LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — The roar of jet engines, the precision of the Blue Angels and the speed of military aviation filled the skies above NAS Patuxent River during the 2026 Pax River Air Show. For retired Marine Andre Smith, the weekend presented another opportunity — capturing those moments through his camera lens.
Operating under the name Kinetic Pixels Photography, Smith documented some of the air show’s most dramatic moments, from vapor trails and precision maneuvers to breathtaking close-up images of aircraft moving hundreds of miles per hour.
But long before he photographed military aircraft, Smith was focused on another kind of flight.
“I love shooting birds in flight, and I’m usually down at Pax River shooting the ospreys and looking for bald eagles and kingfishers,” Smith said in an interview with The BayNet.
The Southern Maryland photographer would eventually apply those same skills to the skies above the 2026 air show.
Preparing For The Air Show
Just days before the event, Smith purchased a new Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera and knew he had little time to learn its capabilities.
“I knew I only had one week to learn how to use this particular camera,” Smith said.
Instead of practicing on aircraft, he turned to some of the fastest birds he could find.
“I decided to go back to Pax River and try to find some swallows because those are some of the fastest birds I know of,” Smith said. “I went on base and found a bunch of swallows and sat out for about two hours just trying to shoot the swallows and see if I could learn the autofocus.”
The preparation paid off.
Throughout the weekend, Smith captured aircraft performing at incredible speeds while maintaining remarkable detail and sharpness.
“Photographing anything moving fast in a steady straight line like that, it’s really not that hard once you get used to it and get the technique down,” Smith said.
His experience photographing wildlife and motorsports proved invaluable.
“When photographing wildlife or motorsports, you just have to learn it, and once you learn it, it’s all control of your core and then your midsection,” Smith said. “You’re not actually turning with your shoulders or your arms. It’s planting your feet, getting a solid foundation, and then just turning at the hips.”
Smith also photographs a wide range of sports, from football and soccer to horseback riding, boat racing and motorsports.
Chasing The Perfect Shot
Like many photographers, Smith entered the weekend with a specific image in mind.
“I went into it hoping to get a picture of the Blue Angels where one of them was right side up and the other one was inverted upside down,” Smith said. “I wanted to get them symmetrical.”
Although the exact image he envisioned did not materialize, he came remarkably close.
His favorite image from the weekend, however, remains one that has yet to be shared publicly.
“It just looks amazing,” Smith said of a photograph of Blue Angels aircraft No. 7 during a steep climb. “It looks like somebody actually took a smoke machine and made contrails to fly off of every part of that aircraft.”
The image means so much to him that he plans to print it on metal and display it in his home.
“I’m gonna get that one printed on metal and I’m gonna frame it and hang it up in my house,” he said.
Andre is keeping his favorite image under wraps for now, but he was happy to share some of his other stunning shots from the Blue Angels at the air show below.
A Career Connected To Aviation
Smith’s connection to aviation extends far beyond the air show itself.
As a retired Marine who served in aviation, he now works at NAS Patuxent River as a security specialist.
“I am a retired Marine,” Smith said. “I was in aviation in the Marine Corps. And now I work at NAS Pax River, and I just really enjoy still being able to support the warfighters, and the mission that they do in the Navy.”
The military and aviation have remained constant throughout his life, but photography entered the picture through his family.
From The Football Field To The Camera
Smith’s photography journey began while watching his son play flag football.
“I got started with photography when my son was playing flag football,” Smith said. “I quickly realized that my camera phone was not adequate for the images I was seeing in my head.”
A friend loaned him a camera, opening the door to a new passion.
“Once I figured out the images that I could get with a real camera, I had to go buy one of my own, and then I had to buy a lens, and then another lens, and then another lens.”
What began on the sidelines of youth sports eventually evolved into wildlife photography, motorsports and aviation.
Photo courtesy of Andre Smith, Kinetic Pixels Photography
An Injury That Changed Everything
Another turning point came in 2019 after Smith suffered a devastating knee injury.
“I snapped my kneecap off and it was sitting up on top of my quad,” Smith said. “I couldn’t get around. I couldn’t go and shoot any sports.”
Unable to leave home, he found himself looking out his window one day.
“I noticed there were seven or eight different species of birds in my backyard,” Smith said. “I said, well, I can’t do anything. I might as well grab my camera.”
Reviewing the photographs later revealed details he had never noticed before.
“I really started taking notice of all the details and the feathers and then the beaks and that’s what drove me towards bird photography and that’s mostly what I do now.”
Today, Smith regularly photographs ospreys, bald eagles, kingfishers and other wildlife throughout Southern Maryland.
More Than Just an Image
For Smith, photography is about more than simply documenting a moment.
“I take pictures for me first and foremost,” he said.
He hopes his photographs allow people to experience the same emotions he felt behind the camera.
“If you really think about why anybody ever looks at an image anyway, it’s because they want to understand what someone else saw. They want to understand what that feeling was.”
Photo courtesy of Andre Smith, Kinetic Pixels Photography
“When people look at my images, they can see, ‘Wow, I bet you that atmosphere was great,’ or ‘Look at how dynamic that was,'” Smith said. “I like to convey something that has some emotion to it.”
As aircraft soared over NAS Patuxent River during the 2026 air show, Smith was doing more than photographing airplanes. He was preserving moments, emotions and experiences — combining his military background, his love of wildlife and the unexpected path that began with his son’s football games and a life-changing injury.
For Andre Smith, every image tells a story. And through his lens, the 2026 Pax River Air Show became one worth remembering.
Photo Gallery: The Air Show Through Andre Smith’s Lens
The following images from Andre Smith of Kinetic Pixels Photography showcase the speed, precision and emotion of the 2026 NAS Patuxent River Air Show, from the Blue Angels to the aircraft and performers that filled the skies above Southern Maryland.
Follow Kinetic Pixels Photography on Facebook and Instagram to see more stunning wildlife, sports, and aviation photos from Andre Smith!
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