Hendon – Battle of Britain Museum

I just wish they’d turn the lights up a bit more so you can see the exhibits properly 🙂

I was there last March, pre glass wall. I very much enjoyed walking through the Sunderland, several times in fact. I hope they will open it again now and allow a better view of the flightdeck.

If you are using long shutter speeds, then it doesn’t matter if some one walks in front of you as long as they keep moving. They don’t show on the image.

Have had no problem, image wise, with people walking in front of me when taking long exposures at Duxford, Hendon or on night shoots. 😀

Brian

From past experiance the word “professional” and people using tripods and good SRL camera’s seem to panic the museum staff into thinking that the photographer is somehow going to make hundreds of pounds selling images or writting a book. Highly unlikely that it ever happens and a very childish attitude for the museum to take, it is why some organisations seem to want additional fees to use cameras.

🙂 I agree,the point i was making is that you really have very little choice in the matter.:)
The average visitor is not a professional so they really shouldn’t need to lug a tripod,point and shoot should be good enough for a visitor but as you say a professional would use a tripod.

:confused: Shouldn’t NEED to use long exposures UNLESS you want to.Setting up a tripod [if you’re allowed] and hoping no-one walks into it or infront whilst the shutter is open is not ideal.

Take a tip from the professionals. They wouldn’t dream of shooting that sort of subject indoors without a tripod even were the light levels higher.

Moggy

I didn’t have a problem in December with public, but I wanted the long exposures/small app, so I could have a large depth of field. Tripod wasn’t an issue, they offered a tripod pass as soon as I walked in the door.

:confused: Shouldn’t NEED to use long exposures UNLESS you want to.Setting up a tripod [if you’re allowed] and hoping no-one walks into it or infront whilst the shutter is open is not ideal.

I agree the long exposure is definately the king of taking pictures especially in the BofB hall and also the Bomber command hall, when i used a flash i found the results were mixed and got a lot of shake due to the shooting conditions in long exposure but found the flash was useless illuminating anything bigger than a hurricane everywhere else.

curlyboy

Even in the darkest recesses of the BoB Hall, you can still get reasonable pictures with a tripod, though I’m not sure how much use a normal flash would be. If you are taking lots of long exposures, you might need another battery. When I was last there in December, I had to stop shooting for an hour while I topped up my SLR battery, mind you, I did take almost 1000 long exposures!

Thanks for that, I now know that I can at least take my flash along without being hassled, all I’ve got to do now is get there again – I bet the place has changed a little in the past 27 years.

I used a propper SLR mounted flash a year or so ago and they were fine about it and i got some nice shots but i found in some places the shots looked too bright so i go for a longer exposure but since i dont carry a tripod i have to be careful of shake.

You also need a pass for a tripod and i would rather shoot lots of pictures and delete the bad one’s when i get home saves on all the hassle of getting a pass and humping a tripod about, even a monopod needs a pass.

curlyboy

The reason I was given was something along the lines that constant exposure to flash would encourage deteriation of the aircraft fabric coverings (although the ban included everything) – or was someone talking through their backside?

…… that “flash is not allowed” – ……

I believe the old fire detection system used light sensors, rather than smoke ( so I was informed by a security guard ), so camera flashes could set it off. I believe that system was changed years ago, so flash isn’t an issue. I wasn’t a problem in 1988 when I went to do some research on the B-17, nor in 2002 or 2009, my last visits.

It looks black. I found only by using flash with a long exposure that it is actually dark green.

You used flash 😮

I’ve visited Hendon 4 times since 1974 (last in 1983) and am long overdue for a visit, however, on each occasion I was told in no uncertain terms (when my SLR was spotted) that “flash is not allowed” – didn’t stop those carrying compact cameras with built in flash though.

In daylight all the BoB aircraft were airborne, so you would only see them on the ground at night. Likewise at night the bombers were away and you only got to see them in daylight.

Simples [/meerkat mode off]

:p

Moggy

Forgive me for being simplistic but wasn’t the majority of the Battle of Britain fought in daylight – I don’t know, offhand, when the Luftwaffe turned to night-bombing but, even then, daytime fighting continued.

It therefore seems sadly ironic that the BoB Hall is so dark yet the Bomber Command Hall, much of who’s campaign was fought at night, is well lit. :confused::confused:

Roger Smith.

Can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but for me the point about the light is made by the Me 109 propellor hub.

It looks black. I found only by using flash with a long exposure that it is actually dark green.

By defintion, museum exhibits are three dimensional facts that you can appreciate and learn from, if you can’t actually see them to see what colours they are, there must be a flaw.

Have always loved the place, but it does depress me now.

Please read the CoC on misusing the quote function – Mods

Ideal 😀

Votes Trumper for directors job!;)

:confused:
Why cant they designate a period of time,maybe 15 mins in each hour where the lights could be put on full for people and then turn them down in slow small increments.
If they said the first 15 mins in each hour will be bright then dim slowly.It would give everyone a chance although may get crowded for a while.

“As a photographer its impossible to get good shots,”

If you are a photographer you should be more than capable of getting good shots.

It’s the same old chestnut….it’s a Museum, not a photographic studio filled with planes.

The land warfare hall at Duxford is very dark, but this doesn’t detract from the exhibits. I’d say the same about the BoB Hall.

Phantex,

You don’t mention if you have been or are indeed a photographer but I imagine you are not as you have chosen to only edit part of one sentence. All the aircraft within the area between the Ju87 and the Gladiator with the exception perhaps of the Bf109 and CR42 are poorly lit from single spots. In order to take photograps in near darkness you need ambient light on the subject in some degree and one single spot showing a wheel well does not illuminate the aircraft. Particularly the He111, Bolingbrook and Ju88 can hardly be seen beyond the spotlit undersides. If you can’t see it then you can’t photograph it! Photography with an SLR is dependant on metering by seperate meter or inbuilt sensor which relies on there being some light otherwise by using BULB setting it is guess work.

I am sure many people who may or may not own an SLR or a pocket sized camera would like to go away with a record of their day so ‘Its not a photographic studio’ is somewhat lame.

Regardless of my photographic argument when you can’t see an aircraft how can you study it. I am sure many modellers also visit the museum to view (and dare I say photograph) details on the exhibits. In the darkness there are no details to be seen and why illuminate a wheel well only?

It might be a museum but you would like to think you could see what was in it. My argument is, not necessarily that it is poorly lit, but that it has supposedly been improved yet over half the overhead lights were not on and those that were seemed to be under low light. None of the other buildings are like this.

Elsewhere the FAA Flight Deck is mentioned which I visited a few years ago. At least by studying the show you can establish an order in which the exhibits are lit and obtain some atmospheric shots in time with the show even if you run through it a couple of times.