SAC Stier, a 27 year old reservist who serves as the Squadron Photographer with 606 (Chiltern) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), won a total of three awards including the prestigious “PR Photograph of the Year” award for a photograph of a Merlin helicopter conducting pre-deployment in El Centro, California before deployment to Afghanistan. Described as “a talented young reservist” by his Commanding Officer, SAC Stier also won the video category for the 606 Squadron promotional video filmed during a Squadron training exercise.
The video can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_goWj1k3AhA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
James joined the RAuxAF in July 2008 and has been the Squadron Photographer with 606 Squadron since then where he has taken part in numerous training exercises. The winning image was taken during his deployment on behalf of his home Station, RAF Benson, to Exercise MERLIN VORTEX in El Centro, California. He obtained a significant number of images to reflect the environmental and tactical pre-deployment training that the Merlin Force were undertaking prior to their first deployment in support of Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan.
James is a photographer in his civilian life but, as James explains, the role he completes in the RAuxAF can be quite different:
“It’s hard to compare as both roles bring vastly different challenges. As a civilian my role is always changing, especially now with moving image. In the RAF it’s great to know I can always be hands on with the camera doing what I enjoy the most, without have to focus on some of the downsides to running your own company. My RAF career also pushes me in different ways; the motivation isn't business focused, it’s more about the people and the way the public interpret the work they undertake. I see firsthand what an amazing job all military personnel do, and being able to show that through my work is constant motivation.”
Originally from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, SAC Stier currently commutes to his commitments with 606 Squadron from his home in Sheffield. James was motivated to join the RAF to challenge himself further than he can outside the Armed Forces. He explains, “After I got back from working in Asia on a project that saw the production team walk from east to west of the Himalayas in some really tough conditions, I knew that I wanted to push myself in similar ways, and the RAF provides those challenges. The full time regular forces did appeal to me but the reserves allows me to keep developing my business, without sacrificing all that I’ve worked for. Plus working with helicopters is cool.”
The competition celebrates the production of some of the finest Royal Air Force imagery from the past year, which culminates in an awards ceremony at the historic Royal Air Force Club in London. The awards were presented by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton. He said ‘The competition entries this year are fantastic and showcase not only the talent of our Royal Air Force Photographers but also the tremendous capability of our people and equipment. These dynamic images reflect the breadth of Service life and the critical contribution that our personnel are making to global operations, in particular our support to operations in Afghanistan.’
Photographs (all images MoD Crown Copyright):
Top – Senior Aircraftman James Stier, 606 Squadron Photographer
Middle – Senior Aircraftman Stier’s winning image, entitled “Over the Desert” and depicting a Merlin crewman training over the Californian desert during the Afghanistan pre-deployment training exercise dubbed ‘Exercise MERLIN VORTEX’
Bottom – Senior Aircraftman Stier in action on a 606 Squadron training weekend
Editor: Nikki Hamilton, RAF Benson
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