Apr 24, 2015 | Aviation
Sun ‘n Fun is this weekend and the question are pouring in what tips I might have. So I thought I’d cap the most common ways I like to put action in my stills. 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! My airshow set up this year is the lightest ever consisting of the D4s, 80-400AFS and 18-35AFS and that’s all. I love it being so light as that permits me to easily carry it all in my slingbag along with iPad (to show previous images to pilots) and business cards (to give pilots). 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 in particular 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! OH … my good friends the Texas Flying Legends Museum is there, say hi for me!
Apr 21, 2015 | Aviation
For a long time, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be associated with the AZ Ground Crew. Folks think of them as just “reinactors” but in reality, they are historians keeping history alive! Our session inside Sentimental Journey was an unbelievable history lesson! But they are there to help the students at the K&M Air Adventure understand a little better and add to their visual storytelling a whole other part of the flight history of the B-17 in WWII. They have nothing but authentic “props” they work with and this time, as usual, they pulled out something new. Working with our Sadie, they showed her “Drawing Model” photos. Old B&W of naked ladies, they were a form of pen up aloud on bases. As you can see from Sadie’s reaction, they were somethin!
With the AZ Ground Crew, I switched up to the Df but stuck with the 14-24AFS. I wanted to be up close and personal while taking in as much as possible. While the AZ Ground Crew can work the crowd, work the props like no body else, they can “not” work like nobody else as well. In this case, I used it to make another favorite photo of them. Getting right up on the wing at 14mm, it was possible to get the sweet reflection with reality. It was another amazing morning with Sadie and the Crew and can’t wait to do it again in November!
Apr 21, 2015 | Aviation
There is just something about being out to greet the sun as it says hello for the first time. Critters, landscapes, aviation, it makes no difference except with aviation, there is something special about it. Being on the ramp with a WWII B-17G “Sentimental Journey” brings this old Silver Lady to life. The good folks at AZCAF are really good to K&M Air Adventures and open the doors and roll out the big boys for our group to explore. We had two mornings with The Silver Lady and you see those photos here. You see two totally different looks to it for a reason, the light dictated my bringing the story to you.
Both mornings, I was shooting with the D750 for one simple reason, the fold out monitor. Man, that so saves my back and knees that I depend on it totally these days. Now the top image was shot on a morning when we had a slight cloud cover on the eastern horizon and the B-17 was so close to the hangar, the 14-24AFS was the best lens choice (you can see it on my Periscope channel) as I needed 14mm. Being so close physically, we’re looking up the nose rather than down the nose and that gives the B-17 a different look. The next morning I was shooting with the 14-24AFS again but this time at 24mm. It is amazing the difference the focal length makes in the final photo! There were no clouds on the east and that changed the light up enough to have me raise the tripod. Do I have a favorite? It’s well known, I’m a ass man so I love that shot the best. But any morning you can spend on the ramp with The Silver Lady is a good day! Oh, and the jeep. Ya, I drove and parked it there on purpose.
Apr 17, 2015 | Aviation
73 years ago tomorrow, a very fearless group of boys changed our world. Their unselfish act may have very well made it possible for all we enjoy today. Know what that day was? The photo above is a hint. They just received Gold Medals this week from Congress. Know now? Well, they are included in Warbirds and the Men who Flew them. Watch it, you’ll learn about our history and these boys. Perhaps some other good stuff too!
Apr 9, 2015 | Aviation
Photography itself is a time travel machine, preserving the past for the present that the future can enjoy. When you take this time travel machine into the past, well then magic can happen. I had an unique opportunity to step back in time this past week, both historically and in my own life. The Dakota Territory Air Museum in telling their states aviation history has acquired a F-106 Delta Dart. This is a very unique aircraft designed to haul ass at 2+ mach to intercept invading bombers and shoot a nuclear rocket into their midst to blast them from the skies. Scary stuff when you think of the implications. Luckily, that action never happened. But we have the history to reflect back on because of aircraft like this.
One of the huge benefits of being dear friends with the guy who has the keys to the museum is being able to step into this time machine. With no operating systems, lifting the tremendously heavy canopy so I could get in the cockpit was the first big challenge. Then it was to contain myself enough to make the clicks. The cockpit was not made for someone my size (in any dimension you wish to consider) so getting myself and my gear to shoot (D4s / 16Fish) into that space was a challenge! The photo you see above is looking up into the canopy and the three mirrors the pilot used to see behind them. Thought it would be an unique self portrait.
The best part of this historic time capsule is the crew of volunteers restoring it for static display. The majority of them worked on the F-106 back in the day when they were flying. Their stories about the aircraft, pilots, flights and role in our nations safety pour out as they go about their work. And in fact, it is those stories that are more important to preserve than the aircraft itself and as photographers, it is part of our mission we need to embrace. It was a great adventure I felt very privilege to undertake and want to encourage you to take the same trip with your camera and bring back your stories to share with the rest of us!
Apr 1, 2015 | Aviation
Maj Gen George Harrison (ret) is a really, really cool guy! We meet him a year ago and we instantly took to this very genuine American. When I saw we’d be in the neighborhood again this past week, I contacted George to ask if he’d be available to have his portrait made. We’ve been working for nearly a year on our Pilot Portrait project and George is a great and natural addition. In 1975, he flew the last fighter mission over Vietnam in his F4 at the last of the evacuation. Here, he’s standing in front of his gorgeous 1946 Swift that his has owned for nearly fifty years. He had such great stories and passion for aviation, it’s a real honor to know him and ability to include him in the project.
Being a Georgia resident, where he flies and what it does is why the location was selected. The time of day was based on those elements but what you can’t control with advance planning is the weather. I was concerned with the rain George wouldn’t bring out his polished Swift since it takes two days to polish it all out. Luckily for us, it had just stopped before he taxied over. We left the conference at 0430 and drove so we were in place and set up prior to sun up at 0654. I planned the shot on the slight chance the sun would shine but no such luck. That meant I had to light the Swift as well as the General. You can see from the diagram, one Profoto B1 with a 1×4 Strip was left of the camera. The other Profoto B1 was camera right with the Magnum and 10% grid. A 1/4 cut was in that light to warm up its light. Shooting with the D750 / 85f1.8 / Air Remote, it actually was an easy shot. We’ve done so many now, we had set up, shot done and torn down in 40min (we is me and my great assistant, Sharon). To see the shot for the project (shot with 24f1.4AFS), you’ll just have to wait but wanted to share this moment of fun with you now.
