Courtesy of CTV.ca
Canadian officials have released the names of a pilot and military photographer who died while photographing a jet formation near the Snowbird base in Saskatchewan Thursday.
Capt. Bryan Mitchell, 46, and photographer Sgt. Charles Senecal, 49, both perished when their CT-114 Tutor aircraft crashed about two kilometres northwest of Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw.
The Tutor aircraft, which is used exclusively by the Snowbird Squadron, crashed slightly after 12:30 p.m. MT.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Capt. Mitchell and Sgt. Senecal," said Col. Paul Keddy, commander of Moose Jaw's 15 Wing base, on Friday.
Keddy said that Mitchell had been chosen to fly with the Snowbirds during their next show season, which was "truly a dream come true for him."
Keddy added that Mitchell will be remembered as an "inspiring" flight instructor and a passionate airman.
Senecal, who had been a Canadian Forces photographer for about 30 years, was a joyful man who "could be counted on," said Keddy.
"His 'joie de vivre' was contagious and made a difference in the lives of people around him."
Just before the crash, the pair had been following a formation of three other jets for a routine photo session, according to officials.
The military has launched a preliminary investigation into what caused the fatal crash, and more investigators were expected to arrive at the site Friday, Keddy said.
Meanwhile, the Snowbirds were considering whether they should cancel a weekend show in California.
Questions about aging jets
According to the Department of National Defence website, the single-engine Tutor jet is only used by the Canadian Forces Snowbird squadron.
The Tutor, first used in 1963, was retired as a training jet in 2000.
National Defence was urged four years ago to replace the jets. A study by the department's director of major service delivery warned that the jets' life expectancy was 2010.
Eight people have died in Snowbirds' crashes since 1972.
In 2004, Capt. Miles Selby, a member of the famed Snowbirds squadron, was killed in a collision with another plane.
The most recent fatal accident happened at an air show in Montana in 2007, when Capt. Shawn McCaughey was killed.
I was on my way home this morning from a 12-hour night shift of highway maintenance. As I drove up my street admiring the sky and looking forward to some sleep, I suddenly looked to the East and remembered how cool the hydro poles looked, all lined up along the field of dense trees, surrounded by nature. I immediately pulled a u-turn and said to myself...keep them eye's open just a wee bit longer Joey! It's times like this where the passion still burns inside of me. So I anxiously pulled up along the curb, turned on the 4-ways on and busted out my Gitzo tripod and grab hold of my Nikon D3. I like what I'm seeing and thought it's about time I pull some local scene shots for my landscape photography collection. So I made sure I geared to the lowest ISO setting on my camera and basically relived my Fuji Velvia 50 days...I was really into it. And the cold morning weather with the windchill was very unfriendly. You get tired when your waiting on 30 second exposures and your hands are freezing. I pretty much knew what I wanted on this mission, I was moving fast...before the sky got brighter and all the local kids got on the school bus. I've posted 3 images that have not been edited. These will all be cleaned up in Capture NX and runned through Photomatix for my final high dynamic range(HDR) image. Keep checking back, as I plan to post the final image once all the stages are complete. I'm hoping to get a nice shot out of the whole deal. My only concern is that the sky was moving and 30 second exposures may trump my HDR dreams! Please note that I have little experience with HDR and that I want this to be a learning experience for everyone.
IMAGE VIA STROBIST
So it appears that Nikon has found an ambassador who is adored by many. Yes, Ashton Kutcher, Hollywood's A-list actor and producer, is lending his photogenic qualities to Nikon to promote the manufacturer's new COOLPIX Style series cameras. The campaign has been running nationally since March 25th with a television commercial, which precedes the print advertisements and an interactive online component. Taking place in trendy locales such as boutique hotels and upscale shopping destinations, the campaign highlights the exquisite styling, fashionable colors, simplicity and great performance of Nikon's Style series compact digital cameras. 
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