Remember "panning?" That technique is essential to capturing fast moving displays like the "Thunderbirds."

I was in the United States Air Force, and I really like airplanes.  I remember the first time I ever flew in one when I was a youngster.  It was back in 1945--to Cuba in a DC-3.  The last plane I flew in was in the 1980’s in Alabama--an old Ford Tri-Motor that had once been piloted by Charles Lindberg.  Every chance I have, I go to air shows and local airports to see and photograph airplanes.  Most recently, I visited the USAF Armament Museum near Ft. Walton, Florida.  To make photographs of air shows or air museums more interesting, be sure to take shots of both the flying and static displays.  A static display is an airplane resting on the ground, so you can walk around it.  Get in close when you can.  Read and keep notes of the types of planes you place in your shots.  When you have a chance, read about their histories either online or in books.  Make records of both the old and new. 

 

Air shows are full of action, so you must always be on your toes.  Quite often, military aircraft love to come in from behind the crowd for maximum effect.  It pays to keep your head on a swivel; otherwise, you’ll find the planes there and gone before you can raise your camera.  Panning with your camera is a necessity for the flying demonstrations. 

 

Remember about panning?  You follow the plane with your camera while your finger is on your “trigger.”  As smoothly as possible, follow the path of your subject as it passes and trigger the shutter while following through--even after the shutter has tripped.  This assures a smooth (not jerky) motion, avoiding all sorts of blurring and other havoc.  If you’ve ever been duck hunting, panning is the same process of following your target but not leading it.  Sometimes you can lead a very fast subject and allow it to catch your pan to come into the frame, but you really have to be ready.  Practice makes perfect, so try many panning shots.  If you accomplish one really good shot out of several, you’ve done well. 

 

There are other sights at air shows  such as this jet powered truck, "Super Shockwave."

There are other sights to see at air shows besides airplanes.  I once saw Les Shockley’s Super Shockwave, a jet truck run, and it was amazing.  The truck hit over 300 mph in a quarter mile.  Seeing it boggled my mind more than seeing the aircraft.  The brain doesn’t readily accept watching a truck passing by at those speeds--an airplane, sure, but not a truck. 

 

People are great subjects at air shows, especially the children.  Keep an eye out for subjects such as these.  Many colorful items can be found there, too.  Tents, balloons, and other objects create color for your camera to zoom in on.  Even when photographing aircraft, try picking out a small part of the aircraft that looks interesting and shoot a close-up.  The result can be a good abstract photo. 

 

A really colorful air event is a balloon race.  What a blast of color they are!  Huge, colorful craft slowly float overhead, giving you a show like you’ve never seen before.  The silence is broken only by the hissing of gas as it feeds hot air into the large gasbags.  Balloon races generally begin very early in the morning, but only in very good weather.  Another interesting photo opportunity happens when they have “glow” time at night when the operators light up the large, colorful bags. 

 

At an air show, you should set your camera up to take high-speed shots to prevent your photos coming back blurred.  Action is fast--except at balloon races.  A telephoto lens--preferably a zoom lens--is needed then.  Some shots--such as static, close-up displays--will require a wide-angle lens.  Many air shots are better viewed with a wide angle.  You’ll need practice to determine which lens to use at a particular time. 

 

Balloon races are another opportunity to photograph blasts of color

One of the most common problems you might encounter with air show photography is that photos are often underexposed.  This happens when you allow the camera to choose the aperture or shutter settings.  Remember, the planes are usually up in the sky, and it’s very bright up there.  The automatic settings of the camera will choose an aperture that’s too small or a shutter speed that’s too fast.  You’ll get very good exposure on the sky, but the aircraft will be underexposed.  Sometimes, your result will be only a dark blob in the sky.  Spot metering can help but is difficult, because you have to be dead-on target, and hitting a speeding aircraft is not that easy.  The answer is a lot of study on your part.  You must learn how to use your camera in the manual mode.  That way, you can have full control over the aperture and shutter speed.  However, the reward of achieving the proper results is worth the difficulty of learning.

 

The easiest way to handle the problem of underexposure is to set the shutter speed and leave it there throughout the entire show.  I would suggest 1/500 to 1/1000 sec.  Then, find a static plane that’s about the same brightness as the planes flying, and aim there.  Set the exposure, using the plane as a target.  You can try bracketing if you don’t feel secure with this technique.  (Shoot some images at a setting that’s over and others at a setting that’s under the target setting.)  Take lots of shots.  Some should be great, and others may be just a tad off but quite useable. When you’re making your aperture setting, make sure you’re aiming at the target from the same direction, in relation to the sun, from which you’ll be shooting your subjects. 

 

Taking air show photos takes a lot of practice.  You may need two or three air shows to get the hang of it.  Remember what you did the last time, so you can correct any mistakes the next time.  Make notes to yourself if you need to.  Don’t forget to take close-ups of the static displays, either.  They bring you into the aircraft. 

 

Air shows are spectacular events, and your photo show should reflect what you saw.  Remember the “Wow!” effect of the planes zooming over, and bring it to your audience when you’re showing your photos.   This spring, attend an air show to give these suggestions a try, and take a look at the attached URL Website for upcoming shows.  You can find more on your favorite search engines.  Just type in “Air Shows,” and see what comes up.  

 

http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/asgcal/usjan.htm  (Delta Web Air show Guide)