Photographing a Fast Moving 1946 Beech D18S Aircraft

Several years ago, I photographed this 1946 Beech D18S with twin 450 hp engines at Blakesburg, Iowa's annual fly-in known as the Historic Airfield Rally to Antique Airfield. Now, through the magic of Photoshop, the image comes alive as it races to take off. See the original unedited photo below.

Here's a list of what was done to the top image to give it a more dramatic feel:
1. Zoom in and crop
2. Straighten the ground perspective
3. Increase sharpening
Now the magic..
4. Select subject
5. Invert selection
6. With inversion fixed on the background, use the blur tool for the desired effect.
7. Export as a JPG, save PSD file

I'm sure there is fine tuning that could be applied, however this version turned out well. And, by the way, as a spectator on the field close to the grass runway, I can tell you that this plane books, as well as it should, with twin 450s delivering powerful thrust. It was quite the site with other spectators remarking that it resembled the body style of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Model 10 E Electra.