We sat on the far, far east of the flightline, where aircraft would come the closest doing their banana pass. The clouds were slowly floating away, leaving a solid, blue sky, my favorite (not!) I watched the “replica” YF-16, tracking it in the viewfinder with that solid blue sky background. I made some clicks, but they just had no depth or feel of speed. Then it started to set up for its banana pass, and at that moment, a small cloud popped up. My hopes climbed. I panned with the Falcon, hoping it would come down a little in altitude so the little cloud would be in the background. As it started to get close, I hit the hammer and kept until it was well past the cloud. It’s a shot I so wanted just because, and I was so happy to have a photo of the iconic YF-16.

It’s true, size matters! But it might not be the size that first comes to mind. I have found it far more challenging to have the subject physically small in the frame and still have it smack the viewer between the eyes, AND fill the rest of the frame to keep the viewer’s interest. To tell the story with more than just the subject. When you have a common object, in this case, the clouds in the background, the mind naturally assigns scale to those clouds. Adding the magnificent P-51D Mustang, they now become bigger in the mind while being small in the frame. The incredibly simplistic background makes those birds pop! It’s all a simple illustration that size tells a story.

I shot every arse at #OSH26 with the Z50f1.2 for three days. I was quite happy, very happy with my results. Then on the fifth morning, I revisited the Douglas World Cruiser. The background had changed, and to control it better, I decided to go longer. When I compared the two photos back on the computer, 1st day Z50f1.2 vs. 5th day Z70-200f2.8II, I found I liked the long lens photo better. Took me a while to figure out why I liked it better. But the bigger and higher profile aircraft looked bigger in the photo because I was farther back and therefore, shooting more wing surface. The tree in the background becomes larger in the frame as well. I had gotten in such a rhythm that I didn’t stop to really think about what I was seeing and saying. Makes me happy I learned something about the arse.

Speed, elegance, and the feeling of romance, bringing that to one click is a successful shoot! Blue skies dotted with white puffies and a great yellow plane darting about is a killer visual combo, so that was checked off the successful list. What else then? Putting you, the viewer, in the pilot seat, which required being tight. Cropping is just not my thing, I like to do it with my feet and focal length. Putting you in that seat required being tight, but being tight really opens the door to tips and tails. Tips and tails? That’s where you crop into part of the plane and by doing so, hit the delete button. When aircraft are performing, they are anything but flying slow and level. It’s all the twisting and turing that brings in the gesture, bringing life to the photo, so I went tight, real tight. I did have a couple of tips and tales from this pass, the good news is, though, I have a few images that I previsioned. The gamble paid off.

Airshows are just … fun! We photographers like to bring that fun home via our photographs. Keeping it fun while producing takes a little more than planes in the sky. It requires you to go beyond sharp (so practice your handholding and panning at least a week prior) and be creative and passionate about the story you want to share, from the day, weekend, or, in the case of Osh, the week. What follows are some of the creative threads I carry in my head to help arrange the elements and make the planned chaos in the sky translate to a photograph I enjoy. When it comes to gear, I like to keep it simple, which translates to carrying a whole lot less. This year, it’s the Z 9 and Z180-600. Hope to see you on the flight line sometime. If we do meet, don’t hesitate to say hi, and if I can be of assistance, it would be my pleasure. Enjoy!

Think Patterns

Whether it’s a single plane or an amazing group like the Snowbirds, patterns are a great way to bring the action home with passion! This obvious thread requires a bit of preplanning, taking the form of knowing the performer’s routine to some extent. This permits you to be ready for it. Like with this example, the telephoto zoom was zoomed back to 200mm to take in all the aircraft. To make the symmetry come together requires looking through the entire frame, challenging while panning, so the space top and bottom is equal, while leaving space for the formation to proceed mentally in the frame. I love the pattern on the bottom of the Tutors as well, which is why I shot the formation going away. The fact that the middle three ships a are puffing is the finishing touch. Think patterns.

Think History

Knowing something about the aircraft you are going to photograph prior to them taking to the skies can pay dividends! Walking the airshow grounds or, better yet, picking up a show guide, you can learn about the individual planes. Take this Interstate Cadet, for example, a plain looking blue and yellow plane. You might not throw your lens up to take its shot, let alone plan to get it with smoke. Well, this Cadet is THE one flown by Cornelia Fort the morning Pearl Harbor was attacked! This plane saw those Zeros coming in. Wow!!! That’s why you wanna know a little about the aircraft cause this is a rare moment. Think history!

Think Smoke On

It’s hard to believe, but there are times when smoke at an airshow can be your friend! It takes some planning, but it’s worth it. You first need to know that the performers are using smoke. The show guide will often tell you that, as well as watching the performers on YouTube prior to the airshow. You next need to look at the wind direction; you want the wind to take the smoke away from where you’re at. This means you can’t sit in a chair the whole day if you want to make THE shots. You gotta move! Lastly, go long, go tight, and find patterns and details to grab the eye amongst the smoke. Color doesn’t hurt either. Think smoke on.

Think Color Contrast

We’re not talking exposure contrast, but color contrast. This is a classic example you will experience at an airshow, a red plane against a blue sky. That’s nice, but when you have overcast to clouds, it takes on a whole new definition, you have color contrast! The blurred clouds, along with blurred prop (1/60), bring out the speed. The texture in the clouds adds visual depth. But that saturated light created by the clouds makes that color pop between the red and the blue in the clouds. Classic example reminding us to think color contrast.

Think Story

This is one of the easiest to see and do, but then, it’s not. OK, the KC-10 is a tanker; it does midair refueling. By itself, though, it just looks like a passenger plane in primer. But when you connect a plane to the boom, now you’re telling a story. You’re taking the viewer up in the sky to the operation. Here’s the deal: the F-22 isn’t actually connected to the boom, it can’t go so low to the ground with a crowd underneath. Using 600mm and shooting the pair prior to coming down the flight line, the angle makes the F-22 appear connected. And that connects the dots for the viewer. Think story

Think Drama

One of the hardest threads to introduce and incorporate into your airshow images is drama. It requires, as a starting point, light. Light is a shaker in the drama department, and if you are blessed with it, use it until it screams no more! Many, including myself, love it when jets like this F-22, are wrapped in vapor. To see that vapor, you first need a dark background, be it the aircraft or the sky or both. The drama appears when the lighter vapor pops out its greatest. To have the vapor in the first place, you need a high dew point, and that, for the most part, is luck. Learn how to calculate dew point, keep track of it during an airshow, and you’re on your way to capturing it. Think drama.

Think Polished

One of the biggest challenges at an airshow is to say a shiny plane is shiny. Look at photos carefully, and I’ll bet when you look at a shiny plane with photographer eyes, you’ll see that are more blue than silver. But polished planes are silver, so where’s that blue coming from? The sky, the shiny is simply reflecting the blue, replacing the silver with blue. But we want shiny silver! The solution is simple, clouds! If the shiny plane like the B-29 “Doc” is here, clouds wrap that shiny in white, and that translates in the photograph as, silver. Think polished.

Think One-of-a-kind

Most airshows will have that one, only aircraft. You want to zero in on them! In this case, there were two Mars still around, but only one was flying (since then, the two have been flown and permanently parked at museums). This was the first in a very long time that Mars has been at an airshow AND demonstrated being a fire bomber. And as it turned out, it was the last time. We are very fortunate to be present to record history at times. Think one-of-a-kind!

“Yes, I can make that happen.” That’s what Charlie said has he stepped into the cockpit. Spitfires are one of the aircraft that can produce a big backfire flame that can be very dramatic. There are some really amazing photos out there of this event, but this is NOT one of them! There are a number of elements required to capture this, the first being a pilot willing to create it on demand. Yes, it does happen organically on startup, but it’s not really desired. It normally won’t be much is anything at all is the Merlin is cold. This fire is from a cold start. The best are from a hot start, and that’s where some of the danger lies. The backfire can cause damage that is not desired! Next, one needs a darkish background and if possible, lower light levels. This is so the flame is the brightest element. Lastly, manually focus on the engine stacks. Then hold down the shutter release and let ‘er rip! It’s one of those photos where, it’s all in the timing.