Photography News Issue 57

Photography News | Issue 57 | photographynews.co.uk

Feature

make a mental note where they are so you can try to avoid them. Choosing the right shutter speed is essential for aircraft photography. If a plane has a propeller or a helicopter has rotor blades, it’s essential not to ‘freeze’ them with too fast a shutter speed. It’s not as simple as using a specific shutter speed; it depends on how fast the propellor rotates. Old aircraft tend to have slower prop speeds than newer aircraft, so need slower shutter speeds. If you use a speed over 1/500sec for propeller-driven aircraft, it’s too fast so the prop blades are stationary which looks wrong. I’d recommend a maximum of 1/320sec, or slightly slower if you feel able and using shutter-priority AE mode for the flying displays means you know the shutter speed is constant as you shoot.

For jets, you can ramp up the shutter speed, as fast as the light allows, so you are in the 1/1000sec or 1/2000sec region. Jets have no visible moving parts to freeze, and with something like the Red Arrows crossing over, you definitely want sharp shots. The biggest influence on sharp images is your ability to pan your camera at the same speed as the subject. A smooth pan will enable you to maintain sharp images, even at slower shutter speeds. I quite often try and shoot take- offs at really slow speeds like 1/80sec in order to show lots of blurring in the background as I pan with the subject, and this emphasises the motion of the aircraft. For flying subjects set continuous or servo autofocus as well as continuous drive mode. However, don’t ‘machine gun’ long frame bursts but shoot in

short bursts of three or four shots. Consider adding a touch of exposure compensation when photographing aircraft in the sky, to balance the exposure of a dark aircraft against a bright sky. I tend to set +0.3EVor +0.6EVand stick to partial metering mode. I also always shoot in Raw format so I have flexibility when it comes to editing. When the flying displays are over, don’t just pack up your gear and run for your car, as you’ll more than likely sit in a queue when you could be making the most of more photographic opportunities. The static aircraft will often still be on show at this point, and some of the clutter may even start to disappear. You’ll also benefit from the lovely evening light if the sun is out, so hang around and take more shots.

The biggest influence on sharp images is your ability to pan your camera at the same speed as the subject

ABOVE Vary camera viewpoint and don’t shoot everything from standing height.

About DarrenHarbar

Darren Harbar’s pro work involves air-to-air shooting of vintage aircraft such as Spitfires for the press and calendar companies worldwide. He also runs a range of photography days with aviation subjects, including an air-to-air workshop where you can fly in a de Havilland Devon aircraft alongside a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Dates for Darren’s 2018 courses: 23 August The Shuttleworth Collection – Hurricane photo day £150 per person

13 October The Shuttleworth Collection – aviation Night Shoot £60 per person Full details can be found at darrenharbar.co.uk under the Training Days page. All events are booked through the event organisers but links are available via Darren’s website.

31 August IWMDuxford – American aviation workshop £155 per person 7 September IWMDuxford – RAF aviation workshop £155 per person

15 and 16 September – Aero Legends dual fighter (Spitfire and Hurricane) air-to-air workshop £849 per person

All dates subject to weather and aircraft serviceability.