How to photograph an airshow

[holmes9]

Macworld posted an article a little while back that has some very basic, but good information about photographing an airshow. For those of you wondering how to get that illusive prop blur, this article is for you.

http://www.macworld.com/article/142316/photograph_an_airshow.html

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

Macworld posted an article a little while back that has some very basic, but good information about photographing an airshow. For those of you wondering how to get that illusive prop blur, this article is for you.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1423...n_airshow.html

Interesting article and it contains some decent advice about "prop blur" but I don't really see any shots containing much of it...

Just sayin....



I'll add to this via edit, there are a few photographers who hang out here who are absolutely amazing in their ability to show motion in their shots.. ahhhhchhheevictorarcher... scuse me... Paintboy, Wingman, BuckyD and others.. Again, not to knock this guy's article but... I went back and looked at his shots and don't really see any that were shot at less than 1/800 or so... they are all side angle shots, where you can "get away" with that speed. Now, if "the Alien" were to publish a "how to" article... I'd pay money for it! (not much Victor, barely makin bills here..)

[t-dub]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

You mean like this?

[AirDOGGe]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

T-dub, those are all putt-putting along the ground. Catching prop blur AND a clean sharp shot of the aircraft while at speed in flight is the tricky job.

Having a very expensive, low F-stop telephoto helps. Heck, some of Victor's in-flight shots look more detailed and sharper than many of my static photos

Lens quality is VERY important, usually more critical than mega-pixel count. You really do get what you pay for.

And a good tripod or monopod is a must. Unless you are a rigid robot (and some suspect that of Mr. Archer ), you cannot hand-hold the camera steady enough.

I agree with Wayne. None of those photos in the article show any decent prop blur. In fact the recommendation to "Dial in shutter priority and, with the camera pointed up to the sky, dial in the fastest shutter speed you can" and "shutter speed should be double focal length of your lens" is generic telephoto advice found in most SLR's user manuals, and will produce frozen or SLIGHTLY-blurred props blades, not full prop circles like those seen in Mr. Alien's magic shots. (hmm....prop circles....crop circles....could it be coincidence? heh-heh)

I learned nothing new or informative from that article at all. Interesting, but nothing for experience shooters to grow by.

But then, holmes9 DID warn us that the info was "very basic", so I guess I should have expected as much.

[t-dub]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

OK, here's some aerials. I admit i'm no Victor, Wingman, or Bucky, but then i can't afford multi thousand dollar lenses. (i'm married! LOL) These were shot with a $250.00 Sigma 100-300mm zoom lenses, and no tripod or monopod. I shoot auto racing the majority of the time, so i'm always panning free hand. These were shot with shutter speed priority at 1/200. I haven't shot much of any aerial stuff, but i plan on getting lots of practice and learning. Victor, Wingman, Bucky, and the other photo gurus that visit this site are quite inspirational!

[sierra fox]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

OK, here's some aerials. I admit i'm no Victor, Wingman, or Bucky, but then i can't afford multi thousand dollar lenses. (i'm married! LOL) These were shot with a $250.00 Sigma 100-300mm zoom lenses, and no tripod or monopod. I shoot auto racing the majority of the time, so i'm always panning free hand. These were shot with shutter speed priority at 1/200. I haven't shot much of any aerial stuff, but i plan on getting lots of practice and learning. Victor, Wingman, Bucky, and the other photo gurus that visit this site are quite inspirational!

Dude, those props are blurry enough

[AirDOGGe]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

I think Victor shoots something like 1/60th to 1/120th second...He really IS from another world, isn't he?

[t-dub]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

I think Victor shoots something like 1/60th to 1/120th second...He really IS from another world, isn't he?

Absolutely un-fricken-believable!

[RAD2LTR]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

Absolutely un-fricken-believable!

Its something that can be learned. The best thing about digital is that you can play with it and not burn film. Shoot as many shots as you can and take a mental note of the settings you were shooting. In Victor's case he is very talented with a camera, however we all know he has shot a million pictures to get to this point. Getting a good steady pan shot with a slow shutter speed takes lots of practice, sometimes you will over lead the subject, sometimes under lead it, but when you get everything right the pic is usually worth all the frustration.

I'm getting pretty good with a point and shoot Panasonic digital with car races, but I cannot for the life of me get a good shot of a plane flying over (stupid thing won't focus fast enough.) I pulled my old Nikon F4S out last month to shoot a twilight bicycle race and got some really cool shots where the digital just wouldn't focus at all. You have no idea how much I wish I could afford a good Nikon digital (and I'm not talking a D90 either)

Keep at it and you will get it. I like that shot of the P40, if it were mine I'd have it printed up and added to my wall. The F4U isn't bad either.

Will

[t-dub]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

Thanks Sierra Fox and Will, You're right, shooting auto racing is cake compared to this aerial stuff! It's challenging, but i'm up to it, i'll just practice, practice, practice.......

[T. Adams]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

Not a single person uses a monopod at the pylons. Panning with a 500 is not really that hard, it just takes practice. When you shoot real slow, yes you will get a lot of junk, but the keepers will look great. As posted above, there is no free lunch when it come to getting full frame shots of planes. Good long glass is very expensive, but you get what you pay for.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

"Good long glass is very expensive, but you get what you pay for. "

Yeppers! I have tried hand-held using a 500mm (short, folded optics mirror-type), but that Canon lense was only $400 (best I could afford in the early 80's) and had a fixed F8 aperture, so fast shutter speeds weren't an option, as you couldn barely get enough light with a quick shutter setting.

That lense was the reason I traded my AE-1 for an A-1, which had an aperture-priority mode. I never was satisfied with the results I got from it shooting at the fenceline, tripod or not.



What I have :






What I WISH I had :

[3dWrightBrother]

Re: How to photograph an airshow

Soooooo- Size DOES matter
Russ