Hi all,
I will be shooting the World of Outlaws season opener in Ga. I have hooked up with a pilot who will take me up to shoot the track. It's an overhead winged plane and he is going to see how to remove the window.
My thinking is to get up right around sunrise after all the teams are there and get some shots of the track and all the haulers. But I have never done this kind of thing before. Any words of advice, help, tips?
I would see if you can get some help from Jim Wilson or SteveZ over in the Mustang Air 2 Air thread in the City Still Life Abstract forum (it's always within the top couple posts) they're the resident aerial photography experts and might be able to help you with some of the logistical portions of it.
* shoot a fast enough ss to freeze action to avoid shake from the plane
* don't use any part of the plane as a rest. you'll pick up all the plane vibration
* secure everything. If you use a hood make sure it's taped on
If there is a luggage door take it off and shoot out the large hole. But be sure you have a harness if you shoot this way, that's a must. If its possible have a head set to keep contact to the pilot. Good communication is key. Also have a plan prior to take off on your goal for the shoot and try to stick to it. Keep track of the sun, It will comes from all angles when your flying in circles and returns quickly. There will be times you cant shoot and times you cant, even at sunrise shooting into the direction of the sun will have its problems. Don't get any part of you or your camera in the slip stream of an open window or door you will regret it. If you can theater your camera to the harness.bring extra cards and battery.
I have done low level biological surveys from single engine (high wing) Cessnas. We removed the door on my side (easy to do by pulling hinge pins). I was harnessed in. I'm afraid of heights, but somehow this didn't bother me at all. My pilot was very experienced, and we communicated through headsets. He made sharp banks over the survey location so that I could lower the camera to shoot almost vertically downward. I also did this once with a newer pilot who didn't increase air speed and engine power for the steep banks, and we almost stalled out--alarms and all. He really scared himself. Lesson: before taking off, prep the pilot by explaining your preferred maneuvers, and don't try this with an inexperienced pilot.
Also, don't brace the camera on the window sill, door frame, or other part of the plane. This will transmit vibration to the camera, blurring the image. Instead, brace your arms against your body. Be sure to prepare your camera with a fully charged battery and large-capacity memory card to minimize changes in the plane. If you have to change batteries and cards, make sure the extra batteries and memory cards are easily accessible in a pack that won't allow loose items to fall in cracks between the seats or to blow out of the plane. Ballpark your settings (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture) before getting into the plane so you are not wasting a lot of time fiddling with these while flying and trying to frame your shots. Good luck.
---John
Great advice, thanks. The pilot that I have talked to, he runs the local airport and does all the work on the planes. He said he would see about removing a door. Not sure yet, guess will find out when I get there.
Recently I did a similar job. We used a Cesna 140 which I suspect is about the same size as the plane you are using. My only issue was the side of the plane I was on. I was on the right side and I should have been on the left. The camera controls make it easier to twist and contort to the left rather than the right. We didn't think about it before we took off. It made the shoot a challange because the best shots were shooting to the rear as the pilot flew sideways. The plane blocks some of the air and it is easier for the pilot to help hold the door open which also reduces the wind. Shooting going forward was a big challenge in such a small plane; the wing strut, the window, the rough air, all made it a challenge. It all worked out though. I also agree with the remarks already made.
Just to further extend this, Cessna's are the most common high winged aircraft. If it's a 150/152, there will be no back seat to shoot from. If it's a 170/180, it will have back seats. The field of view for shooting is going to be slightly behind at the 4 and 8 o'clock position. However, at this angle the rear landing gear/pods can block view. Like said above, it's going to be best to have the pilot crab sideways, tip a wing, and slip slightly. However I will give extreme caution here... riding in an airplane combined with trying to photo/mess with camera controls can cause even the most stable person very nauseated. I recommend getting advice from the pilot for pre-flight meal, water, and medication for the flight.
These are from a 172 sitting in front left seat, which is quite interesting trying to handle a DSLR and fly sideways over the edge of the Grand Canyon.
This shows the horizon bank angle for a photo from nearly directly above:
Shot at 9'oclock position while angle of above photo:
Shot at 9'oclock position at less bank angle shooting farther out:
Shot at 8' oclock, low bank angle, medium distance:
Bring a long lens. The first time I shot from a helicopter the best I had was a 70mm, thank God I was over a lake or we wouldn't have been able to get low enough for the shots I needed. Also, high shutter speed is key, the plane moves a lot more (and faster) than you think.
LDRider
