Are you getting the best images at air-shows?
Having attended many airshows with a ton of camera gear and heightened expectations, it has become increasingly apparent that ‘getting the best images’ can be elusive at times.
Our experience is that with the arrival of mirrorless bodies and all of their inherent technology, there are more and more reasons why shots are soft or even worse, missed altogether, despite having all of the latest tracking technologies to focus on moving aircraft specifically.
Planning for a day out an airshow anywhere in the world is fairly consistent, as these events tend to take place in the warmer months, and so a ‘Survival Cheat Sheet’ should be as relevant in Australia, as it is in Europe or Nth America.
Some of the planning is straightforward common-sense:
Have plenty of spare (and charged) batteries, along with enough memory cards to get through a day of much shutter-pressing.
Don’t forget to pack water and a cap of some description.
Use plenty of sun screen.
However, there are other more camera-specific considerations that you should factor as part of the planning process as well.
The first is where to sit! It may seem to be a ‘no-brainer’ to pay the extra and head straight for the Grandstand with the promise of its centralised position, and proximity to the best vantage point, but given the amount of movement during the day, and the constant ‘getting-up-and-down’ to let people past, there are many interruptions that can cause you to miss a key moment; even worse – if you are quite likely using a telephoto lens, there is limited room to swing left and right without nutting the person next to you on the head! It may therefore be prudent to save a few coins, and sit along the fence-line instead, away from the crowd and where you have greater independence. If that is your ultimate decision, then don’t forget to take a stool or chair of some description, as you’ll need to rest your back regularly!
There is plenty of action at a major air-show. Once the flying list gets into full swing, there is usually not a great deal of time to think about what you’re doing in terms of maintaining your kit. However, a typical warm day at any airport is one where heat and dust are plentiful, and where you may be regularly changing lenses or switching from one camera body to another. So don’t forget to clean your glass regularly, and minimise the sensor spots and dust that can make your editing in post that much longer and laborious.
Nearly all air shows have a mixture of jet engines and propellor aircraft; you need to be aware of what speed you are shooting at for each type of plane, and whether you are prepared to drop below your recommended setting for a telephoto focal length in pursuit of prop blur. Whatever your decision, don’t forget to then change back each time there is a switch from jet to prop, or vice versa.
Similarly, plan ahead with your ISO and Case settings. A little bit of research ahead of the Big Day will assist you to set your gear up for the optimal results when capturing fast-moving machines in the sky. This includes ensuring that if your lenses have various modes of stabilisation, that they are on the most appropriate setting for panning sideways and up/down.
If you happen to use a longer lens mounted to a tripod, and with the help of a gimble your approach is pan in multiple directions to closely follow your subject in flight, don’t forget that you may get better results by turning image stabilisation off.
Each location is different, along with the weather conditions on the day. When you’re setting up in the morning, keep an eye on where the sun is going to track, and try to minimise the amount of shots you’ll end up taking where the aircraft are going to be just a silhouette. A mix of blue sky and cloud ultimately will create the most interesting images, so be aware of what is happening in the heavens as the hours go by, and don’t be afraid to shift your position accordingly.
We mentioned at the outset that new technology is not necessarily guaranteeing that we get a sharp, clean image with every shot. In fact, our experience is that on a hot day, the heat haze coming off the hard surfaces, along with the significant amount of engine fuel in the air can actually fool the sensors of newer cameras to focus not exactly where you were aiming at. Keep an eye out for this during the day, and make any subtle change to your set-up to allow for the haze. It may even be the case that you’ll still get more consistently sharper shots with your DSLR than you will with a newer mirrorless body.
A simple tip that is a real life-saver is to make sure you grab a copy of the flying-program. Especially at a major air show where so many planes can be participating, it can be confusing when you’re editing at some point in the future, as to what you are looking at and this is particularly the case with some of the great old War Birds that we love to watch, to ensure we know which variant is in that specific image.
In general, airshows can be hot, crowded and busy places where it is challenging to have enough space and time to achieve consistently great shots; one consideration that you could make is to attend one of the smaller country showcases where there are smaller attendances, and more room to spread out.
Locations such as Temora, Scone and Tyabb put on great days, and there is always the added benefit of picking up a locally-made pie from one of our great country bakeries for that urgent sustenance intake often needed around 11am!
We hope that these tips help you to have a successful and enjoyable day at your next Air Show – and please don’t forget to share your images with us too!