Len Anderson IV in Plane & Pilot Magazine

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My photograph of pilot-turned-actor/screenwriter Len Anderson was used in a recent feature in Plane & Pilot magazine.

Lead Solo

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

As you may already know, I've been collaborating with former Blue Angel-turned-screenwriter/actor Len Anderson on a project dubbed Out of the Blue. When we did the first set of images, Len's Blue Angels flight suit was three hours ahead of us in Pensacola, FL. Undoubtedly, a shot of him in the legendary blue suit was a must. So upon his return to Los Angeles after the holidays, he brought the whole get up to the studio for a portrait to lead the series.

Growing up in a Navy town like San Diego, I've been a lifelong Blue Angels fan. The annual Miramar Airshow with the Blues headlining was second only to Christmas morning in order of importance to me and my brothers. Finally seeing the suit and helmet close-up, with it's unmistakable gold visor, was pretty damn epic.

Len, call sign "Loni," did a full three year tour with the team. He finished as a solo pilot in the #5 aircraft, also known as the "Lead Solo." Before that he flew combat missions over Iraq, attended Top Gun and has logged over 250 carrier landings—widely regarded as the "quickest way to shit your pants on the job." The question now is, has all that prepared him for battling Hollywood?

At least F-18s have ejection seats.

Out of the Blue - Len Anderson

Then Maj. Len "Loni" Anderson, 2003 (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

In 2003, while volunteering as a photographer for The Museum of Flight in Seattle, I got the opportunity to photograph the Blue Angels as they performed out of Boeing Field for Seafair. As it happened, the one aircraft directly in front of my vantage point, and at the end of my 600mm lens, was the #6 aircraft piloted by Len "Loni" Anderson. The photo above was my favorite by far for its crisp militaryness. (I made word that up.) After the show, I mailed a print to the Blue's HQ in Pensacola and received a really nice message on Blue Angels letterhead and a voicemail from Len thanking me for the photograph.

Fast forward six years to just last month.

While perusing the Twitter feed of my friend, producer Dana Brunetti, I noticed he was followed by a "Lead_Solo." That's airplane geekspeak for one of the solo pilots from the Blue Angels. I clicked and there was Len. Only now he's in the Reserves and in L.A. returning to his theater roots to work on an emerging career as an actor and screenwriter. We reconnected and decided to work on a project together. I had an idea.


Lt. Col. Len Anderson, USMCR (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

I was so intrigued by his story I thought it would be a good one to tell through my camera: Former Blue Angel making a career in Tinsel Town. I figured the title Out of the Blue was a good working title. Not only for the obvious story of Len's transition from Blue Angel to civilian, but also how the whole thing came to me out of nowhere.


Security Guard Len (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

After becoming friends on Facebook, I noticed Len had a bunch of self-snaps in the many different costumes he wears while playing parts in Hollywood productions. I thought it might be cool to do it as a more formal portrait series. These photos were shot as a proof of concept. And I like the results.


Detective Len (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

I like the idea of Len being static, stoic—letting the costuming speak for itself. Hopefully in the future I'll get to photograph him in many other roles.


Improv Len (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

You can learn more about Len and all his adventures though any one of his many online resources. He's got a Twitter feed, a Youtube Channel, Facebook Fan Page and probably more that I am not even aware of.

Stay tuned for more.