Feb 9, 2018 | Aviation
Airshows have begun and the question are pouring in what tips I might have. I regret we won’t be there this year but want to pass along a couple of speed tips. So I thought I’d cap the most common ways I like to put the action in my stills. Now of course, buying a copy of Takeoff would be a great start! Realizing most learn best from watching rather than reading, you can head to my Kelby Class on Aviation Photography for more in depth explanations. But just because you see planes here, these techniques apply to ALL moving subjects! Start with understanding that shooting unrestricted is essential! The less you carry, the more mobile you are, the more mobile and limber you are, the sharper the photos and better composed they are (here is a complete listing of the gear that’s with me, most in the vehicle just in case). With that in mind, here are some tips that you can apply to any action photography and airshows.
Put yourself in relationship to the action in a position where it performs around you. At airshows, aircraft often make a “photo” pass which is often done in what’s called a “banana pass.” If you can picture a banana with your being inside the curve of the banana, that’s basically a banana pass. When you’re on the INSIDE of that curve, the aircraft or athlete or motorcycle will will be MOVING into your frame which gives a feel of not only speed but also intimacy. Keep in mind that being on the inside of the curve, the subject will be going faster in relationship to your position so your panning has to be spot on.
Taking your shutter speed down below your comfort zone is key! Shooting in Shutter Priority to be in control of shutter speed and then the blur puts action into your still. In some cases the shutter speed is arbitrary based on how you feel. In some cases it could be a very specific shutter speed to blur props of aircraft or blades on a helicopter, in this case 1/20 to blur the blades of this Cobra. Keep in mind that your panning blurs the background and the degree of that blur is a function of how fast you’re panning vs. your shutter speed. Now if your background is all blue, bald sky, there is not a slow enough shutter speed to show motion. You need something in the background to scream movement.
When you’ve got the light, forget everything else! Ya, there are lots of rules, ideas, suggestions and sexy action that can grab your attention but when you’ve got light, ditch them all for that light. I love this example of just that because many tend to not photograph the bellies of aircraft. This belly shot is of a Hawker Sea Fury Race 232 which ended up in the victory circle in the 2012 Reno Air Races. On the afternoon this shot was taken, it wasn’t this fact that is was a winner that had me trained on 232 but rather the way the light played on its red color against the great blue / white background. The angle of the light makes all the rivits pop and creates a shadow that just makes it seem like it’s going faster. You can’t go wrong with great light!
Go for the ass! Any subject that is going away from you in the frame sets the mind to thinking movement. While this seems obvious, ass shots in themselves can be tricky. There is the matter of proper social protocol (not my speciality) along with attractiveness. There are a couple of aspects of subject positioning that goes along with this. Lower and centered in the frame is the place to start and then based on other elements in the frame can be moved about accordingly. When shooting the ass of an aircraft, the blurred prop is required to speak of movement. The slower the shutter speed, the more blurred the prop and the more blurred the prop, you change the position of the aircraft in the frame.
This one is real simple. When you have a great background, think of smaller subject size in a slightly awkward placement in the frame. Yeap, that’s all it takes for the mind to see the placement and move the subject through the frame against that background. I like simple!
Let the path set the movement. A track, street, sidewalk or trail of smoke communicates movement when you place the subject on that path. This again is another real simple one to employ but to take it to the next level, put the subject on the path again in a slightly awkward place.
Low angle with a wide angle is a great way of communicating motion! Here is a classic example considering the only thing moving in the frame are the props. The rule of thumb is to leave enough room in the frame in front of the subject for the mind to give the subject motion. You can enhance this mental path by getting down low with a wide angle. This technique is great when in reality, you’re crammed up in a crowd and can’t get physically where you want to. In the case of aviation, think of slow shutter speed and not keeping the horizon plum. Here, it’s slightly slanted up hill and the sun is included (lens closed down all the way for a sunburst) to finish the feel.
Follow your subject in the viewfinder for its entire path! You just never know what surprises you might find in the viewfinder that if your eye is not up against it, you’ll miss. In this case these Stearman finished a loop right overhead so a normal view of an aircraft from the ground, looking at the top of the aircraft, was all you see in the viewfinder. A unique perspective to any common subject begins the journey of having a unique photograph!
Cramming action into a vertical creates lots of mental movement in a still! The tension of the subject looking like it’s going to run into the side of the frame can work with the rest of the elements are in sync. Other elements? Ya, light, blur, color, placement in the frame vertically, all those elements that together bring movement to the subject. Keep in mind that as soon as you turn the camera to vertical, your panning gets more difficult and composition more challenging. At the same time, the rewards for success goes up as well.
Never ignore the common! This Huey is no warbird or screaming jet yet I would be really bummed if it weren’t in my files. When you can make the uncommon out of the common, your photograph always wins! In this case, since it’s an airplane and it’s up in the sky, the mind knows it’s flying and that in itself says motion. Use proper handholding and panning, look for the light and think motion with a big dash of fun and you will be successful! have a great weekend shooting!
Feb 7, 2018 | Aviation
P-51C Mustang
I am often asked if there is just one angle to shoot statics? The answer is a resounding, no! There are a number of variables with the biggest ones being the aircraft, the background, and lens you want to you. I personally start with the background, then the lens and finally the aircraft. It’s with the first two that I select where I’m going to shoot and the angle I’ll have for the last one. Now you can go about this many ways and might have only one option no matter what you’d like. But this is how I do it.
P-51C Mustang
There are three lenses I turn to, the 14-24AFS, 24-70VR and the 70-200f4. The difference in each of these lenses is how they render the symmetry of the aircraft and how they control the background. If I have lots of background to play with, all three lenses are in play. If there is minimal background, the 24-70VR and the 70-200f4. If there is no real background, the 70-200f4 is my turn to lens. In the perfect world like with this P-51c where I have all the background I want, my go-to lens is the 24-70VR. With that, I’ll go to the angle that brings to life the character of that aircraft while at the same time the romance I want to share. It’s easy to see from this that depending on your, the situation and the story, you have a lot more than one angle.
Dec 22, 2017 | Aviation
It must be winter with its long nights as finishing questions are floating in. The most common question this week has to do with backgrounds, in particular, aviation photos with people in them. The email usually goes something like, “How do you have static photographs with nobody in the background?” The first part of my answer is, I wait just a few minutes because folks never stay in one place for long. You don’t have to say a thing, no dirty looks or throw anything, just wait. Folks attention span just isn’t very long so just wait. Now there are times when something might be happening so you don’t have a minute, in that case, we have this amazing tool, Photoshop!
Case in point, while in the UK this past August during our workshop, we had the amazing opportunity offered us to photograph the entire HAC squadron outside. They don’t get pulled out often so the public was all over them. In this case though the clock was not on our favor, needed to get the shot now. So what I do is wait but only wait as long as it takes for the folks to be as small a portion of the photo as possible. Then removing them in post is a snap. So shooting with the D5 / 24-70VR, I put the camera to my eye and the moment I see the smallest amount of people in the frame, I go click. Then I make them go away in post. How do you do that? Well it just so happens I have a class over on KelbyOne that goes through that. The answer to where they will ever leave is yes, either in life or in the digital darkroom, one way or the other they will be gone!
Nov 21, 2017 | Aviation
The excitement in the cockpit overflowed as the first taxi run of our C-47 came to an end yesterday. It’s been a long time since the mighty engines moved this old lady down a runway but she did it on the first attempt easily taking a big stride towards her flight to Normandy in 2019 for the 75th anniversary.
I’ve always been project oriented, working with a subject/story for years and this project is no different. Brent & I have made a number of trips this year to the project and we’re by no means done with a dozen already scheduled for 2018. Each and every trip we learn something new, try something new while improving on what we did last time. The D850 is a big part of the project now, depending on its small size but giant video quality. I’ve also gone back to a favorite old lens from the locker.
Working in physically tight spaces is a challenge. I need a very wide, very sharp and corrected and very compact lens. So I grabbed my old 18f2.8AF lens for this week’s shooting and after the results, it’s staying in my bag. All three photos here were taken with it. When those engines turned over and we powered our way outta the swamp, the C-47, passengers, and ghosts all were shaken up, and it was marvelous!
Nov 16, 2017 | Aviation
Stan Whalley
captured by D5 / 105f1.4 screen capture
I first meet Stanley Whalley a few years back at my good friend’s hangar in AZ. Stan was one of the hundreds of English pilot that came to the US for training during WWII. Stan was at Falcon Field to finish his flight training in their Stearman and T6 trainers. From there he went back to England to fly in defense of England and the retaking of Europe. He is now 93 and the last surviving veteran from England to have trained at Falcon Field. He comes to Falcon each year around Veteran’s Day to participate in the ceremonies honoring all that came to Falcon Field to train by were lost in accidents while in training.
I’ve stayed in touch with Stan since meeting him. Tried to meet up with him when we were in England this past summer to get his story recorded. Weren’t able to make that happen. Talking to him this past weekend, found out he had time on Tuesday for being in front of the camera so instantly booked my flight and went down for the day and then flew back home. What you see here are the screen captures from the filming. The top photo is from the 2nd camera (D5 / 105f1.4). The main camera with the D850 / 24-70VR (frame capture below). The other photo is a frame capture from the Keymission 170 BTS camera.
It was a crazy two hours capturing a great story. Stan ended up with quite an audience who kept flowing in and at the end was able to ask Stan questions that he was very happy to answer. Stan was great being able to provide us 42 minutes of amazing stories. When all done, he signed prints I had brought which he gave to folks there and then went back to his room to rest. In the short term, I can share this much of the event with you. What I’d love is to instantly post a finished video like I can instantly post a finished still. But the reality is I have about two hours of edit time for every minute of video shot. So it will take some time to share all of Stan’s story with you. Stan is amazing, the last of his class.
Oct 24, 2017 | Aviation
Stinson SR-9F
captured by D5 / 70-200f4
Ask yourself when you share your photographs this simple question. “What emotion do I want to invoke?” I often see subjects where the photographer selects the best photographs being the ones with the bright sun over ones with great mood. The main difference between these two photos of the Stinson is the light. One is very moody and the other, it’s bloody blah! Yes, one has brighter color but the other has a killer mood. One says it was a nice day to fly. The other says it was a helluva great flight! How do you want your photograph to reach out to viewers because you have complete control over that impact!
Stinson SR-9F
captured by D5 / 70-200f4
Probably the hardest thing to learn and apply is the power of light to reach the heartstring. This is especially true with objects that don’t naturally seem cuddly. One way you might think of it that might help is, does the light bring a mystery to the subject? Generally, the shape of the subject informs the viewer what it is so you can use the light to create a little mystery about what the subject is doing. Playing on the imagination rather than outright saying the punchline taps emotions and with that, storytelling success. The difference between these two is the light. And seeing this in your own photographs takes time. So when selecting the photo to share just ask yourself the simple question “What emotion do I want to invoke?”
