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06/14/2011 07:13:49 PM · #1 |
| We have an opportunity to go up in a Cessna 182 and just wondering on the best way to get decent shots while up there. We will be flying around the coast of Maine. Thanks. |
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06/14/2011 07:23:31 PM · #2 |
| You will need a fast shutter speed in order to keep things sharp. Watch out for your metering. Shooting from the air will screw with the meter. Not sure if this is a high wing or low wing aircraft but that will also dictate how you shoot. Watch out for the exhaust from the engine. You may not see it but your camera will and your shots will suffer bad. |
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06/14/2011 07:31:30 PM · #3 |
Try to fly during the golden hours ... just after dawn or just before sunset. Great light, and great shadow definition. On the east coast dawn might be better if you'll be along the coast in your flight.
Don't fly too high. Some of the best areal photography I've seen was shot at or below 1,000 feet.
Check out the Over America DVD to get some examples of great subjects and compositions. Figure out with your pilot what you'd like to photograph before you take off and where you want the plane's position relative to your subject and the sun. That way he can put you and your camera right where you want to be.
182 has a high wing so it probably won't be in your way ... avoids having to fly inverted in a low wing like a Cherokee for example. Ask the pilot to turn to raise or lower the wing if it turns out to be in your way.
With the pilot's permission, you may want to open the window so you don't have anything between you and your subject. Bring a jacket or sweater if you're going to do this.
Take Bonine (Mecilizine) because it won't make you sleepy rather than Dramamine (which will) if you're prone to air sickness. Some small planes are bouncy, especially later inthe day (another argument for dawn rather than sunset).
Good luck and have fun. Bring us some spectacular photos!
Message edited by author 2011-06-15 01:06:47. |
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06/14/2011 08:06:12 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by cryan:
Watch out for your metering. Shooting from the air will screw with the meter. |
A very good advice :). From those been to Heli aerial photography, common problem are Metering and Composition. |
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06/14/2011 09:08:51 PM · #5 |
Thanks everyone for the great feedback.
We may be able to choose between the Cessna 182 or a Bi-plane. Does anyone have an idea of which one would be better for taking photos?
thanks again |
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06/14/2011 10:36:47 PM · #6 |
The Cessna is high wing, so its much easier to shoot down. If you want an image of being in the plane, the biplane is more fun; if you want images from a plane, take the Cessna.
PS dont rest the lens against the window, the vibrations are pretty intense. Use your body as a dampner. |
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06/15/2011 12:53:16 AM · #7 |
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06/15/2011 07:13:10 AM · #8 |
| excellent tips everyone - Thanks |
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06/15/2011 07:31:16 AM · #9 |
Denise
I found a polarizer invaluable when shooting from a helicopter in Hawaii. (Good suggestion  GeneralE!)
 
As  BrennanOB said - try to avoid getting the camera/lens against the body of the plane, but get it as close as possible to the window. I brought a few different lenses on board, but ended up using more wide angle stuff to really capture the whole feel of being in air
And....I would recommend, if possible, to spend some time to clean the windows (inside and out) before you get going! |
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06/15/2011 10:32:28 AM · #10 |
I took this and other shots while sitting in a Cessna 150 sideways with my feet hanging out of the doorway. Taking the door off and sitting this like this with my right foot resting on the landing gear was the most comfortable way for my 6'3" body to fit and allowed me to face the unobstructed view.
It did seem very unusual to sit this way, but I kept my seatbelt and harness on and felt completely safe....even during landing. |
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06/15/2011 10:48:39 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by yakatme:
I took this and other shots while sitting in a Cessna 150 sideways with my feet hanging out of the doorway. Taking the door off and sitting this like this with my right foot resting on the landing gear was the most comfortable way for my 6'3" body to fit and allowed me to face the unobstructed view.
It did seem very unusual to sit this way, but I kept my seatbelt and harness on and felt completely safe....even during landing. |
Don't think you'll be able to remove the door on a 182. But this illustrates very well shooting during the golden hours. See the great texture and shadow definition? See the great saturation of colors? Maybe post helped this but starting with the right image surely helped. |
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06/15/2011 11:31:13 AM · #12 |
There are a lot of good recommendations here already, so here are a few from me.
Shooting through glass? Wear dark clothing, and maybe gloves, so you don't get reflections in the window. A wide lens shade, the rubber variety helps too. If you are shooting jpg, then shoot a custom white balance shot through the glass before you load up to go, otherwise, shoot raw and adjust later.
Shooting through an open window, be careful, as the slipstream outside the cockpit is very strong. I found it useful to put my right hand upward through the camera strap, then through again the same way to wrap the strap so that it don't get hung on things or blow in the wind shaking the camera. Ditto on the "don't touch the plane with the camera" advice.
Metering will be a little wonky, generally I have found that +1 EV seems to work well. The sky is much brighter than the land in the daytime.
Keeping the camera level may not be easy "on the fly" so try to see a little of the horizon in the viewfinder to orient your "shoot level gyro" .
For lenses, a wide to med tele, like 18-105 on a crop sensor seems to work well for me. If you have two cams, you may want to use a long zoom on the second one so that you can quickly shift from wide to long shots for lighthouses and detail shots of things on the ground.
A UV filter may help some with haze in the atmosphere, and a polarizer is also nice, but you may get a horizontal gradient of blue in the sky because of the angle the light is coming from changes over wide views of skies.
Targets will be coming by fast, esp if you are flying low, so be prepared to "blitz shoot" the good moments. 250-300 shots would be probably about right for 30 minutes over the chosen subjects.
Make sure that batteries and cards are ready. It's a pain to miss the time while changing things in the air, plus if you drop anything in the aircraft, it's not only difficult to retrieve it, but it creates a hazard as well if it's a lens or something heavy.
If you plan to change lenses, a small shoulder bag or shooting vest makes it easier to keep up with the items instead of having to juggle a couple of lenses while the plane is in motion.
One of the best things said is to communicate with the pilot before you go up, and hopefully the pilot will understand about shooting the chosen area with the light where it will be best for you.
Just be prepared, then relax and focus on your shooting and equipment. Have a good time, enjoy the ride, and get lots of good memories to process later.
In the second shot, you can see the blur from the exhaust that has been talked about.
    
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06/15/2011 06:58:57 PM · #13 |
Maybe wait until 2050 when you can see through the cabin walls and roof and the chairs rotate.
See through planes 1
See through planes 2
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06/15/2011 07:19:20 PM · #14 |
Typically, the pilot sits in the rear cockpit of a biplane, so you would be in the front, and your field of view will have a lot of wings, struts and wires, and it can be hard/uncomfortable to crane around to shoot a more rearward direction (especially if there are two of you crammed into that cockpit). If you want a fun, adventurous, unique flight, and photos are secondary, take the biplane--pure unadulterated fun.
If taking photos is pretty important, the 182 will work. If this is a "standard" airplane tour, you may not have much control, but if you are chartering it, or the only ones on the flight, you may have some options. Let them know you want to take photos, and if the windows are not clean, ask if they can give them a wipe down. If you are in control of the flight (as opposed to a standardized tour route), the pilot can circle something of interest--the "turn about a point maneuver" will keep the "target" area pretty stable for you.
Don't lean or brace yourself (or the camera) against any part of the plane--the engine vibrations will be too strong. Faster shutter speeds are good.
If you don't get to fly in light aircraft often, take some time to just enjoy the experience. Head on a swivel, soaking it in, without a view-finder in the way. Whichever plane you choose, you will enjoy it. If it was me, I might do both planes :D
Message edited by author 2011-06-15 19:19:53. |
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06/15/2011 07:30:15 PM · #15 |
To get rid of reflections when shooting through glass, I made up a little lens hood/tent out of brass wire and a cut up old black t-shirt. It is basically a spiral with loops on either end, one slips over the end of the lens and is secured by a rubberband, the other end is a loop about eight inches wide, and the whole thing is covered by black cloth hot glued to the wire. It can be held to glass with your hand (or I have taped it to aquarium glass with electrical tape) to get rid of reflections. When it is stored it flattens out to a disk that lives in the camera bag.
 It looks kind of weird but it works and is cheap to make |
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