Red Bull Finalist Photos – Jack Smith winning longest airtime in Australia!

As one of Red Bull contracted official photographers I am under some contract as to when and where I can show my photos, and because of that most of them I might not be able to display the for a few years, however……..  I can share these two images with you now…  YAY!!!!!

Below are two images that captured here in Canberra covering Red Bull paper wings event, this event is open to a worldwide audience of competitors with the top people in the category flying to Austria the Red Bull Paper Wings World Final, which just happens to start tomorrow on 9 April 2015.

The gentleman throwing the plane is Jack Smith. Jack was able to secure his seat at the world finals in the category of the longest airtime with this flight of 9.3 seconds.

I spent the day photographing lots of competitors that day and I must say Jack spent a considerable amount of time shaping, making, adjusting and perfecting his aircraft. He was always in the background test flying and fixing his little paper plane, so if anyone was going to win it, it was going to be him. Go Jack you good thing!!!

Jack Smith throwing his paper plane for the chance to go to the world finals in Austria.
Jack Smith throwing his paper plane for the chance to go to the world finals in Austria.

At the end of the day the winner received a really big boarding pass with 20,000 frequent flyer points which I must say it the biggest boarding pass I have ever seen…. lol

As Jack was one of the winner on the day I organised use to shoot him out side along with the ladies from Red Bull, so that I could not only have better lighting than in a hall but it allowed me to incorporate the building and the really flash Red Bull car in the shot. Oh by the little Red Bull car has an esky in the back full of Red Bull!!!! Well it did when I started my day….. Not so much at the end… 😉

Jack Smith showing off his winning plane that allowed him to win the longest airtime in Australia with 9.3 seconds
Jack Smith showing off his winning plane that allowed him to win the longest airtime in Australia with 9.3 seconds

One thing I can say about photographing for Red Bull is that the people were fantastic, full of enthusiasm and keen to help out whereever they can…………. and there was no shortage of Red Bull to keep this little event photographer running around like a crazy man. lol

If you want to see my photos up in lights check out the link below. 🙂

http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/Countries/Australia/News/Announcement_The_Australian_Winners_are.html

Official Red Bull Photographer – Paper Wings

Now I have to be the first to admit that I new zip about the underworld of paper planes only a month of so ago…..

Well that was until a friend of mine was telling me about this guy she knows suffered from Cancer and how he changed his life through the flying of paper planes..

His story was run on ABC’s Australian Story and I must say very inspirational.  Now the cool thing about this story is that it was made into a movie….

I would urge you to go along to get both links below is it really is an amazing story.

Movie link – httpbe ://www.paperplanesmovie.com.au/

ABC Australian story link  http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/flywithme/default.htm

A couple of the things I learned from this was that you just really need to let go and be happy and the other thing was……..  this business of flying paper planes is serious, real serious.

This competition is all around the world with the finalists flying to Austria to compete in the world Championships and its big business. The major sponsor is Red Bull and Qantas as the local major sponsor.

These guys compete for the longest distance, the longest airtime and aerobatics, which is also very amazing.

The camp competition is on today at the Australian Defence Force Academy here in Canberra, to which I have signed onto Red Bull to be there official Canberra Photographer but this even but other Red Bull events…..  😉

So if you are going to it make sure you say hello as the images will be distributed world wide, with the chances of them appearing in and on posters around the world and even in computer games….  YAY for your face being in computer games….

 The details of the event can be found here:

http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/Countries/Australia/Events/Red_Bull_Paper_Wings_Qualiflying_UNSW%2C_CANBERRA_%28ADFA%29.html

or here for more general information

http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/Countries/Australia/Register.html