Simply defined, aviation photography is the taking photos of airplanes. But behind the scenes of this seemingly simple act are a number of critical elements: aircraft scheduling, lighting, spotting locations, diversions, and sometimes interactions with law enforcement officials. Aviation photographer James O'Rear takes you on an illustrated tour of these factors and more as he talks about finding locations suitable for photographing aircraft and the equipment needed for short trips and more adventurous locations. Basic photographic concepts and techniques are covered as well as discussions on basic identification of both commercial and military aircraft. Lavishly illustrated with images from his aviation archives James brings a common-man style of writing to a subject near and dear to his heart; the documentation of aircraft and the situations in which they are found all around the world.