Help???? need tips on photographing an air show (Page 2): I hope that camera has an aperture priority and a shutter priority mode. These are key to the types of planes that are flying.

Maciejewski Loc: NJ

I hope that camera has an aperture priority and a shutter priority mode. These are key to the types of planes that are flying. For jets set your aperture to be open to its fullest. This allows the camera to choose the fastest shutter speed possible, also depending on where the sun is you can bump up your EV values a bit if you're shooting into the sun. Now for prop planes / helicopters switch over to shutter priority and keep it set for 1/125 to 1/250 because nothing looks sillier than a prop plane in the air with the props not moving. Also once again set the EV according to the sunlight. That's just one suggestion. Also shooting in RAW is a huge help you might want to get some more cards!!! :) Here are is the Atlantic City Airshow I shot this year. The sun/haze is brutal which makes shooting brutal, but shooting in RAW helps big time. Any other questions ask.

http://maciejewski.zenfolio.com/p456292308

Thanks

Steve

JC56 Loc: Lake St.Louis mo.

Did you have grease on the lens

:D[/quote]

I'll give it a good cleaning and try it again.

Teacher Loc: Alabama

I would not take the tripod, gimbal set up. In my experience shooting air shows with Blue Angels, a 70-200 with VR is great with most shots being panned quickly, especially the jets. I shot with a pro-photographer standing next to me. He only shoots air shows and goes all over the world. THis is what he was using.

JC56 wrote:

Scott Air Force base is having it's annual air show this weekend. Here is a list of what equipment I will have.
1. Pentax KR with a top of the line extreme pro 16gb card.
2. Sigma 150-500 lens.
3. Heavy duty tripod with gimbaled head.
4. Asst filters.

They will have many preformers including the Air Force Thunder Birds. Any tips and advise would be appreciated.

JC

JC56 Loc: Lake St.Louis mo.

Maciejewski wrote:

I hope that camera has an aperture priority and a ... (show quote)

Thanks....BTW you took some great air show photos.

Maciejewski Loc: NJ

Yeah I agree with them a tripod is pointless. Unless you have one of those huge lenses that you can't hold.

JC56 Loc: Lake St.Louis mo.

Maciejewski wrote:

Yeah I agree with them a tripod is pointless. Unless you have one of those huge lenses that you can't hold.

That's why I bought a gimbal head the 150 to 500 gets pretty heavy in a short time.

EstherP

JC56 wrote:

Scott Air Force base is having it's annual air show this weekend. Here is a list of what equipment I will have.
1. Pentax KR with a top of the line extreme pro 16gb card.
2. Sigma 150-500 lens.
3. Heavy duty tripod with gimbaled head.
4. Asst filters.

They will have many preformers including the Air Force Thunder Birds. Any tips and advise would be appreciated.

JC

Can't advise you on equipment as I don't know anything about above.
But if it's available, buy a VIP seat - that way you hopefully won't have a mass of people in front of you.
Pre-focus on the clouds - then manually focus on the planes. Even with centre-spot focusing, I was unable to "get" the airplanes.
Have a muscle relaxant for your neck ready when you get home, you may need it.
Listen to the announcers, it may help you to anticipate a good shot coming up.
EstherP

Tom O Loc: Wisconsin

JC56, from my experience in Oshkosh this year;
-Include some clouds in your background if possible
- Shoot prop jobs at 1/180 when taxing and 1/250-1/300 when flying because of the engine RPMs to get the movement effects

Enjoy the show

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I'm going to be at the Scott AFB show on Sunday. I wanted to go Saturday and see the B-2, but I got an unexpected charter trip to Peoria Saturday at o'dark-thirty (XC meet). I've shot some nice pics at Scott and Oshkosh (my avatar is one of them). I agree with a lower shutter speed for prop planes. I didn't know about it until a professional photographer from somewhere in Asia told me about it last year (I'm a relative novice snapshot guy hoping to someday be a decent photographer). As for T-bird and similar shots, I keep my camera on constant focus and constant shutter, although it's quite slow at around 2.5 fps. Hey...it's my first and only digital camera...I'll upgrade eventually. I own a tripod, but have hardly ever used it. At airshows, I just do all my shots handheld. I'll post few pics if you allow.

Maciejewski Loc: NJ

JC56 wrote:

quote=Maciejewski I hope that camera has an apert... (show quote)

Thanks I appreciate it and Good Luck with your show!!!

Willy Loc: Alaska

JC56 wrote:

Scott Air Force base is having it's annual air show this weekend. Here is a list of what equipment I will have.
1. Pentax KR with a top of the line extreme pro 16gb card.
2. Sigma 150-500 lens.
3. Heavy duty tripod with gimbaled head.
4. Asst filters.

They will have many preformers including the Air Force Thunder Birds. Any tips and advise would be appreciated.

JC

I recommend you over expose by a stop or two for aircraft in flight. Otherwise the planes will be silhouettes.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

JC56 wrote:

CaptainC...I put a 58mm uv filter on my 55 to 300 and it slowed the auto focus way down.....took it off and it went back to normal.

Something else going on - the light loss from a UV filter is virtually zero so it could not slow the AF. I Have UVs on everything and I can guarantee you they have no effect on AF.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

JC56 wrote:

Scott Air Force base is having it's annual air show this weekend. Here is a list of what equipment I will have.
1. Pentax KR with a top of the line extreme pro 16gb card.
2. Sigma 150-500 lens.
3. Heavy duty tripod with gimbaled head.
4. Asst filters.

They will have many preformers including the Air Force Thunder Birds. Any tips and advise would be appreciated.

JC

High shutter speed in shutter priority mode, even if it requires a fairly high ISO (400 to 800 range) to get it and a decently tight aperture for big depth of field. Continuous "spot" auto focus instead of one-shot multi-segment.

Depend on your automation to help you with flyovers. You don't have time to do things manually when they're traveling fast. It's also going to be hard to pan-chase a plane as it rips past when using a tripod. With a high shutter speed you might be better off shooting handheld.

Don't be overly concerned with completely filling the frame with a plane because you may miss the shot or clip part of the moving plane off in your shot. If you fill 75% of the frame with plane you can crop later without significant resolution loss.

Get there early to get your bearings and shoot some test shots on any planes that happen to be flying around before the real show begins.

Be sure to post some of your shots here.

Maciejewski Loc: NJ

Sometimes I also don't take my own advice. I was looking at my photo information and noticed this year I selected my aperture priority at f/8.

f/8 @ 220 mm, 1/500, ISO 100

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I can't wait to shoot the Thunderbirds! Here is one of my Blue Angels shots from the Scott show in 2010.