6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

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6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Splitpin » Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:34 pm

Actual details are a bit vague regarding location, but the archive people are good detectives. The date (which I've lost) places it in WW2 ...so more than likely Fiji.

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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby deaneb » Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:04 pm

That photo was taken at Halavo Bay in the Solomon Islands in 1945.
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Aharon » Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:23 am

I am really surprised that the wings did NOT collapse from heavy weight of those men standing on the wings!! :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Charl » Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:56 am

:hesaid:
Those are two great photos.
Makes you think also, how spoiled we are in the digital photo age: a little feathering would remove the overlap discrepancy without trace.
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Aharon » Mon Nov 23, 2020 2:54 am

Charl wrote:Those are two great photos..


???????????????????????? :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

I see only one photo. If you see 2 photos, that means there is something wrong with image hosting site or the forums because I am seeing only one photo??

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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Splitpin » Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:45 am

deaneb wrote:That photo was taken at Halavo Bay in the Solomon Islands in 1945.


Thank you Sir :thumbup:
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Charl » Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:26 am

Aharon wrote:I see only one photo.

No, the photographer was standing on the centreline of the plane.
His lense was not wide angle enough, so he took one picture of the left wing, and another of the right.
The two are placed side by side for the composite result.
You can see where they don't quite match up in the middle.
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Radar88 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 12:09 pm

Charl wrote:
Aharon wrote:I see only one photo.

No, the photographer was standing on the centreline of the plane.
His lense was not wide angle enough, so he took one picture of the left wing, and another of the right.
The two are placed side by side for the composite result.
You can see where they don't quite match up in the middle.


With regards to the particular above digitised scanned, black and white image copy. It looks like it, could've been cut down the middle for some unknown reason. You'll have to take a closer look at the middle section above (sky, cirrus clouds ) and below (ground, Island beach ) it definitely shows a slight pencil thin dark seam line join running down the middle or maybe a thinly folded photo crease line mark, it's any-ones guessing game as to the actual origins of the black and white re-digitised scan that's been obtained from the Archived source.

Anyway here's a much cleaner colourised version which is a single photo image by appearances.

Credit: RNZAF official photo (Jenny Scotts collection) Here's the background story of Australian researcher Jenny Scott relationship to her "Father" Flight Lieutenant Alastair "Scotty" Scott and the RNZAF No. 6 Squadron Group Photo from a written 2009 Stuff Dominion Post Article on World War II photos offer treasure trove.

A follow-up 2009 Stuff Dominion Post Article Veterans line up in photo quest.

Credit also to Daniel Rarity of Rarity Color, Photo Colourization. Here's the link to his Facebook page Rarity Color Photo colorizer and restorer. Which has other RNZAF Colourised Historical Photo's that maybe of interest.

Image

Some more Photos that were found linked in the Stuff Article from Jenny Scotts Collection of RNZAF No. 6 Squadron servicemen, aircraft, activities and artifacts from World War II deployments to Lauthala Bay, Fiji (May to October 1943), Espiritu Santo Island in Vanuatu

For other more detail information about the No. 6 Squadron RNZAF PBY-5 Catalina 1944 South Pacific Operations.

Here's the recent reddit link from which the colour photo was obtained from.

351 members of RNZAF No. 6 Flying Boat Squadron pose in front of a PBY-5 Catalina. Halavo Bay, Solomon Islands, 1944 (Colourised)

Watch on youtube.com


Watch on youtube.com


You might also like to check out some other Group Photo's from 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, see the below linked website that is dedicated to the Life of Robert Douglas ‘Jock’ Sommerville and the aircrews of 75(NZ) Squadron RAF.

It's the largest online resource for 75(NZ) Squadron RAF in the world with stories of 75(NZ) Squadron and the braves boys that flew in it are held on this website for younger generations to discover and understand.

We will Remember Them………. 75 (NZ) Squadron
Last edited by Radar88 on Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Aharon » Tue Nov 24, 2020 3:52 am

Charl wrote:No, the photographer was standing on the centreline of the plane.His lense was not wide angle enough, so he took one picture of the left wing, and another of the right.The two are placed side by side for the composite result.
You can see where they don't quite match up in the middle.


Charl,

Ahhhhhhhhhh

I did NOT notice that!! Thanks for great clarification!! Now I can see two photos being placed together!!

Once again, thanks for great reply

Regards,

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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Radar88 » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:02 am

Aharon wrote:
Charl wrote:No, the photographer was standing on the centreline of the plane.His lense was not wide angle enough, so he took one picture of the left wing, and another of the right.The two are placed side by side for the composite result.
You can see where they don't quite match up in the middle.


Charl,

Ahhhhhhhhhh

I did NOT notice that!! Thanks for great clarification!! Now I can see two photos being placed together!!

Once again, thanks for great reply

Regards,

Aharon


Charl and Aharon

Lets clear this up.

It's one Single Photograph that was taken.

It would appear that Marty Splitpin has obtained a Black and White Photographic image copy from a Archived Source, that has previously been damaged with aging over time while in storage possibly at some stage that particular Photographic Copy has likely been accidentally Cut in-half and then Butt Jointed back together with the seen thinly joint seam line making it look like an optical illusion of two Photo's that doesn't quite match up in the middle.

It's misleading to say.

Charl wrote:No, the photographer was standing on the centreline of the plane.His lense was not wide angle enough, so he took one picture of the left wing, and another of the right.The two are placed side by side for the composite result.


Based off this original Black and White Photograph image below , I would say it does not look like two great photos at all.

It's just one Single great Photograph image.

Image
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Charl » Tue Nov 24, 2020 1:00 pm

Haha Marty, see what you gone and done? :D
You have posted TWO great photos!
Clicking through on the original post leads to two renditions of the original pose, and the most obvious clue: the subsequent colourised photo is reworked from the B&W original by “Rarity Colour – Photo Colourisation”
At a stretch (pun intended) it would have been possible to fuse the original pair of pictures in the pre-digital age, but my pick would be that this was digitally done. It is possible to show by plotting sightlines from the photographer’s position, how the left and right perspectives were morphed to simulate a panoramic view.
But that’s boring stuff, all you need to look at is this: the heads of the guys in the middle are “normal”, and the heads of the guys out on the wingtips are twice as wide as they should be! This is because you have to anamorphically stretch the picture to get rid of the perspective of the original.
It’s a small trade-off for the overall effect of one huge panoramic view of all those people on the wing. Nicely done, as is the colourising, which is a skill all by itself.
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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Aharon » Wed Nov 25, 2020 2:55 pm

It does not matter if it is single photo as Radar88 says OR it is two photos as Charl says. I will take words from both Radar88 and Charl.

What matters is two things.

First thing is it is amazing photo.

Second thing is I wonder how in the heck the wings did NOT collapse from heavy weight of those men standing on the wings!! I have seen plenty of warning words DO NOT STEP on wings of many planes yet I see so many soldiers standing and stepping on the wings without worrying about possibility of having wings collapse from heavy weight of too many soldiers posing for that photo.

That astounds me.

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Re: 6 Squadron RNZAF group photo

Postby Charl » Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:33 pm

Aharon wrote:It does not matter

Quite right, but it's fun walking the walk with Radar and playing the numbers!
As to the parade on the wings, 140 blokes is about the same weight as the aircraft, so if it could stay up while inverted, it could carry the meatload :)
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