Aviation photography primer
» Table of contents
Introduction and disclaimer
Before I even start, one important disclaimer: this article will not
teach you how to make great photos, for the simple reason that
it's not possible to write such one. You can learn this only by your own
experience, trials and errors. Some lucky ones "just know" how to do it
but they don't need any mentoring anyway. If you belong, stop reading now 
What I'll try to tell you instead is few hints on, what I call, "How to go to an airshow and bring some cool pictures" - with full understanding of the difference between "great photos" and "cool pictures".
Who am I to tell you all this? Check out
my photos![[external]](img/link_ext.gif)
and
the "About" page
But keep in mind: not all the rules that I write about are strictly reflected in my pictures.
Even some of the illustrating photos might make you wonder why the hell he
used <thisorthat> mode if above he writes <thatorthis>??. Some of these ideas might be just good advices from
my more experienced friends or simply the things that "I know but sometimes have
trouble applying them".
Contents
This tutorial is logically split into four parts:
This chapter will give you some hints and examples of typical kinds of photos that are possible at the airshows. As in the disclaimer above: it won't teach you "how to make good photos", but you might find it useful as a starting point.
I tried to keep it as non-technical as possible. It's more about ideas than the settings.
Contrary to the above one, this chapter is precisely about buttons & dials - and various creative ways to use them. Exposure modes, shutter speeds, panning, typical settings for various kinds of objects... Some info from the above chapter might be repeated here, but in a different, more technical context.
And finally, the most technical part - trying to answer the "What should I buy?" question. Some say that it's even more difficult that teaching good photography
This section contains all the non-technical, non-photographic aspects of the photography - as in: where, when and how?
Final thoughts
Once you are through all this, you should be well prepared to mix into the crowd of fools with the long lenses. Remember: good photos come with practice. Don't be disappointed if your first photos will be blurry, with people's heads in the frame, some parts of the aircrafts cut... we've all been through this. Practice, practice, practice....
... and you might end up with some shots like this anyway: 
![[image]](photography/eurosound_leeuwarden.jpg "Asas de Portugal, Leuwarden (Netherlands), 2006")
Asas de Portugal, Leuwarden (Netherlands), 2006
EOS 1D MkIIN, 100-400IS @400mm, f/14.0, 1/250s, ISO160, -1/3EV, shutter priority
Good luck!
Additional note
This article is a new, completely rewritten incarnation of my old aviation
photography tutorial that was available at
http://airfoto.photosite.pl/.
If you still have some links to the old one - update your bookmarks.
Last updated: 14-03-2010, 17:25