HAMLET — Jerry Andrews will soon be showcasing his work combining two of his interests: aviation and photography.
His photographs of military aircraft, mostly from three air shows and a visit to the Air Force Museum in Ohio over the past year, will be on display in a special exhibit from 4-6 p.m. Dec. 14 in the lobby of Cole Auditorium.
“I have had an interest in space and aviation since I was a kid,” Andrews said. “My late father, Ernest Andrews Sr., was a news junkie. We watched every Mercury and Gemini space launch in the ‘70s.”
Andrews said he watched every launch of NASA’s shuttle program, including the final lift-off of Atlantis on July 8, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center.
“It was a fulfillment of a lifelong dream to see a major launch,” Andrews said. “It was everything I had hoped it would be even if I was 11 miles away.”
Andrews became a photographer in the 8th grade after learning the basics. Since then, his interest with photography has evolved from a hobby to a business. “Every photographer has a favorite genre,” he said, “some love shooting an arrangement of a perfect flower bouquet, some love photographing children, my passion is military aircraft. “As a history teacher it's important to know as many details as possible of a historic event, we call that being a content expert. As a result of my interest in the topic, using aviation helps to provide flavor to historical events.” Most of the photos on display will be of flight demonstrations of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds, which Andrews refers to as “the pinnacle of military aviation.” “These teams and their close-quarters performances are public expressions of military tactics,” Andrews said. “It is definitely a challenge to photograph those F-16s or F-18s as they scream past at hundreds of miles an hour. You have seen the crossing maneuver where both the planes are in the same frame, that's a very low percentage capture based on the speeds and closing rates of the planes.” Andrews said prints of those photos will be available for purchase at the exhibit. Another military aircraft featured in Andrews’ exhibit is a C-47, photographed this past summer at the Charleston Air Show. Luke Vuncannon will be providing music during the exhibit and refreshments will be served. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
