there are fewer than 75 people going space a. Of course if you're trying to go on a C-5, you're going to have to wait a week while they fix the landing gear.
You'll get troop seats which aren't comfortable. Generally made of netting. Bring a sleeping bag and some warm clothes. Find some ambien if possible. That's what we do.
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Since Daniel has his address you may want to knock it off the open post. Jeff doesn't need a bunch of nuts sending him email.
"Tis better keep your mouth shut and be thought of as an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
Would any military branch? No idea. I'm a navigator, not a doc. Have you considered going to college before the military and entering as an officer BTW? ROTC, OTS (or OTC depending on the branch), or the various academies are all great ways to get an education, have a job after you're done, and get your commission.
Hell, you could be like me, get your ROTC scholarship and go to Illinois Tech in Chicago. They paid me to go to school there. I didn't even have to fill out an application or go through any interviews or anything. They sent a letter saying hey, we noticed that you got a ROTC scholarship and if you'd like to come here we'll pay for all your tuition, room and board, fees, and pay you $500 a semester plus all you have to do is call us and say yes and we'll get your acceptance letter out the door tomorrow. Not even the GI bill is that good.
Just saying.
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
damn. that don't sound to bad... next year i'll be joining NJROTC, for high-school. so we'll see how that hashes out... whats all involved in being an officer? obviously better rations, board, and pay. but would that still allow me to be a combat photographer
thanks for all the advice thus-far guys
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
I know you still have several years until you decide on what you are doing be keep in mind, doing you passion for a living sometimes takes away the passion. Then it's just a job.
i don't think i could ever get tired of Photography
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Can't speak for the other services, and I don't know that much about AF combat camera. But here's the thing. As an officer you'd be in charge of a unit of combat cameramen. You'd likely get to do some of it yourself, but that wouldn't be your primary job.
FYI, here is a page of USAF combat camera work. Lots and lots of pics. http://www.af.mil/weekinphotos/
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
that'd be sweet...
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Just remember, you cannot un-go to college. Once you've got your degree, it's something that you will always have. Your options are wide open from that point. If you did ROTC, you'd be an officer with a 4 year committment to the USAF. If you didn't do ROTC and you still wanted to enlist, every branch would be more than happy to have you.
My recommendation is college first THEN choose your next step. You'll be glad you did, I guarantee it.
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
I agree with Mike on this... getting a degree, no matter what it's in or where it's from, allows you to "check the box" that says "college degree" anytime you ever have to apply for a job or give information about your education, for the rest of your life. That simple check mark that has nothing to do with your intelligence, skills, worth as a human being or anything else for that matter, can have a huge imapct on whether doors are open or closed to you in the future.
The other thing is that if you go to a school that has an ROTC program, you'll probably be able to get involved on a completely volunteer (i.e. no contract) basis for at least a year, maybe even two ("try" before you "buy"). That's how I got involved, by attending drills and weekend training for a year before signing up. Of course that was now 20 years ago (yikes!) and things may have changed. Once I joined ROTC, I also enlisted in the Army National Guard at the same time and took advantage of their officer training program.
But do think long and hard about whether you want to be an officer. It involves a very different set of duties and responsibilities, and whether you like it or not will depend on why you want to be in the military in the first place. I enjoyed it and learned a great deal from the experience, but I've had two friends that went the other direction. One enlisted and stayed enlisted, the other enlisted, became an officer, and decided to go back to being a non-commisioned officer. Both of them figured out that the reason they were in the Army was to do the "G.I. Joe" stuff and as officers they wouldn't or didn't get to do nearly as much as they'd like.
The other thing about being an officer is that there will not be as many opportunities to do the things you might be interested in. Like most organizations, the military services are like pyramids. As you move up, there are fewer and fewer spaces available, and the competition can be quite fierce. Back when I was first getting in, Active Duty wasn't even guaranteed to ROTC graduates. I'm not sure if that's still true or not, things have probably changed a great deal in the last several years.
This is an AMAZING SHOT!!! WOW
Glass: >Sigma 17-35mm,f2.8-4 DG >Tamron 28-75mm,f2.8 >Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro >Canon 70-200mm,f2.8L IS >Canon 200mm,f2.8L
Flash: >550EX >Sigma EF-500 DG Super >studio strobes
Sites: Jim Mitte Photography - Livingston Sports Photos - Brighton Football Photos
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
http://dodimagery.afis.osd.mil/dodimagery/home.html
You won't be able to pull up any imagery, but there is some information that will be of interest, e.g., the Tasking ComCam link will take you to a page that provides phone number and addresses for each of the Service's combat camera groups.
You will find publicly released photos on the AFIS main site:
http://dodimagery.afis.osd.mil/
A friend of mine went this route. He's been in for some time. Prior to flight
school, he earned a masters while working at Travis. He's a Major now and
working on a second master's. He's flown fighters in Afghanistan and run the
flight sim in AZ (I forget where).
He's done well for himself.
If you are planning a career in the military, make sure you get what you
want out of the deal. My buddy was originally dealt flight school and when
cutbacks cancelled his schooling, he was offered an out or anywhere/any
job. He chose out and was lucky enough to come back in when there was
an available pilot slot with no loss in rank/seniority.
Good luck Daniel. If you think your back is going to be an issue, see if there
are excercises, etc. that you can do to mitigate the problem.
Ian
also, i was considering getting a bachelor/masters in Buisness and whatever photography degrees there are.
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
OI !!! Rules of the game...if you can't spell it...you can't do it.The world needs ditch diggers too.
sorry, business*
lol. i always did have a hard time spelling that word, and i'm sure i butchered bachelor too.
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Probably beating a dead horse here, but I feel compelled to say this.
Definitely go to college first, and do all the research you can before deciding whether to join or not. If you decide to do it...watch yourself and make sure you know everything you can about what you'll be doing and who you'll be working with. On the whole, it's not bad, but like the civilian side, there are those who will do everything they can to screw you over, just because they can. I just got kicked out a month ago because I worked with people like that (I'm still upset about it, but getting over it...college here I come).
If you can make it work, it's an awesome thing to do.
Ok, I'm done, shutting up now.
Good luck, and be careful.
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
Military, then college, makes much more sense to me, especially given the military will help pay for your college if you do things in that order.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
according to the parents, college money won't be an issue.... so if i do join the military it'll be for self-satisfaction and such like that. or for a career in Combat Photography.
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com
college degree before you do will do more for your military career and for
your career beyond the military.
I just noticed this thread, and felt compelled to share one small detail with you from my personal experience...
IF, you make a decision to join up make sure that you go into the branch that *you* and YOU ALONE want to go into. DO NOT make this decision lightly, and do not let anyone 'talk' you into going into a different branch for any reason, and certainly not for the food or the shelter or the booze.
You mentioned the Marines, well I am the son of a Marine. I ran into a little bit of trouble around my 17th birthday and it was decided that I should "consider the military". I was fine with that and had my heart set on going to see a Marine recruiter. Well, being that I was 17 I needed parental consent to sign up. Unfortunately, the people that had custody of me at the time (an Aunt and Uncle), refused to even consider the Marines and gave me the choice of Navy or Airforce.
Let's just say (for the sake of time...), that it didn't work out.
In my heart I knew then and know to this day that I should have been a Marine. Yes, I know that you have to earn that title, and with utmost respect to those who have, I *know* I would have. Some things are in the blood, this is one of them.
So, *if* in your heart you know that you would like to earn the title MARINE (or Army Ranger etc.), don't sell short-go for it. If you don't you may wind up carrying the baggage of your decision for a long time. If it's not in your heart, there is nothing wrong or even sub-par with going into a different branch or direction all together.
Now, about becoming a combat photog......
Well, I'm afraid you pays your way and you takes your chances with that
Daniel you would not (hopefully) be entering a World War One situation, but Frank Hurley is my all-time photographer hero, some of his great wartime work is at this link.
http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-hurley.html -
and his earlier work for which he is probably more famous is here: - both are worth a look through I think.
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/endurance/
http://www.sherbrookephotography.smugmug.com
My favorite quote ..
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Albert Einstein