How to Photograph an Airshow

Each summer, at air shows across the globe,Even today's sophisticated DSLR metering
awestruck spectators enjoy the power andsystems can be tricked by certain situations.
precision of aerial demonstration teams andWhen exposing a jet against a clear blue summer
individual performers. In addition to what issky, automatic camera settings will often properly
happening in the air, there are often static displaysexpose the sky, and leave you with an
on the ground. For photographers, these eventsunderexposed plane. In order to have full control
provide outstanding photographic opportunities.over the camera, I prefer to use the in-camera
After you shoot your first air show, you will likelyspot meter along with the manual exposure
return each year as I do. The tips below aremode. Semi automatic modes can be effective as
based on my experiences at air shows aroundlong as you are utilizing your histogram, and
the New York area.making adjustments as needed. Most often, I find
Day of the Showmyself around 1/1000th, ISO 400, and f5.6. Of
It is recommended that you get to the show atcourse, this can change drastically depending on
least one hour in advance in order to find parking,the weather conditions of that particular day.
and a shooting location. Air shows can be veryFocus
crowded, with numbers reaching into the tens ofRather than trying to frame the perfect shot, I
thousands. By arriving early, you may be able tolike to use a high speed burst mode and fire off
set your gear up in a prime area. Generally, themany frames for each pass. This technique
performers enter from the left and right, withincreases the percentage of keepers. Following
their stunts done at "show center." A goodhigh speed objects this way takes some getting
viewing spot is important, as it allows you toused to. Thankfully, most cameras feature
focus and track the incoming jets. When possible,continuous focusing, also known as AI Servo. This
I try to pick a place that's in the shade with a fullmode will allow you to continually focus on moving
view of the show center. However, manysubjects. To use this feature successfully, keep
airports and military bases do not have trees toyour center focusing point over the aircraft with
block the sun. To protect yourself from theyour cable release or shutter held halfway down.
elements, I strongly urge you to bring sunscreen.As you follow the plane through your viewfinder,
Lens Choicesthe camera will automatically adjust the focus as
When I photographed my first air show manythe aircraft gets closer. When you are ready to
years ago, I used a 28-135mm lens. Yet, unlessmake an image, simply press the shutter all the
the plane was flying directly above me, I foundway down. Luckily, air show organizers often
that much more reach was necessary. Today, Iarrange "photo passes," where the pilot flies at a
use a 70-200mm for action that's directlyreduced speed. Don't get too comfortable though,
overhead, and a 400mm for tighter shooting. Mythey return to full speed after just a few slow
camera does not have a full frame sensor, so aturns.
400mm with a 1.6 crop factor is actually anMemory
effective 640mm lens. Just remember, air showsWith all of this high flying, fast-paced action, you
are usually several hours in duration, and longerwill likely go through many memory cards rapidly.
lenses can get quite heavy. Image stabilization is aI bring a portable hard drive with me, and
nice feature, but a tripod will give your arms adownload the contents of the card while
break and allow you to create sharp imagescontinuing to shoot. Once I'm sure the images
consistently. While the majority of my aviationhave been safely written to the drive, I format
work is shot with longer lenses, I find that widethe card in camera and reuse it. I like to shoot in
angle lenses are also useful for performanceRAW format whenever possible. However, if you
teams that are spread out in wide formations. Byare short on memory cards, and don't have a
utilizing a few different options, you can captureportable hard drive, you may want to consider
more of the action, and will come home with ashooting in the Large/Fine JPEG format. This will
diverse collection of images.allow you to fit more images on the card than
Shutter SpeedsRAW.
Attempting to freeze the motion of somethingWhat to Look For
traveling over five hundred miles per hour is noSmoke trails and after burner effects are great
easy feat. In order to achieve this, a fast shutteradditions to an aviation image. Be ready for them,
speed of around 1/1000 is recommended. Yet,as they happen quickly. The trails of white smoke
like most aspects of photography, there areare actually created by pumping oil into the
exceptions to this. With older planes, a shutterexhaust pipe. This is particularly interesting when
speed of 1/1000 will freeze the propellers. Theused by an entire formation of planes. The
effect actually reduces the appearance of motion,patterns of smoke can be used to make for a
and gives the image an unnatural look. To showmore artistic composition. In addition, it adds a bit
the movement of the propeller, a shutter speedof contrast to the otherwise plain blue sky. I also
of 1/90 is a good starting point. However, youlook to capture the interaction between two
may have to adjust it slightly to 1/60th or slower,planes. When pilots are flying side by side with
depending on the speed of the plane. Of course,their wings nearly touching, a great deal of tension
with these slow shutter speeds you will want tois introduced to the photo. By freezing this
pay close attention to your camera technique tomoment in time you are also showcasing the
ensure sharp images.precision, and skill of the daring pilots.
In-Camera MeteringEnjoy the show!