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All images © Copyright Howard Lipin and/or The San Diego Union-Tribune |
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The great American Air Show. Just about everyone has been to one, or knows someone who has. Along with the smell of aviation gas and jet fuel is the incredible noise and awesome maneuvers that are all part of it, as video cameras roll and cameras click. So how do you take great photos of those flying machines without getting a pain in your neck, or ending up two inches shorter at the end of the day because you had to carry a big heavy lens to shoot cool close-ups of the aerial action? Well, part of the answer is to use a lens that's both powerful in its maximum focal length and is light in weight and easy to carry around. The photos in this article were shot using the Tamron 28-300mm XR Di Macro Zoom on a Canon 1D Mark II that increases the effective focal length by 30%. So in reality the lens in round numbers is a 36-390mm. You can spend thousands of dollars on long telephotos that will get you in closer, but for the person who wants a multi-purpose lens at a manageable price, this type of lens might be the answer. Top to bottom with the lens shade attached it's five inches tall and less than a pound. Top Gun, the elite Navy fighter tactics school made famous in the 1986 movie by the same name, made its home at the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego which hosted an annual air show until the Navy left and the Marine Corps moved in. The Air Show continues with a Marine Corps flavor, attracting some of the most interesting aircraft around as it did when the Navy called Miramar home. Ok, enough with the history, now on to the how do you shoot Air Shows both in the daytime and at night? In recent years a "Twilight" show has been added when the planes fly using pyrotechnics making it interesting to watch. It's sort of like a fireworks show that moves across the sky. But before it gets totally dark planes also fly. As an added benefit, the moon was a part of the show and created a great backdrop. As the saying goes, timing is everything. My son and I like the show in the evening because it's totally different form the daytime performance. I wasn't working and didn't want to carry a lot of gear, so I used one camera body and the 28-300mm lens without a tripod to see what I could do with it handheld. |
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As the planes flew in the distance with
the moon as the backdrop, I composed the photo using the moon as my reference
point and waited for the planes to fly through the camera's field of
view firing several frames when they did. To insure a good exposure I took a few test exposures of the moon and checked the LCD monitor on the camera before I began, making sure it wouldn't be blown out (over exposed). ISO 400 at 1/500th of a second with f-6.3 (wide open) on the aperture was used, just enough to accomplish my goal of a sharp, well exposed picture. |
A little background on the basic principles of doing this kind of photo may be helpful. Experts will tell you the camera shutter speed should be no slower than the length of the lens. For example, if you're using the lens at 300mm, then the slowest the shutter speed should be is 1/320, (rounded up to the closest speed). I on the other hand, believe in pushing the envelope to see what can be accomplished. The concept of the lens and shutter speed being the same can be a starting point and not the ending point if you dare to experiment. The exposure of the moon was also an important part of this. It's real easy to over expose the moon. I know I've done it numerous times. To avoid an over exposed moon remember that the moon is reflecting sunlight, so consider it not as a big ball in the dark sky but rather sunlight during the day. The basic rule for exposing on a bright sunny day is that the shutter speed should be one over the ISO at f-16. For example, the basic exposure using ISO 400 will be 1/400th of a second at f-16 with a bright full moon on a clear night. Try this as a starting point and then bracket with additional exposures over and under. This will be important to do as the amount of light reflecting off the moon is determined in part by many factors including where it is in the sky. It's usually not as bright when it's closer to the horizon than when it's higher in the sky. If you're using a digital camera, just make adjustments until the moon looks good on the LCD monitor. If you're a film user do the same under and over bracketing of exposures and keep track so you can determine what looks best, and then use that as a starting point in the future. The most important thing to remember that this is only a starting point and not the answer in all situations. The planes and the moon are a good example of how it's only a starting point. The exposure was 1/500th of a second at f-6.3 using ISO 400, a lot different than the basic formula. This is because the moon was fairly low to the horizon and not as bright as it would have been if it had been higher in the sky. |
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The photos
of the light streaks are from one of the planes as it flew across the
reviewing area. Since I didn't have a tripod the challenge was to shoot
it so there would be a lot of interesting streaks, and it would be in
focus. As the plane flew from left to right I followed (panned) it as
I pushed the shutter release. The focus was determined by locking it
on the plane as it made one pass before the photo was taken. I figured
the distance wouldn't change. The maximum focal length of 300mm was
used with the exposure of one second at f-18 on the lens aperture using
ISO 400. |
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During the day there are just as many opportunities to make interesting fun photos. Especially if the Blue Angels or other precision fast moving flying team is part of the show. The good thing about shooting the Blue Angels, especially if you've seen them before, is that they're predictable which allows you time to think about how you can shoot them as they fly by. The photo of the Blue Angels was shot at 1/640th of a second with the lens aperture at f-6.3 using ISO 100 panning the camera as they flew right to left. |
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Using the zoom
range of the lens comes in handy as well. As the Blue Angels in their
six plane formation flew over the crowd, zooming out to 109mm helped
make the composition more interesting. The ISO was 100 with a shutter
speed of 1/320th of a second and f-7.1 as the lens aperture. As the
planes passed pretty close to the crowd trailing a lot of smoke the
photo was shot at f-8 on the aperture, 1/320th of a second on the
shutter speed with ISO 100. |
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Shooting jets because of
their speed is a challenge, but what about prop planes and helicopters?
It's real easy to shoot at a shutter speed that's too fast so the photo
is sharp which is what you want, but along with that comes the propeller
that's stopped. The trick is to find a speed that keeps the plane or
helicopter sharp and shows some blur in the blades. Helicopters are more
difficult, especially larger helicopters with larger blades |
that turn
slower. The photo of the two helicopters was shot with ISO 200 at f-25
on the lens aperture and 1/80th of a second with a focal length of 300mm.
Shoot as many frames as possible, because not all photos will be sharp.
I have a room full of photos to prove it. |
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The basic formula here
like everything else is always subject to the situation, however,
when shooting prop planes I try and stay no faster than 1/200th of a
second on the shutter speed, and slower if a helicopter is in your sights. |
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The
B-2 stealth bomber also made a short two pass visit. I made the silhouette
of the bomber flying in the sun with interesting cloud formations all
around with an exposure of 1/800th of a second and the lens aperture
of f-25 using ISO 200. |
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And what would a military Air Show be without simulated bomb explosions. The trick is being ready as they go off sporadically in different places. So being ready to zoom quickly is a key ingredient. The photo of the simulated bomb was shot at 1/200th of a second at lens aperture using ISO 200. Air Shows can make for outstanding photos that you'll be proud of. Especially if you're using a zoom with a range like the 28-300. It opens doors that might otherwise be closed, especially if you are like me and try and incorporate the clouds, sun and other elements that come into play from time to time to make for top flight photos of the Top Gun's of the aviation world. Howard Lipin is a Staff Photojournalist at The San Diego Union-Tribune, the 19th largest newspaper in the United States and the Co-Host of Photo Talk Radio, the Internet radio talk show devoted to the photographic community "Where You Really Can See Photos On The Radio." Whether you're just starting out in photography or an old pro, you're invited to join Howard, and Co-Host Michael A. Garcia every Saturday 8-9am US Pacific Time, and call with your questions. To be part of the show go to www.PhotoTalkRadio.com and click on the LIVE show link. If you can't make the LIVE broadcast you can listen to all of the programs in the past show archive on your schedule and email your questions to talkback@phototalkradio.com. To access the San Diego-Union Tribune online edition click on www.UnionTrib.com. |
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