Taking Pictures of Airplanes In-Air

[masoct3]

Hello,

I have the Canon D500/T1i.

I will be attending the Mankato Airshow where our Navy Blue Angels (as well as other planes) will be:

-Stationary

-Ready to fly

-In air

I was wondering if I could get some tips on how to take great shots of the planes. My main objective is in-flight photos. I have the standard 18-50 and the 70-250 and will be bringing along a tripod.

I appreciate any tips/comments/etc.

Thanks!

MAS

[CFRay]

I am no expert. I brought my camera w/ a 300mm to an airshow two years ago with the same intentions as you. 250 will not be enough to bring them in close from any distance. You'll see others using 400mm lenses. You will have to shoot when they are close to you. I found it is tough to keep fast moving objects in the frame and focused. I don't think you will need the tripod. Practice panning if you can. For jets you can set the shutter at 1/1000. For propeller you'll need 1/125 or 1/250 at max so you will get desirable "prop blur" which gives the shot the appearance of movement. Many newbies like us get shots where the prop is focused sharply and motionless. (This is what the plane looked like just after the engines quit.)

The stationary shots are a different matter, you will need patience to get shots when no people are present around the plane.

Bring a plastic bag for camera in case of a sudden rain shower.

Good Luck.

[Hwood]

If you can, getting set up where the sun is behind you is going to be helpfull.

[Dbl]

CF Ray nailed it! This is one of the few times I use Tv mode in the camera. I set my shutter speed to 1/250s or so, higher or lower if need be and shoot away. A static prop just doesn't look right at all! Jets move fast, use a fast shutter speed to keep things sharp. Don't bring a tripod, it will only get in the way and it is not needed. Good panning ability is what you will need.

Depending on the light you will also need exposure compensation. I often use +1 or more. The scene will be dominated by the background and that is what your meter will be fooled by. If you have all sky it may take 1 2/3 stop over. If it is a low pass and you have the ground present or trees you might only need 1/3 or a bit more over. That will keep your airplane close to proper exposure.

Here is one example of the prop blur.

This is an RC plane from the other day, principle is the same.

[masoct3]

So no tripod...would I not need this for stability purposes?

If I have the camera set on automatic, what problems might occur with that? Both with the longer lens and the short 18x55?

Thank you!

[hookncook]

I would also like to add, since you're shooting a moving object, you might want to have your camera set up on continuous. Somewhere in 100 pictures one HAS to turn out, or at least look better than the rest.

I would also recommend shooting in alservo (spelling) seems to work for me when shooting moving objects.

[MN Shutterbug]

Shooting in Ai Servo is almost necessary when shooting fast moving objects. As Dbl explained, if you shoot in auto, the camera will expose predominantly for the sky and render everything too dark. Take your camera set on auto, and take a pic of the sky and you'll see what we mean. A tripod really isn't useful for this type of shooting because when following the in flight action, being steady is not a factor.

[CFRay]

You will not need the tripod, it will not improve anything for you. You are going to have to shoot overhead when the planes are close to you. Practice handheld panning on some birds in the backyard. You'll likely be at the max(200-250) of your lens, you'll need to force the shutter to 1/250 or less if you want the prop blur, so that means no auto setting. As Dbl said you should get comfortable with Tv mode(shutter priority). The shutter speed will dictate your ISO(that can be set on auto), the f-stop is set automatically for you by the camera.

If you set the camera on full auto, (green box or sports logo)the shutter will be so fast that the props will be motionless. You may get keeper shots on the jets going by. You'll only use the 18-55 lens for parked planes. A full auto setting will work OK for those shots.

Your location at the show will be set for you. If the sun is behind you, things may work out OK. If the sun is on the other side of the planes you would get better shots by using the manual settings.

[masoct3]

I have heard of Al Servo, but do not really understand it. Could you please explain how I would set this up?

Thanks much!

Shooting in Ai Servo is almost necessary when shooting fast moving objects. As Dbl explained, if you shoot in auto, the camera will expose predominantly for the sky and render everything too dark. Take your camera set on auto, and take a pic of the sky and you'll see what we mean. A tripod really isn't useful for this type of shooting because when following the in flight action, being steady is not a factor.

[Dbl]

If you take a look in the manual for your camera you will find an explanation. It is Canon's predictive auto focus system. It stands for Artificial Intelligence that predicts a subjects speed and distance. When you are in this mode and press your focus and keep it pressed down(either on your shutter button or back focus button) you should see the lens focusing. Bottom line simple explanation when you are photographing moving subjects (ie airplanes, birds) you should be in AI Focus to allow for continuous focus.

I briefly mentioned the back focus button. It is the only method I use. I have moved the focus function of the camera off the shutter button to the * button on the back of the camera. I use a custom function found in the menu to do that. If you are interested I can go into why that is a good idea but won't go into that until you might be comfortable with that concept.

Look on your back LCD and you will see a focus mode that will give you the option of One-shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF. For now and shooting airplanes I would use the the simple AI Servo.

[masoct3]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I have some homework to do!

[MN Shutterbug]

AI Focus is for letting the camera pick between Single and AI Servo. This is why I always use either Single shot or AI Servo. I don't trust the camera to make the right decisions and also, letting the camera figure it out will slow down the AF. To be quite honest, I've never used the AI Focus because of the disadvantages I've read about.

As far as using the back focus button, I understand the advantages, but if you've been shooting a lot, it would take some getting used to. Old habits are tough to break.

[Dbl]

Mike is right in my haste to post I meant to write AI Servo in my last sentance, not AI Focus. The 1 series cameras don't even offer AI focus as an option. I NEVER used that mode either when I had a camera that offered that option. Thanks Mike for catching that!!!!

[MN Shutterbug]

You've always shared good info here Dan, so you really had me wondering with your advice using AI Focus. It's nice to hear you're not slipping.

[masoct3]

So, its this weekend. I attended 1/3 of natcam.com seminars. They are not classes, but go through "basics" of the ins and outs (iso, aperture etc.

Anyways, I have a 500D with an 18x55 and a 50-250. I just bought polarized lenses and hoods for each size lens.

I am going with the Al Servo, which is basically on auto, probably with 3+ color change and have it on burst mode with asking the camera what's good. This will include the plane going closer and farther.

Any thing wrong or can add?

Thanks!

[Dbl]

Sounds like you have a plan. I would stick with the 50-250 for your air shots and the 18-55 for your ground shots. I don't use polarizing filters these days because so much can be done in post processing. Unless you have high quality glass polarizing filters you may slow your focus down and reduce the quality of your shots. B+W and Hoya are two reputable manufacturers, but a good circular polarizing filter will run you $100 on up.

I am not sure what you mean by 3+ color change??? Using a short burst mode will work but keep in mind at slower shutter speeds (like you need to get prop blur) will be a bit more difficult. The shutter is closed on each burst so it makes it a bit tougher to track the plane in the air. So do short 2 or 3 shot bursts.

Good luck this weekend and make sure you post some shots. I was hoping to get down to the show in Mankato as well but have other obligations. Have fun and enjoy the show!

[LexiG]

These are gorgeous ... I wish I new how to take photos like these