F-15 Eagle at War
Tyson V. Rininger
He was already packed, but before he opened the door, Tyson was handed a box. It wasn’t wrapped or covered and it didn’t come with a gift card, but it really didn’t need to. Inside was a gleaming new Kodak 126, a simple camera but nonetheless the stepping stone to a growing passion.
His parents’ inspiration for the purchase was a little simpler: their boy was on his way to summer camp, and obviously, they wanted pictures of the experience for all to remember. However, at the age of 12, Tyson religiously saved his money and purchased an upgrade from the Navy Exchange store in Port Hueneme, CA: a Pentax K-1000. Equipped with a 50mm lens, it was an expansive purchase for a 12-year old and for several weeks it even shared a bed with the boy.
At 15, he was on the yearbook and newsletter staff at his high school. Then he was assigned under contract to photograph the Point Magu Airshow at the California naval air station. Noticing his unusual interest, Tyson’s parents surprised him with a Ricoh KR-10M SLR, and from there, the quality of his photography continued upwards. Submitting his work to the Ventura County Fair, he promptly won nearly every photography award they offered.
Now a highly accomplished adult, 35-year-old Tyson V. Rininger explores his photography passions under his company, TVR Photography. He’s a contributing photographer for California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Laguna Seca Raceway, and is well-known for his daring photoshoots. Other than hanging out of cockpits, crouching in raceway lanes, and dodging lightning strikes in the everlasting search for the perfect shot, he’s also the latest wingwalker to the airshow team of Walt Pierce and Jenny Forsythe. In December of 2006, Tyson released Red Flag: Air Combat for the 21st Century, a 125-page collection of his spectacular photography and narrative about the Red Flag training exercises at the Nellis Air Force Base. Now, the January 2009 release of F-15 Eagle at War has brought 160 glossy new pages of top-notch photography and the story of how the F-15 helped the United States Air Force maintain its superiority.
F-15 is divided into six chapters: F-15 Concept, F-15 Development, F-15 at War, F-15E Strike Eagle, and Future of the F-15. The majority of photographs are from the USAF, but Tyson’s incredible work graces many of the pages in a great layout that averages two photos per page. While not a detailed, complete portrait of the design or history of the USAF’s premier fighter craft, F-15 Eagle at War places emphasis on technical specs, weaponry, and combat history. Rininger apologizes in his acknowledgments that he is a photographer and not a writer. While not a flowing, easily read volume, F-15 is written more like a peruse-at-your-will coffee table book; the photography—and Tyson’s passion for it—sets it apart from the humdrum. “In the digital age anyone can be a photographer,” Tyson honestly stated during our interview. “The key is learning how to provide a product that goes above and beyond the typical point and shoot.” Above and beyond is exactly what is portrayed in -F-15.
Tyson successfully runs his business, TVR Photography by photographing a myriad of subjects, but he loves to merge his talent with his fascination with aviation. “From the aviation point of view, I couldn’t be happier to be doing what I do at this very moment,” he stated. “Not only is the art of photography changing by the week, but so is aviation. Stealth technology, civilian space travel, pilot-less aircraft retrieving information half a world away. It’s a pretty amazing time.”
Tyson’s come a long ways since that first little summer-camp Kodak. Just look at some of the photographs contained in -F-15 Eagle at War to appreciate the extreme attempts and the patience the author withstood to capture them. His enthusiasm clearly shows through both his interviews and his photography. He may be 35—and using a slightly more advanced camera these days—but the talent and the ardor of the young boy is still there.
Review by Brigit Hartop
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