Reflections become Electra

I really love shooting pictures of highly-polished natural metal aircraft. The myriad images that get picked up and distorted by the reflections on their skin fascinate me with their abstract quality. When coupled with a classic airframe, like this pristine Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior, with its snazzy red cowlings and lightning bolt cheatline, you can almost feel yourself drawn back to a more romanticized era of aviation. Despite the Great Depression, or maybe because of it, this airplane, and the other glorious designs of the era, imbued a generation with a passion for flight. That decade was truly a golden age.

This image was shot in November 2007 at the Western Museum of Flight grand opening at its new facility at Torrance Airport, Zamperini Field, California.