How to Photograph an Airshow |  |
- How to Photograph an Airshow
- Very Interesting Comparison of Canon DSLR Camera Burst Mode Speeds and Sounds
- Flickr Now Offering 1 TB of Free Photo Storage
- Photographer on the Scene Documents the Aftermath of a Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
| Posted: 21 May 2013 04:26 PM PDT Each summer, at air shows across the globe, awestruck spectators enjoy the power and precision of aerial demonstration teams and individual performers. In addition to what is happening in the air, there are often static displays on the ground. For photographers, these events provide outstanding photographic opportunities. After you shoot your first air show, you will likely return each year as I do. The tips below are based on my experiences at air shows around the New York area.  “Spitfire’s in the Sky” captured by Barry Price (Click Image to See More From Barry Price) Day of the ShowIt is recommended that you get to the show at least one hour in advance in order to find parking, and a shooting location. Air shows can be very crowded, with numbers reaching into the tens of thousands. By arriving early, you may be able to set your gear up in a prime area. Generally, the performers enter from the left and right, with their stunts done at “show center.”  “Jet Blur Blue Angels” captured by Rob Hayashida (Click Image to See More From Rob Hayashida) A good viewing spot is important, as it allows you to focus and track the incoming jets. When possible, I try to pick a place that’s in the shade with a full view of the show center. However, many airports and military bases do not have trees to block the sun. To protect yourself from the elements, I strongly urge you to bring sunscreen. Lens ChoicesWhen I photographed my first air show many years ago, I used a 28-135mm lens. Yet, unless the plane was flying directly above me, I found that much more reach was necessary. Today, I use a 70-200mm for action that’s directly overhead, and a 400mm for tighter shooting. My camera does not have a full frame sensor, so a 400mm with a 1.6 crop factor is actually an effective 640mm lens. Just remember, air shows are usually several hours in duration, and longer lenses can get quite heavy.  “Final Approach” captured by Rob Hayashida (Click Image to See More From Rob Hayashida) Image stabilization is a nice feature, but a tripod will give your arms a break and allow you to create sharp images consistently. While the majority of my aviation work is shot with longer lenses, I find that wide angle lenses are also useful for performance teams that are spread out in wide formations. By utilizing a few different options, you can capture more of the action, and will come home with a diverse collection of images. Shutter SpeedsAttempting to freeze the motion of something traveling over five hundred miles per hour is no easy feat. In order to achieve this, a fast shutter speed of around 1/1000 is recommended. Yet, like most aspects of photography, there are exceptions to this. With older planes, a shutter speed of 1/1000 will freeze the propellers. The effect actually reduces the appearance of motion, and gives the image an unnatural look.  “Diamond Jubilee” captured by Tatoune (Click Image to See More From Tatoune) To show the movement of the propeller, a shutter speed of 1/90 is a good starting point. However, you may have to adjust it slightly to 1/60th or slower, depending on the speed of the plane. Of course, with these slow shutter speeds you will want to pay close attention to your camera technique to ensure sharp images. In-Camera MeteringEven today’s sophisticated DSLR metering systems can be tricked by certain situations. When exposing a jet against a clear blue summer sky, automatic camera settings will often properly expose the sky, and leave you with an underexposed plane. In order to have full control over the camera, I prefer to use the in-camera spot meter along with the manual exposure mode. Semi automatic modes can be effective as long as you are utilizing your histogram, and making adjustments as needed.  “Mix of Pix” captured by Stevie Mc Teague (Click Image to See More From Stevie Mc Teague) Most often, I find myself around 1/1000th, ISO 400, and f5.6. Of course, this can change drastically depending on the weather conditions of that particular day. FocusRather than trying to frame the perfect shot, I like to use a high speed burst mode and fire off many frames for each pass. This technique increases the percentage of keepers. Following high speed objects this way takes some getting used to. Thankfully, most cameras feature continuous focusing, also known as AI Servo. This mode will allow you to continually focus on moving subjects. To use this feature successfully, keep your center focusing point over the aircraft with your cable release or shutter held halfway down.  “Southport Airshow” captured by Chris Jolley (Click Image to See More From Chris Jolley) As you follow the plane through your viewfinder, the camera will automatically adjust the focus as the aircraft gets closer. When you are ready to make an image, simply press the shutter all the way down. Luckily, air show organizers often arrange “photo passes,” where the pilot flies at a reduced speed. Don’t get too comfortable though, they return to full speed after just a few slow turns. MemoryWith all of this high flying, fast-paced action, you will likely go through many memory cards rapidly. I bring a portable hard drive with me, and download the contents of the card while continuing to shoot. Once I’m sure the images have been safely written to the drive, I format the card in camera and reuse it.  “The-Red-Arrows” captured by Matt Sillence (Click Image to Find Photographer) I like to shoot in RAW format whenever possible. However, if you are short on memory cards, and don’t have a portable hard drive, you may want to consider shooting in the Large/Fine JPEG format. This will allow you to fit more images on the card than RAW. What to Look ForSmoke trails and after burner effects are great additions to an aviation image. Be ready for them, as they happen quickly. The trails of white smoke are actually created by pumping oil into the exhaust pipe. This is particularly interesting when used by an entire formation of planes.  “Red bull Air Race Porto” captured by myvista (Click Image to Find Photographer) The patterns of smoke can be used to make for a more artistic composition. In addition, it adds a bit of contrast to the otherwise plain blue sky. I also look to capture the interaction between two planes. When pilots are flying side by side with their wings nearly touching, a great deal of tension is introduced to the photo. By freezing this moment in time you are also showcasing the precision, and skill of the daring pilots. Enjoy the show! About the Author: Go to full article: How to Photograph an Airshow |
| Very Interesting Comparison of Canon DSLR Camera Burst Mode Speeds and Sounds Posted: 21 May 2013 03:45 PM PDT In 2003, Canon announced the Canon 300D with a burst mode rate of 2.5 fps. In 2006, they managed to double that number with the release of the 30D. Today, we have the Canon 1D X which performs an incredible 14 fps. Any faster and Canon will be verging on the edge of the cinema frame rate which is 24 fps. The video below shows a comparison between several Canon DSLR’s burst mode rates and sounds (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here): The beginning of the video is not so impressive. The 2.5 frame rate clicks by like a musical metronome. But by the time you get to the EOS-1D X, it sounds like your lawn sprinkler on steroids. Technology has certainly come a long way and improved the things we can do with cameras. Just remember though that just because you can shoot 14 fps, doesn’t mean you should. Here are some appropriate times to use burst mode:
Remember to be courteous when using burst mode, especially around people. As you can hear in the video, the burst modes are often very loud and annoying.  FPS stands for Frames Per Second Go to full article: Very Interesting Comparison of Canon DSLR Camera Burst Mode Speeds and Sounds |
| Flickr Now Offering 1 TB of Free Photo Storage Posted: 21 May 2013 01:30 PM PDT Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer unveils an update to the company’s Flickr photo-sharing site. Among the changes are a redesign with larger images, the ability for users to upload full-resolution photos, and 1TB of free storage for everyone (for those of you reading this by email, the announcement presentation can be seen here): One terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes — enough to store more than 500,000 images at a resolution common to most smartphones. Yahoo has redesigned the Flickr website to emphasize photos rather than text or white space, as was the case previously. Photos are bigger and shared in full resolution rather than compressed into a lower quality.  Flickr Update & Redesign
Go to full article: Flickr Now Offering 1 TB of Free Photo Storage |
| Photographer on the Scene Documents the Aftermath of a Massive Tornado in Oklahoma Posted: 21 May 2013 10:55 AM PDT Fourteen years after Oklahoma suffered the most violent tornado ever recorded in the United States, residents once again had their lives carried away on the winds of a relentless and destructive twister. This CBS News video clip interviews Nate Billings, a staff photographer for The Oklahoman newspaper who captured some poignant images at ground zero of the storm’s fury (for those of you reading this by email, the news segment can be seen here): The pictures that Billings has made are saddening, but are nonetheless a point of relief from the day’s events – children, though terrified, are held by loving parents as they begin their grieving process over such a traumatic event. The more terrible pieces of the story were not photographed, such as at least nine children found dead at a local elementary school, as well as 15 adults (and counting) who perished in the catastrophe.  An Oklahoma woman rescues kittens from the rubble after a tornado reduced the city to rubble. The greatest accomplishment of photography throughout history has been its ability to bring the wide world directly into our hearts and homes, through newspapers, television, and the internet. Billings has a special duty in the aftermath of this tragedy, to tell the stories of those afflicted and not let them suffer in silence on the vast, empty plains where their homes used to stand. Out of all the heartbreak a few amazing stories of survival are already being shared such as the one here, take a moment to watch, it will touch your heart: As the rescue mission continues, we hope to see more stories like the one above – of lucky people and animals who are found to survive nature’s wrath and cling to their lives among the destruction. If you’d like to help, you can donate to the Red Cross effort that has already started. Go to full article: Photographer on the Scene Documents the Aftermath of a Massive Tornado in Oklahoma |
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