Air Show

[phillyjeff]

I will be in Chicago next weekend and the air show will be taking place too.

Great photo op, but seems like a difficult shoot.

Any tips would be helpful.

Jeff

[kentuckyranger]

The worst thing about air shows are the crowds.

When taking photos of static planes remember composition, most of the time you don't need to include the wings in the frame.
Also, I've found getting close to the ground when framing makes for a much more dramatic shot, especially if you're taking a shot with someone posing in front of the aircraft.

Here's an example where I got down on one Knee to get a lower angle on the shot.



When shooting planes in action the best thing to do when using a zoom lens is make sure you have a good f/stop like around f/8 to make sure your DOF gets the aircraft in sharp focus and use an ISO that keeps your Shutter speed over 2000.
Noise is better than blur and besides, you can filter any really distracting noise out in post.

Another excellent tool for air shows is a monopod.
Unlike a tripod, monopods give the shooter the freedom to move the Camera freely in order to keep up with the action while giving you the stability to get crisp, sharp shots of the aircraft in action while greatly reducing fatigue.
Monopods are also very inexpensive.

Other than that, have a great time!

[mb168]

Total newbie here, still looking to buy my first DSLR actually. I have one of the Sony Mega Zoom cams and went to an airshow in May and attempted to take some decent shots. I didn't care so much about the static display stuff, got there too late and there were too many people gathered around them all, but I really wanted to try to get some of the aerial stuff. I just uploaded a few to flickr and purposely uploaded some of the "bad" shots just to show you how hard it is to capture something moving 300+mph or better yet 2 of them head on with a combined closure rate of 600+. I know this will be a little easier with a better camera and less shutter lag, not to mention a better button masher, but I'm working on that too.

Blue Angels Air Show - a set on Flickr