Never shot an airshow yet, but usually shot planes from the observation deck near my local airport. Most aviation photographers use around F8.0-10 for daytime shots and taking F2.8 for night shots.
your tips were very helpful, I always wondered if my RF 70-200 2.8 could work for aviation. from your results, I'm quite happy. despite you thinking they aren't the best, they really very good to me
Ive not shot an airshow before, but if i was to shoot one using a canon camera ill pair it with the rf 100-500, or any 100-400mm lens and not a 70-200mm, then if you need even more reach get something in the 600mm range, not the expensive 600mm primes but 600mm zooms for versatility. Also you dont need F2.8 at an airshow you are shooting at the sky. When your background is in frame to blur it, just play with your shutter speed, pan with the aircraft and shoot bursts, till you feel you have something good. lastly a lot of those shots where the jets were dark or not centered in frame can be salvaged with a bit of editing and cropping. Thunderbirds preset on AF Thunderbirds nice one!
professional aviation photographer here, some of these tips are good but some easier ones to consider before making your way to your first airshow. 1. Ask where show center is. This will always have speakers in front of it so you can listen but also this is the main point all performers will be aiming for any opposing maneuvers and just in general where 90% of action will be placed at. if no one can answer this question then look at the runway area and see if you can see a large white trailer or series of busses and find the middle among them. 2. Use higher shutter speed than what you think you need. everyone has a preference but this isn't portraits, weddings or family photos. For anything jet related at a minimum you should be at 1/2000 but i prefer to get higher than that at 1/4000 especially if you have a higher MP camera or high pixel density camera. also make sure that you are panning with our subjects. if you intend to get a crossing maneuver than the shutter speed goes up higher as your subjects can be pushing 350-500mph. 3. Shooting wide open is a terrible idea. shooting wide open on the ground where the subjects are closer to you and they are moving at best 15mph when taxing, when we get to shooting in the air certain aircraft fly on certain show lines that have different distances from the crowd. if you are shooting at 400mm or beyond then you want something in he realm of F8. this will make sure the entire plane is in focus if you intend to punch in. 4. 400mm is sometimes not enough. reach is everything in this business and most will max the reach out at 600mm. if you have the option of renting then i recommend the 200-800 as it has the reach and the Fstop to make it happen. a 70-200 will get you nowhere in this business unless its static displays or ground shows. if you are going for some contextual shots to compliment the other shots you get than that is fine but think as long as you can get. 5. Practice makes perfect...sort of. take note of what you shot when you are reviewing your images in between acts. if something looks off or soft then check the settings and see what you can adjust. no one gets it right 100% of the time and external factors like humidity, heat blurs and other factors make it hard to shoot. Don't take photos of planes when they are half way on the approach. instead track and pan and then fire when they are filling the frame the most. this will save you from culling so many unwanted photos.
As someone who has shot airshows both on film and digitally, you aren't always going get the shot you want. Shoot slower for props and faster for jets. Always go to both days of the show and make notes from day 1 for day 2. I try to shoot at least one or 2 props at a higher speed side on to get the aircraft sharp and prop blur isn't as important. Shooting at 2.8 isn't necessary as others have said and I'll often shoot in tv mode. Personally I use two bodies with different lenses and settings and usually come away with a reasonable amount of keepers but a good number of misses too!
Yup, Axalp 2023 in Switzerland. Shooting choppers in 1/4000 and they looked like shit. When jets come from mountain side to the sky, all metering doesn't know what to do. Like said, wide aperture is not as necessary. Usually planes have very good weather anyways, so will have enough light for smaller/variable apertures. Also 70-200 not enough for this kind of airshow, there are some that would just about right, but for this kind of open space, 400mm minimum, Ideally 600mm. And after all of that, it takes some luck regardless, You dont know when jet fires out the flare, how air is going to form around it. And yet, like most of the people say, sometimes you dont come back with the shot you want.
If you were shooting photos at f 2.8, why not stop it down a little more instead of using an ND filter? Your lens is probably sharpest at around f4 to f5.6.
I did that as well throughout the day! But sometimes even at f5.6 in broad daylight you'll need a few stops of ND to get down to a slow enough shutter speed for max prop blur. It gives you more options if you have one on hand!
@@AnthonyGugliotta Stopping down is the easier option though And far easier to undo and redo as conditions change f2.8 lenses mostly add unnecessary bulk and weight for airshow photography You can't really use f2.8 on the ground either as the subject is way too large to be all sharp, unless you're looking for the flou artistique of shallow DoF
Id consider myself a novice, but Ive photographed 10+ airshows, and aviation photography is my primary focus. Aviation photography is its own beast as you have little to no control over lighting, enviornment, and subjects. Instead, its all about using the camera properly. Jets are great for panning practice, if you can follow something as fast and unpredictable as a fighter, you have good skill for tracking a subject. Shoot at the highest shutter speed you can manage when starting, and move it back for a bit of artistry later. Also, be aware that the hot exhaust distortion can make or break photos! Ww2 props are the next step in difficulty. I like to keep my shutter speed around 1/200th, but ive expirimented all the way to 1/40th with acceptable results. Things to note here is to track when they are still approaching. As a plane passes ypu, the change of perspective will mess up your photo, no matter how well you can pan. Stunt props, the big fish in the world of aviation photography. These guys arent nearly as fast as jets, but they are far more maneuverable. They use a lot of smoke in their demos, which looks incredible at high shutter speeds, but they are props which typically ask for longer exposures. My advice? Do both. If you spend 5min at an airshoe, youll start to see the pattern of these performances. Cross center stage for photos, go up and spin around, cross center stage for photos, go up and play with smoke. They fly in a big U. If you have the reach with your lens to photograph at the peaks, shoot high speed up there. They tend to be maneuvering too fast/too far away to achieve clean photos at slow shutter speeds. Once the plane starts descending, they are trying to build speed and must fly smoothly, so switch to more prop style photography. I like to try and get a milky smooth smoke trail at least once a show, but thats not promised. Expirement yall. Youre having fun with planes, dont forget that!
The "air effect" you mentioned is not due to air being compressed. The vapor cone is actually caused by the pressure drop, which results from the increase in airspeed. As a result of this phenomenon, the air temperature decreases. If this temperature drops below the saturation point of the air, vapor is formed. I love your vids! Keep on going ♥
Great video...was at that airshow using Panasonic G9Mkii and 50-200mm (yes M4/3rds and its not dead...lol). Was a great show with the CF18, F16, warbirds and Italian team...the whole show was great...not so great was rain out on the Saturday and not using the photo pit pass.
Nice to see you trying aviation photography! I haven't photographed an airshow yet, but I do photograph airliners at my local airport. I keep my shutter speed at least 1/1000 and aperture at f7.1 for maximum sharpness. I still need to work on my tracking for epic panning shots though!
Have done lots of air shows, including a whole bunch of USN Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds shows. For gear, nothing is better than APS-C with a zoom lens. My 2024 setup is a Sony A6700 with a Sony 70-350mm (105-525mm 35mm equal). For jets I generally shoot an at a minimum of 1/1000 sec (and usually 1/1,500 to 1/3000 sec) with an aperture of F6-10 (lower side F6 only if needed to get the shutter speed up). The Sony A6700 has fantastic auto-focus and the large zoom range really helps with framing the images. Slower speed aircraft are less demanding and shutter speeds in the 1/400-1/1,000 second and apertures between f8-16 work well.
Use the camera with the better image stabilisation Crop factor of an APS-C will help on the tele end, as with 200mm on FF, you're not gonna get the shots these days where planes are flying ever further from the crowd 200mm will do formations and really big birds, fighters ... not really Centerstage is not always the best spot It's typically where flight is stabilised, though it's where you'll get the opposing cross shots But turning & burning is mostly done near the ends of the display line I usually chose the landing end whenever I had the choice, as it's more of an active scene But if you're going for the air shots, most important is sun position over the entire display time At more crowded airshows you can't move about without losing a good spot along the front crowd line Things happen too fast and the distances are too great to cover quickly So you have to choose and accept you won't get all the shots
It's great that you shared the problems and failures as well as the successes. It's a cliché that we learn from our failures but it's so true. I have to shoot a couple of fly-pasts at an event in 3 weeks, and I will take your lessons to heart.
I like to experiment as much as I can, but don't usually make videos unless it turns out perfect. I think this video is a sign to not worry so much, and share what I learn as I go!
Eventually hyper focal distance comes into play. Even at f2.8 the plane is so far away for most of the shots I was shooting that the entire plane ends up being in focus anyway. But yes, in some cases dropping to f4 or f8 when planes get close will help get more of it in focus.
Great “series” you have going on. 1st motorsport, now aviation. Can’t wait for what’s next. 2024 I ramped up what I shoot too (so happened to be motorsport & aviation aswell) so why not combine passions! Grabbed the 100-400L II and it’s great for these events!
Great Tips and Tricks! i was the the Quinte Airshow as well, first time using a DSLR, no clue what I was doing. This video (and many of your others) has helped me improve for the future 2 more shows in Ontario. Thanks!
really good to see your honesty about a subject you haven't shot before. the reality is even if you are a seasoned aviation photographer, you get more misses than hits. I will typically shoot with a continuous, single point auto focus. try to stay between F5.6-F11 depending on the lens i'm using. between about 1/640th and 1/1600th for jets and less than 1/320th for props. sometimes with auto iso or a touch of exposure compensation depending on the lighting.
I've shot the Blue Angels in El Centro for years and since you'll be shooting at infinity all day you don't need a large aperture usually f8-11 gives you the best results (sweet spot for most lens's). While airshow center will give you the best head-to-head shots, I prefer picking and end of the flight line for better formation shots since they tend to turn toward the crowd. And if you're at one end you can put on and set a polarizer and a hood for better contrast by keeping the sun off the front glass. Since you'll be covering just one area you won't need to adjust the polarizer that often, but personally I stopped using them so I can scan more sky and not get the variations in the sky they create.
Lens is paramount - a 150-600 is your best bet for variety of airframes (small to large) as well as reach if you're not standing at the flight line. Panning control is the next skill to hone. Focus tracking setting for rapid changing subject will accommodate for entering the frame and moving away from the focus point at a constant rate. Exposure compensation can help maintain shutterspeed (i.e. 1/2000 jet, 1/200 prop) in changing sky conditions. Lastly, majority of the gear you see is rented. A great option for top gear without committing extreme budgets for a kit you'll use on occasion.
I shot airshow for at least 15 years. Major drawback is that you don't have an airshow every weeks, so it's not easy to practice a lot. I do not find prime lenses best for this kind of event since the targets move a lot. A very big prime lense will be "too much" for a big aircraft in front of you. 100mm is a nice number the le lower end of you zoom. 400mm or more is great for the higher end.
Yes, one big tip, especially if you know the pilots and they want that raw file for printing. do not crop heavy into your image shoot as close to final as you possibly can for maximum resolution. Remember these guys have Airplane hangers 30 x 40 print is “not too big” a lot of these guys. Whereas, for you would even be pushing the limits of medium format and into large format and for digital are medium format territory for maximum print quality
This video is exactly what I was going through! Earlier this year I went to my first air show with my Canon R5 and 70-200. I was able to walk away with some shots of The Blue Angels that I would love to share with you and receive feedback.
Another hint is, if you have time attend the practice day or Day 1 & Day 2. Day 1 is your practice day too, you will get a few good shots but more importantly you know what’s going to happen and when on Day 2. One variable you can’t manage is the weather, blue skies give better contrast than overcast days, best days have scattered Cu because they make an interesting background. Finally you don’t need to be on the front fence; everything is happening up there, standing back 50 to 100 metres it’s usually less crowded and your viewing angles are not as extreme, no sore neck the next day too.
Been doing airshows for a while, 3 so far this year (with a couple being multiple days), it takes a bit to get used to. I use my top wheel for adjusting shutter speed, so I can swap between fast for jets and slow for props to get blur. I preset F stop for lighting for that day, adjust on the fly if clouds come and go using my thumb wheel. Iso is always auto for me, just because of how I shoot. And I saw other people say, go multiple days and that is the best. One day you might have no backdrop and clear blue sky, or greyed out (i had that in moses lake), but the next is perfect puffy clouds. And expect a lot of photos and a good percentage to get thrown out. You'll get settings dialed in over the course of a few shots.
I shot SF Fleet Week for the first time. I was at 1/250 ft or Fat Albert, and 1/2500 for the jets. I used a 70-200mm, a 400mm with a 2x converter, and a 100-400mm with a 1.4x converter. The 100-400mm zoom was great for the Blue Angles, the 400mm with 2x for the single planes like the F-22 and F-35.
Something else to think about when shooting flying aircraft is whether or not to use electronic shutter. I thought the extra fps would be nice during a recent event, but I forgot about the "rolling shutter" phenomenon. It's probably less of an issue with jets, but I noticed a lot of weird distortion on the props of the WW2 aircraft I was photographing, especially when panning. 1/1000 shutter provides great sharpness on the airframes, but is definitely too fast to get motion blur on the props. I've had decent results with 1/250 for good motion blur on the prop and decent sharpness on the airframe (1/160 - 1/320 depending on A/C orientation to the camera; slower side-on and faster head-on). I tend to use auto ISO and manually adjust shutter speed and aperature depending on the type/number of aircraft. If you're fairly new to the genre, I'd recommend trying shutter priority and auto ISO just to minimize the number of variables you have to deal with. Telephoto lenses are definitely preferred. My rig is a Sony A7R4 with a Tamron 18-300 (3.5-6.3).
extra reach !! i sometimes use an old d7200 but it works ! ive used a nikkor 500 f4 but really heavy ! still get missed shots due to motion blur and forgetting about prop s an rotors all in the panning!!
Just saw this video; I was at the same show at CFB Trenton, back in the cheap seats not the photo pit, and I can absolutely relate to the missed shots and motion blur from trying to pan a jet the same way I pan a bird of prey or larger animal. What a learning experience, and looking forward to trying again at the London Air Show this weekend. 😊
I went to the Blue Angels show in Pensacola with a canon 200-400 and a 1dxii. It was a lot of fun, I got some shots that I’m happy with, but I’d suggest: A 100-400/100-500 will be just fine for 80% of the shots; depending where you’re standing, a 24-105 or a 70-200 are one of the other lenses to consider for when they’re close. You don’t need a mirrorless, you just need a body that can do at least 10fps and can get the shutter to at least 3,000- the original 1dx and an old 100-400 is probably THE best value you’ll ever get for air show or action photography. Next: strongly consider shooting at f/8 or close, set your SS according to the type of plane, and set iso to AUTO, with an upper limit. Practice. Those slower Shitter speeds will take you all morning to get a couple of non-blurry panning shots. There’s another show here in November, hopefully I can apply these corrections
I was also at this airshow and it was my first time shooting airplanes too. I was using my r8 with the rf100-400mm f5.6-8 and got some awesome shots but definitely had my fair share of blurry/uncentered photos lol. Wish I had ran into you, it was an awesome show!
These (you called it air compressing) effects are actually sudden low-pressure effects. For example if you are on a plane in high altutude and you experience a sudden pressure drop (for example when a window pops out) you would see the whole cabin will be foggy for a split second. That's the same effect which you can see above the wings where the lift (low pressure) is high. Close to sonic speed the first shockwaves form out and right behind this shockwave the airpressure drops rapidly and you can see these foggy cones (resulting in a lot of resistance, that's why you need afterburner (most of the time) to overcome
Nice Shots! My experience with aviation photography sounds crazy, but the best results I've achieved involve turning on shutter priority as well as servo auto focus. Prop planes I've had my shutter at 1/80. Aperture ends up going as high as F18 or F22. ISO stays at 100. I learned these tips from Jim Koepnick who does a majority of the cover photos for Sports Aviation Magazine. These settings produce a sharp image with the right amount of motion blur if you can keep your hands steady! Great video overall!
I like the ones where the plane is half out the frame 😅I've seen a plane before, so the minimalist angle only focusing on some part of the plane and bringing out the detail, is so refreshing and to me
You are lucky that you got to see Frecce Tricolori. They haven't been on a North American tour in over 30 years. I just got to photograph them this past weekend at the California Capital Airshow here in California. Been using a Nikon Z8 and the Nikkor 100-400mm lens lately. Also had an original Z6 with a 50mm lens attached for some wider shots.
Welcome to the world of BIF photographers Anthony! Lol! Everything you said about aircraft photography would easily translate to "Bird in Flight" photography too. I too have the R8 and the R6 Mark II and I love both of them. I also use the Canon RF 100-500mm lens when doing BIF and the issues you mentioned with backlighting and shooting against the sky go hand in hand. I normally go for the electronic shooting mode to avoid the blackout between the FPS, but the tradeoff is possible rolling shutter. Great video Anthony, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
You need at least 400mm to get better shots of the jets. The 70-200 i use for formation flights or team demos. For jets i use the 600mm. And backlit in front of the sun will make epic pictures when exposed properly. 😉
@AnthonyGugliotta It surely depends on the location of the sun but if you can track these planes in front of the sun...you will get bangers if exposed correctly. Not all of them will work although.
Experienced Photographer here. So I would amp up my f stop to around f8 to capture the jets better, and i would keep my shutter speed no higher than 1250 for the jets, and no higher than 640 for props, also front row seats are always best.
Nice video. This is one of the hardest things to learn and I've done all types of photography. It's a challenge each and every time lol and you will have LOTS of throwaways. I just picked up the Sigma 150-600 MM to try out, highly recommend something in this range.
I can totally relate with this, went to the international air tattoo on Sunday and took around 4k images and I think I got 50-60 great shots… shutter speed is key.. and I had a canon 70-400 lens and next time I will hire a 500-800mm lens..
Just got the R6 mkii and the RF 100-500 ,So looking forward to comparing to my 7D mkii when i visit the International Air tattoo UK in a weeks time, My local RAF base is home to the A400m so i have had plenty of time shooting with a slower shutter speed for the prop blur . usually around the 1/80th to get the full disc blur
I shot the NY Air Show last weekend, it was my first serious foray in Aviation Photography. Got the idea from a meetup group to go to a site outside of the show itself. Shot with two cameras, my R7 with 150-600mm Tamron at f8 (wanted as much reach using aps-c to get over the airfield which was a couple miles away) on a tripod and my r6 with light 100-500mm at f8 and shot handheld. ISO at auto on both and r6 had a CP filter. I varied my shutterspeed for prop blur...messed up on the r6 during the Thunderbirds because I didn't adjust to higher speed for half of their performance. Being in the approach path with open fields gave a different perspective. Downside was having to use ears and guesswork to predict where planes would appear to lock and track. Bright light, most of the show was at the worst time of day to take pictures, let alone something flying, with sun overhead. The ND filter is a good idea if you are shooting with open apertures or if it is Very bright out. Was fun to push myself in another genre and editing really made everything pop on photos I liked.
Quinte West air show? If so, I got some amazing shots from my back yard. Although I did not get the best angles, most of the high speed passes turned right over my house before hitting the airfield. Was worth it to avoid the crowds.
I don’t shoot rapid fire. I shoot one shot at a time. It’s much more important, especially with propeller plans and acrobatic planes to get your pan perfect rather than spray and pray…
Hi Anthony, I shoot aviation to and I have an 55-250mm and from an friend of me i learned u need to have 2x the shutter than ur lens max mm so I always have it at 1/500
I shoot commercial aviation, and sometimes it is not easy to take good photos. I would like to see a video of you going planespotting because it should be easier than this, and it is a really good way to practice. Especially try to get the airplane i frame as accurately as possible because cropping kill detail, at least on my 7d :). Also try to not shoot at f2.8 try to go towards at least f5.6 to f8 so all of the airplanes/ the whole airplane is sharp, it will help a lot! Have fun planespotting :)
Thanks for sharing, now I don’t feel so bad about missing a bunch of shot of the Lancaster and other props also. Too bad we got rained out for Saturday. Could have been a nice practice day.
I think I saw you at Trenton Airshow, but I didn't know this channel back then... Anyway, it's a good lesson and I also learning how to specialized myself in airshow photography with budget gears.
Sweet I work in aviation in iqaluit nunavut and the Italian airforce was at my base for the night before heading to an airshow with the c-130 herc i believe they were going to Hamilton and we got awesome videos of them taking off at the same time off the runway ( normally not allowed but it was a special circumstances for them)
I love airshows and photographing them is one of the hardest things to 'get right'. Like you say, shutter speed too low, blurry pictures but you want prop blurr, jets high shutter speed but lots of shutter/viewer blanking off. Sky over exposed but the aircraft has too much shadow. I spot meter or partial metering with 1/3 to 2/3 over exposure. But definitely a hard thing to get right. More misses than hits unfortunately.
Great video. Would love to see more of that maybe also with video. Especially some in movement sport/moto materials. I still struggle to find a right focus settings and workflow.
I would go with AV mode and set it around F8 for jets, for props I’d use TV and definitely not go over 1/320th if you’re starting out. I often shoot as slow as 1/30th with a 500 f4 and a 2x converter handheld, never used an ND filter. Just keep the ISO as low as possible for prop aircraft and panning shots at lower speeds, even use a little exposure compensation if necessary. You can bump up the ISO when shooting jets if you need. For flying shots you really need at least 400mm, more if you can afford it. Aircraft are going to be further away when they are likely to do a manoeuvre that looks more dynamic, but having said that if you’ve only got a 200mm you can still get reasonable shots if you work at it. You’ll always end up with some rubbish photo’s especially if you go for slower shutter speeds but don’t give up and just aim to better yourself each time.
I was at an airshow myself the other week. Took the better of 20k photos but I came away with an estimated 50 photos that Im happy with (still editting them) but some of them are absolutely awesome. (Canon R6 with a Sigma 150-500mm)
I just attended the Traverse City Cherry Festival and took some photos at the air show there with the Blue Angels. I haven’t edited the photos yet but I definitely need to work on taking photos at higher shutter speeds since I was shaky after the surprise flyover! This is exactly the video I needed to inspire me to take a look at my photos! Nice video Anthony!
Something I’ve learned (the hard way) is sometimes* built in stabilization is NOT helpful when trying to get motion blur or prop blur. What can happen is the IS will try to counteract the blur you’re trying to achieve and make the whole photo look shaky (shakey?). Turn OFF IS for panning photos. 🤟🏻
I see you're shooting at a low ISO. Even if it becomes slightly more grainy, you could have gained more control over exposure, depth of field and shutter if you brought ISO a couple steps up. I'm no aviation master photographer, just an observation from your video. Not saiying it's the perfect solution, but one to test at least. Also with many (or most?) digital cameras today, you can have custom presets on a dial, so you could actually make a jet-friendly setup on one preset, and prop-friendly setup on another. Different plane incoming? Just rotate the dial and you're up and running with the ideal baseline instantly. I have yet to go to an airshow this year, but I really hope I get to go to one to test Fujifilm 100S II and GF 500mm!
Yeah, as an Aviation Photographer i can tell you its hard life sometimes xD. Especially with the Sun, variable Lighting conditions and especially at an airshow variable Target speeds, so you basically need to change your shutter speed constantly, and mostly you dont have much time shooting, so you need to nail it.
For air jets i would shoot a few with Automatic settings…just in case i am not satisfied with the manual settings i still i get some shots with the canon AI help :)
Two questions. How far away are the planes? What is the acceptable focus range of a 200mm lens set to F11 near infinity? Next airshow I plan to switch off autofocus entirely while the planes are in the air.
Love it !! thats why i have the Nikon P950 lol .. lots of ZOOM #2000mm !! : - ) only problem with that if you burst pics you can zoom in or out till the pics are written on the card : - (
My tip? Turn burst mode OFF, all it does is get you off the action. During a two day airshow I will typically shoot max 500 frames, one at a time but I also have minimum 50% retention rate.
I love watching your videos. I feel your pain. I love to shoot airshows. They can be quite challenging at times depending on the conditions. Now I'm not a professional photographer but I am wondering why you chose to shoot at F2.8? Most of my best shots were taken between F6.3 and F8. The Polarizing filter definitely helps with getting cleaner cockpit shots. Anyway, keep shooting and enjoy.
I hope I get the chance to hit up the Internation Airshow this year. It's been years since I last went, and I was running a Canon T3. The best lens I had was probably my 70-300mm for the event. Now I can bring my R7, adapted with a Meike VND with a CPL, I could bring my Sigma 150-600C and my Canon 70-200 f2.8L v2. I hear in the UK that there's a spot between 2 mountains where military aircrafts fly between, and a ton of photographers go up this mountain to get a near leveled shot of F15s, F16s, F35s, F18s, Tornados, C130s, amd so many others.
Interesting video thought you would have use that 100-500 again. I recently got the 100-500 after your zoo video and it’s amazing for aviation. For panning you can easily bring your aperture down I was shooting 100/1 at f14 with great results. Also put the lens in mode 2 for panning. Vehicle tracking worked a treat on spitfires 👍🏻
I was there with bleacher seats with my dad - being that close to the runway let me get some nice up close photos of the jets waiting to takeoff (and a photo with F-16 demo pilot Capt. Taylor “FEMA” Hiester, who came to the fence line after his routine to greet the crowd!) but the bleachers did mean I had to miss some shots as when the aircraft approached from over our shoulder, I could line up my shot in advance. Wasn’t as big of a deal for the warbirds, but the jets were too fast to catch with a snap shot.
3:31 I shot props between 1/250 and 1/400 to balance prop motion and getting a sharp photo, and even then I still had some absolute misses for entire bursts in high speed continuous + mode. Jets I shot at 1/1000 to 1/2000.
7:08 Anthony - does your R6II have the “high speed display” mode? The R10 has it and it fills the between shot view with live display on screen rather than blacking out. Helps a ton for this!
Have you shot at an airshow before? Share a tip in the comments!
Never shot an airshow yet, but usually shot planes from the observation deck near my local airport. Most aviation photographers use around F8.0-10 for daytime shots and taking F2.8 for night shots.
your tips were very helpful, I always wondered if my RF 70-200 2.8 could work for aviation.
from your results, I'm quite happy. despite you thinking they aren't the best, they really very good to me
@@hongkongkong7174 That’s a good lens for planespotting.
Ive not shot an airshow before, but if i was to shoot one using a canon camera ill pair it with the rf 100-500, or any 100-400mm lens and not a 70-200mm, then if you need even more reach get something in the 600mm range, not the expensive 600mm primes but 600mm zooms for versatility.
Also you dont need F2.8 at an airshow you are shooting at the sky. When your background is in frame to blur it, just play with your shutter speed, pan with the aircraft and shoot bursts, till you feel you have something good.
lastly a lot of those shots where the jets were dark or not centered in frame can be salvaged with a bit of editing and cropping. Thunderbirds preset on AF Thunderbirds nice one!
@@hongkongkong717470-200 is mostly for taxi shots. 500 is the go to focal length for aviation.
professional aviation photographer here, some of these tips are good but some easier ones to consider before making your way to your first airshow.
1. Ask where show center is. This will always have speakers in front of it so you can listen but also this is the main point all performers will be aiming for any opposing maneuvers and just in general where 90% of action will be placed at. if no one can answer this question then look at the runway area and see if you can see a large white trailer or series of busses and find the middle among them.
2. Use higher shutter speed than what you think you need. everyone has a preference but this isn't portraits, weddings or family photos. For anything jet related at a minimum you should be at 1/2000 but i prefer to get higher than that at 1/4000 especially if you have a higher MP camera or high pixel density camera. also make sure that you are panning with our subjects. if you intend to get a crossing maneuver than the shutter speed goes up higher as your subjects can be pushing 350-500mph.
3. Shooting wide open is a terrible idea. shooting wide open on the ground where the subjects are closer to you and they are moving at best 15mph when taxing, when we get to shooting in the air certain aircraft fly on certain show lines that have different distances from the crowd. if you are shooting at 400mm or beyond then you want something in he realm of F8. this will make sure the entire plane is in focus if you intend to punch in.
4. 400mm is sometimes not enough. reach is everything in this business and most will max the reach out at 600mm. if you have the option of renting then i recommend the 200-800 as it has the reach and the Fstop to make it happen. a 70-200 will get you nowhere in this business unless its static displays or ground shows. if you are going for some contextual shots to compliment the other shots you get than that is fine but think as long as you can get.
5. Practice makes perfect...sort of. take note of what you shot when you are reviewing your images in between acts. if something looks off or soft then check the settings and see what you can adjust. no one gets it right 100% of the time and external factors like humidity, heat blurs and other factors make it hard to shoot. Don't take photos of planes when they are half way on the approach. instead track and pan and then fire when they are filling the frame the most. this will save you from culling so many unwanted photos.
Thanks for sharing! I'm taking notes! 😎
Thank you so much.
This is some great information. Thank you for sharing!
As someone who has shot airshows both on film and digitally, you aren't always going get the shot you want. Shoot slower for props and faster for jets. Always go to both days of the show and make notes from day 1 for day 2. I try to shoot at least one or 2 props at a higher speed side on to get the aircraft sharp and prop blur isn't as important. Shooting at 2.8 isn't necessary as others have said and I'll often shoot in tv mode. Personally I use two bodies with different lenses and settings and usually come away with a reasonable amount of keepers but a good number of misses too!
That's great advice! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Yup, Axalp 2023 in Switzerland. Shooting choppers in 1/4000 and they looked like shit. When jets come from mountain side to the sky, all metering doesn't know what to do.
Like said, wide aperture is not as necessary. Usually planes have very good weather anyways, so will have enough light for smaller/variable apertures.
Also 70-200 not enough for this kind of airshow, there are some that would just about right, but for this kind of open space, 400mm minimum, Ideally 600mm.
And after all of that, it takes some luck regardless, You dont know when jet fires out the flare, how air is going to form around it. And yet, like most of the people say, sometimes you dont come back with the shot you want.
If you were shooting photos at f 2.8, why not stop it down a little more instead of using an ND filter? Your lens is probably sharpest at around f4 to f5.6.
I did that as well throughout the day! But sometimes even at f5.6 in broad daylight you'll need a few stops of ND to get down to a slow enough shutter speed for max prop blur. It gives you more options if you have one on hand!
if you are already going for a motion blur wouldn't it make sense to increase it much further so you can ensure to have most of the plane sharp?
@@TheRazerx7The planes are so far away at an air show that DoF is almost always far deeper than the dimensions of aircraft, even at f/2.8.
@@AnthonyGugliotta Stopping down is the easier option though
And far easier to undo and redo as conditions change
f2.8 lenses mostly add unnecessary bulk and weight for airshow photography
You can't really use f2.8 on the ground either as the subject is way too large to be all sharp, unless you're looking for the flou artistique of shallow DoF
For panning F8 to F11 is the best, like in Motorsport
Biggest takeaway is just because you can shoot at f/2.8 doesn’t mean you should. Love to see the improvements though!
Id consider myself a novice, but Ive photographed 10+ airshows, and aviation photography is my primary focus. Aviation photography is its own beast as you have little to no control over lighting, enviornment, and subjects. Instead, its all about using the camera properly.
Jets are great for panning practice, if you can follow something as fast and unpredictable as a fighter, you have good skill for tracking a subject. Shoot at the highest shutter speed you can manage when starting, and move it back for a bit of artistry later. Also, be aware that the hot exhaust distortion can make or break photos!
Ww2 props are the next step in difficulty. I like to keep my shutter speed around 1/200th, but ive expirimented all the way to 1/40th with acceptable results. Things to note here is to track when they are still approaching. As a plane passes ypu, the change of perspective will mess up your photo, no matter how well you can pan.
Stunt props, the big fish in the world of aviation photography. These guys arent nearly as fast as jets, but they are far more maneuverable. They use a lot of smoke in their demos, which looks incredible at high shutter speeds, but they are props which typically ask for longer exposures. My advice? Do both. If you spend 5min at an airshoe, youll start to see the pattern of these performances. Cross center stage for photos, go up and spin around, cross center stage for photos, go up and play with smoke. They fly in a big U. If you have the reach with your lens to photograph at the peaks, shoot high speed up there. They tend to be maneuvering too fast/too far away to achieve clean photos at slow shutter speeds. Once the plane starts descending, they are trying to build speed and must fly smoothly, so switch to more prop style photography. I like to try and get a milky smooth smoke trail at least once a show, but thats not promised.
Expirement yall. Youre having fun with planes, dont forget that!
The "air effect" you mentioned is not due to air being compressed. The vapor cone is actually caused by the pressure drop, which results from the increase in airspeed. As a result of this phenomenon, the air temperature decreases. If this temperature drops below the saturation point of the air, vapor is formed.
I love your vids! Keep on going ♥
Great video...was at that airshow using Panasonic G9Mkii and 50-200mm (yes M4/3rds and its not dead...lol). Was a great show with the CF18, F16, warbirds and Italian team...the whole show was great...not so great was rain out on the Saturday and not using the photo pit pass.
I JUST got into aviation photography and the Lightroom gallery is so relatable In Vegas I've been getting the tan lines and burning eyeballs lol.
I recently got into aviation photography good to see Anthonys' experience with it as well! Lucky to get a cloudy day brings more life to the photos
Nice to see you trying aviation photography! I haven't photographed an airshow yet, but I do photograph airliners at my local airport. I keep my shutter speed at least 1/1000 and aperture at f7.1 for maximum sharpness. I still need to work on my tracking for epic panning shots though!
Have done lots of air shows, including a whole bunch of USN Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds shows.
For gear, nothing is better than APS-C with a zoom lens. My 2024 setup is a Sony A6700 with a Sony 70-350mm (105-525mm 35mm equal). For jets I generally shoot an at a minimum of 1/1000 sec (and usually 1/1,500 to 1/3000 sec) with an aperture of F6-10 (lower side F6 only if needed to get the shutter speed up). The Sony A6700 has fantastic auto-focus and the large zoom range really helps with framing the images.
Slower speed aircraft are less demanding and shutter speeds in the 1/400-1/1,000 second and apertures between f8-16 work well.
I love this style of video. This is great info, and I appreciate the work you put in
im a plane spotter, seeing you try this is very amazing hahaha! i always shoot in 1/1000 or 1/1600th, f/8-11 and ISO 100-640
This video made me look up air shows, and there's only two this year and one is a month away! Thank you!
Use the camera with the better image stabilisation
Crop factor of an APS-C will help on the tele end, as with 200mm on FF, you're not gonna get the shots these days where planes are flying ever further from the crowd
200mm will do formations and really big birds, fighters ... not really
Centerstage is not always the best spot
It's typically where flight is stabilised, though it's where you'll get the opposing cross shots
But turning & burning is mostly done near the ends of the display line
I usually chose the landing end whenever I had the choice, as it's more of an active scene
But if you're going for the air shots, most important is sun position over the entire display time
At more crowded airshows you can't move about without losing a good spot along the front crowd line
Things happen too fast and the distances are too great to cover quickly
So you have to choose and accept you won't get all the shots
It's great that you shared the problems and failures as well as the successes. It's a cliché that we learn from our failures but it's so true. I have to shoot a couple of fly-pasts at an event in 3 weeks, and I will take your lessons to heart.
I like to experiment as much as I can, but don't usually make videos unless it turns out perfect. I think this video is a sign to not worry so much, and share what I learn as I go!
Why would you need a f2.8 lens to put the ND filter on top? In aviation, where you want complete plane in focus?
Eventually hyper focal distance comes into play. Even at f2.8 the plane is so far away for most of the shots I was shooting that the entire plane ends up being in focus anyway. But yes, in some cases dropping to f4 or f8 when planes get close will help get more of it in focus.
Great “series” you have going on. 1st motorsport, now aviation. Can’t wait for what’s next. 2024 I ramped up what I shoot too (so happened to be motorsport & aviation aswell) so why not combine passions! Grabbed the 100-400L II and it’s great for these events!
Great Tips and Tricks! i was the the Quinte Airshow as well, first time using a DSLR, no clue what I was doing. This video (and many of your others) has helped me improve for the future 2 more shows in Ontario. Thanks!
At least you had sun!!! 😅
really good to see your honesty about a subject you haven't shot before. the reality is even if you are a seasoned aviation photographer, you get more misses than hits. I will typically shoot with a continuous, single point auto focus. try to stay between F5.6-F11 depending on the lens i'm using. between about 1/640th and 1/1600th for jets and less than 1/320th for props. sometimes with auto iso or a touch of exposure compensation depending on the lighting.
YOUR VIDEOS ARE LEGIT MAN!!
Mastering rolling shutter on prop planes is an art.
I've shot the Blue Angels in El Centro for years and since you'll be shooting at infinity all day you don't need a large aperture usually f8-11 gives you the best results (sweet spot for most lens's). While airshow center will give you the best head-to-head shots, I prefer picking and end of the flight line for better formation shots since they tend to turn toward the crowd. And if you're at one end you can put on and set a polarizer and a hood for better contrast by keeping the sun off the front glass. Since you'll be covering just one area you won't need to adjust the polarizer that often, but personally I stopped using them so I can scan more sky and not get the variations in the sky they create.
i was on an airshow recently and i thought my 18-105 wouldn't make any good photos, turned out i got some cool and good shots
Lens is paramount - a 150-600 is your best bet for variety of airframes (small to large) as well as reach if you're not standing at the flight line. Panning control is the next skill to hone. Focus tracking setting for rapid changing subject will accommodate for entering the frame and moving away from the focus point at a constant rate. Exposure compensation can help maintain shutterspeed (i.e. 1/2000 jet, 1/200 prop) in changing sky conditions. Lastly, majority of the gear you see is rented. A great option for top gear without committing extreme budgets for a kit you'll use on occasion.
I love aviation photography, especially Air Shows! Great video!
I shot airshow for at least 15 years. Major drawback is that you don't have an airshow every weeks, so it's not easy to practice a lot.
I do not find prime lenses best for this kind of event since the targets move a lot. A very big prime lense will be "too much" for a big aircraft in front of you.
100mm is a nice number the le lower end of you zoom.
400mm or more is great for the higher end.
I use a 500 f/4 handheld for motorsports and aviation. It is an essential focal length.
Yes, one big tip, especially if you know the pilots and they want that raw file for printing. do not crop heavy into your image shoot as close to final as you possibly can for maximum resolution. Remember these guys have Airplane hangers 30 x 40 print is “not too big” a lot of these guys. Whereas, for you would even be pushing the limits of medium format and into large format and for digital are medium format territory for maximum print quality
This video is exactly what I was going through! Earlier this year I went to my first air show with my Canon R5 and 70-200. I was able to walk away with some shots of The Blue Angels that I would love to share with you and receive feedback.
Another hint is, if you have time attend the practice day or Day 1 & Day 2.
Day 1 is your practice day too, you will get a few good shots but more importantly you know what’s going to happen and when on Day 2. One variable you can’t manage is the weather, blue skies give better contrast than overcast days, best days have scattered Cu because they make an interesting background. Finally you don’t need to be on the front fence; everything is happening up there, standing back 50 to 100 metres it’s usually less crowded and your viewing angles are not as extreme, no sore neck the next day too.
I just got a “budget” 70-300 for my F100, this was a huge help for general advice, I’m looking forward to taking some awesome airshow shots on film!
Where the air is compressed to the white cloud effect we call it " fluffing "
I’m so happy you tried aviation photography 😊😊 I show TH-cam channel for a very long time and I love your content
Been doing airshows for a while, 3 so far this year (with a couple being multiple days), it takes a bit to get used to. I use my top wheel for adjusting shutter speed, so I can swap between fast for jets and slow for props to get blur. I preset F stop for lighting for that day, adjust on the fly if clouds come and go using my thumb wheel. Iso is always auto for me, just because of how I shoot. And I saw other people say, go multiple days and that is the best. One day you might have no backdrop and clear blue sky, or greyed out (i had that in moses lake), but the next is perfect puffy clouds. And expect a lot of photos and a good percentage to get thrown out. You'll get settings dialed in over the course of a few shots.
I shot SF Fleet Week for the first time. I was at 1/250 ft or Fat Albert, and 1/2500 for the jets. I used a 70-200mm, a 400mm with a 2x converter, and a 100-400mm with a 1.4x converter. The 100-400mm zoom was great for the Blue Angles, the 400mm with 2x for the single planes like the F-22 and F-35.
Something else to think about when shooting flying aircraft is whether or not to use electronic shutter. I thought the extra fps would be nice during a recent event, but I forgot about the "rolling shutter" phenomenon. It's probably less of an issue with jets, but I noticed a lot of weird distortion on the props of the WW2 aircraft I was photographing, especially when panning. 1/1000 shutter provides great sharpness on the airframes, but is definitely too fast to get motion blur on the props. I've had decent results with 1/250 for good motion blur on the prop and decent sharpness on the airframe (1/160 - 1/320 depending on A/C orientation to the camera; slower side-on and faster head-on). I tend to use auto ISO and manually adjust shutter speed and aperature depending on the type/number of aircraft. If you're fairly new to the genre, I'd recommend trying shutter priority and auto ISO just to minimize the number of variables you have to deal with. Telephoto lenses are definitely preferred. My rig is a Sony A7R4 with a Tamron 18-300 (3.5-6.3).
Spotters mainly use APS-C cameras. The crop and the weight of the camera itself are key here.
extra reach !! i sometimes use an old d7200 but it works ! ive used a nikkor 500 f4 but really heavy ! still get missed shots due to motion blur and forgetting about prop s an rotors all in the panning!!
Just saw this video; I was at the same show at CFB Trenton, back in the cheap seats not the photo pit, and I can absolutely relate to the missed shots and motion blur from trying to pan a jet the same way I pan a bird of prey or larger animal. What a learning experience, and looking forward to trying again at the London Air Show this weekend. 😊
I went to the Blue Angels show in Pensacola with a canon 200-400 and a 1dxii. It was a lot of fun, I got some shots that I’m happy with, but I’d suggest:
A 100-400/100-500 will be just fine for 80% of the shots; depending where you’re standing, a 24-105 or a 70-200 are one of the other lenses to consider for when they’re close.
You don’t need a mirrorless, you just need a body that can do at least 10fps and can get the shutter to at least 3,000- the original 1dx and an old 100-400 is probably THE best value you’ll ever get for air show or action photography.
Next: strongly consider shooting at f/8 or close, set your SS according to the type of plane, and set iso to AUTO, with an upper limit.
Practice. Those slower Shitter speeds will take you all morning to get a couple of non-blurry panning shots.
There’s another show here in November, hopefully I can apply these corrections
I was also at this airshow and it was my first time shooting airplanes too. I was using my r8 with the rf100-400mm f5.6-8 and got some awesome shots but definitely had my fair share of blurry/uncentered photos lol. Wish I had ran into you, it was an awesome show!
a canadian content creator at an airshow. I am just discovering your channel and I probably ran into you this summer without even knowing
These (you called it air compressing) effects are actually sudden low-pressure effects. For example if you are on a plane in high altutude and you experience a sudden pressure drop (for example when a window pops out) you would see the whole cabin will be foggy for a split second. That's the same effect which you can see above the wings where the lift (low pressure) is high.
Close to sonic speed the first shockwaves form out and right behind this shockwave the airpressure drops rapidly and you can see these foggy cones (resulting in a lot of resistance, that's why you need afterburner (most of the time) to overcome
Nice Shots! My experience with aviation photography sounds crazy, but the best results I've achieved involve turning on shutter priority as well as servo auto focus. Prop planes I've had my shutter at 1/80. Aperture ends up going as high as F18 or F22. ISO stays at 100. I learned these tips from Jim Koepnick who does a majority of the cover photos for Sports Aviation Magazine. These settings produce a sharp image with the right amount of motion blur if you can keep your hands steady! Great video overall!
I like the ones where the plane is half out the frame 😅I've seen a plane before, so the minimalist angle only focusing on some part of the plane and bringing out the detail, is so refreshing and to me
you need a fast shutter speed at the right moment, I use a sony 200-600mm
You are lucky that you got to see Frecce Tricolori. They haven't been on a North American tour in over 30 years. I just got to photograph them this past weekend at the California Capital Airshow here in California. Been using a Nikon Z8 and the Nikkor 100-400mm lens lately. Also had an original Z6 with a 50mm lens attached for some wider shots.
Welcome to the world of BIF photographers Anthony! Lol! Everything you said about aircraft photography would easily translate to "Bird in Flight" photography too. I too have the R8 and the R6 Mark II and I love both of them. I also use the Canon RF 100-500mm lens when doing BIF and the issues you mentioned with backlighting and shooting against the sky go hand in hand. I normally go for the electronic shooting mode to avoid the blackout between the FPS, but the tradeoff is possible rolling shutter.
Great video Anthony, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That's a great tip to avoid blackout!
Going to fleet week tomorrow and learning a lot from your video and comments here. Thx!
With my f2.8 70-200 lens I throw on a 2x extension lens. Works well and doesn’t cost $12,000
You need at least 400mm to get better shots of the jets. The 70-200 i use for formation flights or team demos. For jets i use the 600mm. And backlit in front of the sun will make epic pictures when exposed properly. 😉
I really want to try backlighting! For this show all the jets were flying to the north!
@AnthonyGugliotta It surely depends on the location of the sun but if you can track these planes in front of the sun...you will get bangers if exposed correctly. Not all of them will work although.
Experienced Photographer here. So I would amp up my f stop to around f8 to capture the jets better, and i would keep my shutter speed no higher than 1250 for the jets, and no higher than 640 for props, also front row seats are always best.
Nice video. This is one of the hardest things to learn and I've done all types of photography. It's a challenge each and every time lol and you will have LOTS of throwaways. I just picked up the Sigma 150-600 MM to try out, highly recommend something in this range.
I can totally relate with this, went to the international air tattoo on Sunday and took around 4k images and I think I got 50-60 great shots… shutter speed is key.. and I had a canon 70-400 lens and next time I will hire a 500-800mm lens..
The mist hugging fast planes is air decompressing so the humidity instantly condenses and turns into a cloud.
Just got the R6 mkii and the RF 100-500 ,So looking forward to comparing to my 7D mkii when i visit the International Air tattoo UK in a weeks time, My local RAF base is home to the A400m so i have had plenty of time shooting with a slower shutter speed for the prop blur . usually around the 1/80th to get the full disc blur
I was there at that same airshow on the same day just a couple meters ahead of you!
I've been waiting for you to touch on Aviation Photography. I work for an airline. I'd love to have you out some time! Great your content!
I shot the NY Air Show last weekend, it was my first serious foray in Aviation Photography. Got the idea from a meetup group to go to a site outside of the show itself. Shot with two cameras, my R7 with 150-600mm Tamron at f8 (wanted as much reach using aps-c to get over the airfield which was a couple miles away) on a tripod and my r6 with light 100-500mm at f8 and shot handheld. ISO at auto on both and r6 had a CP filter. I varied my shutterspeed for prop blur...messed up on the r6 during the Thunderbirds because I didn't adjust to higher speed for half of their performance. Being in the approach path with open fields gave a different perspective. Downside was having to use ears and guesswork to predict where planes would appear to lock and track. Bright light, most of the show was at the worst time of day to take pictures, let alone something flying, with sun overhead. The ND filter is a good idea if you are shooting with open apertures or if it is Very bright out. Was fun to push myself in another genre and editing really made everything pop on photos I liked.
Quinte West air show? If so, I got some amazing shots from my back yard. Although I did not get the best angles, most of the high speed passes turned right over my house before hitting the airfield. Was worth it to avoid the crowds.
I don’t shoot rapid fire. I shoot one shot at a time. It’s much more important, especially with propeller plans and acrobatic planes to get your pan perfect rather than spray and pray…
Hi Anthony, I shoot aviation to and I have an 55-250mm and from an friend of me i learned u need to have 2x the shutter than ur lens max mm so I always have it at 1/500
I shoot commercial aviation, and sometimes it is not easy to take good photos. I would like to see a video of you going planespotting because it should be easier than this, and it is a really good way to practice. Especially try to get the airplane i frame as accurately as possible because cropping kill detail, at least on my 7d :). Also try to not shoot at f2.8 try to go towards at least f5.6 to f8 so all of the airplanes/ the whole airplane is sharp, it will help a lot!
Have fun planespotting :)
yay in time, in 2 months im going on an airshow
also those are vapor clouds on the wings and winglets
vapor compression
Thanks for sharing, now I don’t feel so bad about missing a bunch of shot of the Lancaster and other props also. Too bad we got rained out for Saturday. Could have been a nice practice day.
I think I saw you at Trenton Airshow, but I didn't know this channel back then... Anyway, it's a good lesson and I also learning how to specialized myself in airshow photography with budget gears.
Sweet I work in aviation in iqaluit nunavut and the Italian airforce was at my base for the night before heading to an airshow with the c-130 herc i believe they were going to Hamilton and we got awesome videos of them taking off at the same time off the runway ( normally not allowed but it was a special circumstances for them)
I love airshows and photographing them is one of the hardest things to 'get right'. Like you say, shutter speed too low, blurry pictures but you want prop blurr, jets high shutter speed but lots of shutter/viewer blanking off. Sky over exposed but the aircraft has too much shadow. I spot meter or partial metering with 1/3 to 2/3 over exposure. But definitely a hard thing to get right. More misses than hits unfortunately.
Great video. Would love to see more of that maybe also with video. Especially some in movement sport/moto materials. I still struggle to find a right focus settings and workflow.
I would go with AV mode and set it around F8 for jets, for props I’d use TV and definitely not go over 1/320th if you’re starting out. I often shoot as slow as 1/30th with a 500 f4 and a 2x converter handheld, never used an ND filter. Just keep the ISO as low as possible for prop aircraft and panning shots at lower speeds, even use a little exposure compensation if necessary. You can bump up the ISO when shooting jets if you need. For flying shots you really need at least 400mm, more if you can afford it. Aircraft are going to be further away when they are likely to do a manoeuvre that looks more dynamic, but having said that if you’ve only got a 200mm you can still get reasonable shots if you work at it. You’ll always end up with some rubbish photo’s especially if you go for slower shutter speeds but don’t give up and just aim to better yourself each time.
I was at an airshow myself the other week. Took the better of 20k photos but I came away with an estimated 50 photos that Im happy with (still editting them) but some of them are absolutely awesome.
(Canon R6 with a Sigma 150-500mm)
I just attended the Traverse City Cherry Festival and took some photos at the air show there with the Blue Angels. I haven’t edited the photos yet but I definitely need to work on taking photos at higher shutter speeds since I was shaky after the surprise flyover! This is exactly the video I needed to inspire me to take a look at my photos!
Nice video Anthony!
Glad you found it helpful! I'm still learning, and definitely could improve my panning technique!
Something I’ve learned (the hard way) is sometimes* built in stabilization is NOT helpful when trying to get motion blur or prop blur. What can happen is the IS will try to counteract the blur you’re trying to achieve and make the whole photo look shaky (shakey?). Turn OFF IS for panning photos. 🤟🏻
I love panning shots, took some last year at the Toronto Air Show. Sadly wont make this year but maybe Cyprus Rally in October.
I see you're shooting at a low ISO. Even if it becomes slightly more grainy, you could have gained more control over exposure, depth of field and shutter if you brought ISO a couple steps up.
I'm no aviation master photographer, just an observation from your video. Not saiying it's the perfect solution, but one to test at least.
Also with many (or most?) digital cameras today, you can have custom presets on a dial, so you could actually make a jet-friendly setup on one preset, and prop-friendly setup on another.
Different plane incoming? Just rotate the dial and you're up and running with the ideal baseline instantly.
I have yet to go to an airshow this year, but I really hope I get to go to one to test Fujifilm 100S II and GF 500mm!
I think a dot sight would help with tracking
Yeah, as an Aviation Photographer i can tell you its hard life sometimes xD. Especially with the Sun, variable Lighting conditions and especially at an airshow variable Target speeds, so you basically need to change your shutter speed constantly, and mostly you dont have much time shooting, so you need to nail it.
For air jets i would shoot a few with Automatic settings…just in case i am not satisfied with the manual settings i still i get some shots with the canon AI help :)
Airshow is amazing places to shoot photos!
We're glad to have you! (all my photos on my tiktok)
I think you need a cropped sensor camera like the r7
..to get that high sutter speed
..the 1.6x
..and the stabilisation
Two questions.
How far away are the planes?
What is the acceptable focus range of a 200mm lens set to F11 near infinity?
Next airshow I plan to switch off autofocus entirely while the planes are in the air.
Love it !! thats why i have the Nikon P950 lol .. lots of ZOOM #2000mm !! : - ) only problem with that if you burst pics you can zoom in or out till the pics are written on the card : - (
Heading to Osh in a week or so... thanks.
9:00 even if the lighting is bad I would experiment with black and white with those because that could make it really interesting
Great video and such a beautiful first name!!! ;)
You are the master of all photography ( thank you for doing my idea )
My tip? Turn burst mode OFF, all it does is get you off the action. During a two day airshow I will typically shoot max 500 frames, one at a time but I also have minimum 50% retention rate.
You cam put to f5.6 to get more crips photo and lower shutter speed
I'm so exited this airshow is coming to my city soon but it will be a little different
I love watching your videos. I feel your pain. I love to shoot airshows. They can be quite challenging at times depending on the conditions. Now I'm not a professional photographer but I am wondering why you chose to shoot at F2.8? Most of my best shots were taken between F6.3 and F8. The Polarizing filter definitely helps with getting cleaner cockpit shots. Anyway, keep shooting and enjoy.
Based on the comments, I'm realizing shooting at stopped down apertures is more common for airshows!
Have you ever thought about making a discord server ?
And the best thing you need is a sigma 150-600mm lens 😊
Preset nordic tundra beautiful plus add other preset in photos needed too.
I hope I get the chance to hit up the Internation Airshow this year. It's been years since I last went, and I was running a Canon T3. The best lens I had was probably my 70-300mm for the event. Now I can bring my R7, adapted with a Meike VND with a CPL, I could bring my Sigma 150-600C and my Canon 70-200 f2.8L v2. I hear in the UK that there's a spot between 2 mountains where military aircrafts fly between, and a ton of photographers go up this mountain to get a near leveled shot of F15s, F16s, F35s, F18s, Tornados, C130s, amd so many others.
The area in the UK is called Mach Loop. Haven't been there myself, but I know people who have.
Welcome to the world of aviation photography :) And yes, a lot of us have that permanent watch strap on our skin hahaha
Interesting video thought you would have use that 100-500 again. I recently got the 100-500 after your zoo video and it’s amazing for aviation. For panning you can easily bring your aperture down I was shooting 100/1 at f14 with great results. Also put the lens in mode 2 for panning. Vehicle tracking worked a treat on spitfires 👍🏻
Sadly it was on loan to me from Canon Canada. I'd really like to get a copy for myself if I start shooting long lens photos more regularly!
i usually keep my aperture somewhere between f8 and f10.
I was there with bleacher seats with my dad - being that close to the runway let me get some nice up close photos of the jets waiting to takeoff (and a photo with F-16 demo pilot Capt. Taylor “FEMA” Hiester, who came to the fence line after his routine to greet the crowd!) but the bleachers did mean I had to miss some shots as when the aircraft approached from over our shoulder, I could line up my shot in advance.
Wasn’t as big of a deal for the warbirds, but the jets were too fast to catch with a snap shot.
3:31 I shot props between 1/250 and 1/400 to balance prop motion and getting a sharp photo, and even then I still had some absolute misses for entire bursts in high speed continuous + mode.
Jets I shot at 1/1000 to 1/2000.
7:08 Anthony - does your R6II have the “high speed display” mode? The R10 has it and it fills the between shot view with live display on screen rather than blacking out. Helps a ton for this!
8:49 1/320 was my “magic” number but still had a lot of shots that weren’t sharp too.
I've got to get to the Hamilton Air Show next year.