Next weekend I will be in a small plane flying low over Schiphol airport. Obviously I will be taking a load of pictures. My past experience with shooting from planes (airliners) is not that good. Most of my pictures end up washed-out. Does anyone have any advice to prevent that?
By: Jur - 14th April 2009 at 18:13
Have fun!!:):) Don’t forget to wave at my former colleagues in the control tower.
By: tenthije - 14th April 2009 at 18:08
I’ve done quite some air-to-ground photography in the past. My best results were obtained in flying in a high-wing aircraft like a Cessna 172, which also has the advantage that a window can be opened (but don’t drop your camera!). The weather conditions are very important. A very clear and sunny day is necessary for best results and also be aware of the position of the sun. Shooting against the light will diminish contrast. I would also advise to put the exposure on manual. A typical exposure for air-to-ground shots in good (sunny) conditions would be 1/500sec at f/8 at 100 ISO. Don’t use shutterspeeds longer than 1/500 to avoid unsharpness because of airframe vibrations.
A few older examples (on film):
However, be advised that in the Netherlands it is illegal to make air-to-ground photographs from aircraft except airliners, unless a special permit has been obtained. It seems to be ridiculous in this time and age, but an old law (1959) is still in force. See http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0002327/geldigheidsdatum_14-04-2009 (in Dutch).
Thanks for the tips!
As for the legality, I am on one of the organised flights of the Dutch Spotters Convention. There will be 4 or 5 flights with a GA Airvan operated by Kammair. It has a high wing, and Kammair’s license allows for aerial photography. Don’t know if the windows can open or indeed if they will even allow it.
As for shooting with the sun in the back, well, there will be more passengers on the flight so everyone will want to have the best seat. However, since we will circle over the airport everyone should have at least some chances at a good shot.
Fingers crossed for good weather. Does not look favourable now having just checked the KNMI. 😡
By: Jur - 14th April 2009 at 10:25
I’ve done quite some air-to-ground photography in the past. My best results were obtained in flying in a high-wing aircraft like a Cessna 172, which also has the advantage that a window can be opened (but don’t drop your camera!). The weather conditions are very important. A very clear and sunny day is necessary for best results and also be aware of the position of the sun. Shooting against the light will diminish contrast. I would also advise to put the exposure on manual. A typical exposure for air-to-ground shots in good (sunny) conditions would be 1/500sec at f/8 at 100 ISO. Don’t use shutterspeeds longer than 1/500 to avoid unsharpness because of airframe vibrations.
A few older examples (on film):
However, be advised that in the Netherlands it is illegal to make air-to-ground photographs from aircraft except airliners, unless a special permit has been obtained. It seems to be ridiculous in this time and age, but an old law (1959) is still in force. See http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0002327/geldigheidsdatum_14-04-2009 (in Dutch).
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April 13, 2009 at 6:36 pm