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Paul Bowen, a commercial photographer based in Wichita, Kansas, has been shooting aerial photography
since 1972. He is credited with over 1,000 magazine covers and countless advertising campaigns. Paul
was selected as one of 60 professional photographers who make up Canon's "Explorers of Light" program.
He maintains a busy shooting schedule traveling the globe in search of stunning backgrounds.
Paul shoots from various airplanes while flying in tight formation to achieve his desired shots. He
is often perched in the open tail-gunner's position of a World War II B-25 bomber, strapped in,
thousands of feet up. His headset and microphone connect him to the B-25's pilot, and the pilot relays
directions to the crew of the airplane Paul is photographing. As the target plane gets closer, Paul
directs them with hand signals.
Business and Commercial Aviation Magazine honored Paul as only one of three recipients of its Vision
Award for 2008, based on his contribution to aviation. In 2009 he was nominated with five other companies
and individuals as a candidate for Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine's annual Laureate Award
for the Business/General Aviation category. Paul had previously been named "Photographer of the Year"
by Pro-Pilot Magazine. In 2008 ISAP, the International Society for Aviation Photography, awarded Paul
The Award of Excellence, their highest honor, for "a lifetime of outstanding contributions to aviation
photography".
Paul is best known for his vortices aerials, which capture the spinning currents of air produced at the
tip of a moving airplane wing, revealed in clouds or fog. Canon ran two ad campaigns featuring Paul and
his vortices images. His four coffee-table books, Air To Air, Volumes I and II, Air To Air Warbirds, and
Air To Air Mustangs and Corsairs have gained critical acclaim, along with his annual calendar, Air To
Air Warbirds.
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