These days I get quite a few emails from existing and budding new photographers asking all sorts of questions regarding photography.

I havent been taking photos long but have learnt a lot so I will add to this section as time goes by so hopefully the info will help some people out.

Starting Out:

I have been taking photos of aircraft for most of my life but started really trying in 2004.

Not really sure why, I think it was to record what I had seen at airshows.

Their is nothing quite like getting your own images and I found myself interested in the new digital cameras that were coming out.

I went through a few point and shoot cameras until getting my first SLR and that was a 350D.

It was a good camera but with a large lens it was a bit small so I went into the 20D and 30D.

These cameras are very good as well but I had to be patient.

At the start I got really annoyed with dust spots and carrying a heavy lens around but the more I practiced the easier it got.

When it comes to lenses all of the L lenses are good and Sigma make some great lenses as well.

It is all to easy to blame your gear when you dont get the results, been there done that.

It takes practice and a lot of it and you do not need the flashest camera in the world but get the best lenses you can afford.

To keep in practice and improve my technique I would go to the local airport or airfield every week or two just to try and perfect panning and I still have a way to go but can now nail a shot when needed.

Once you find the lens and camera that is right for you stick with it, and take plenty of photos.

Use a note book to write down how things are going and to note something that may have worked well or not so well.

Photography is quite simple at the end of the day.

I never over complicate things.

When it comes to propellors and helicopter blades it is good practice to make sure these are turning.

Still blades just dont look good.

Stay below 250 for aircraft and 125 or less for helicopters.

I always use ISO 100 except when the weather is really bad.

For jets I use anywhere between F 7.1 through to F 9.0.

AI servo seems to work well but I prefer AI focus as I like to hear the beep when focus is achieved.

Some of my better photos have been taken due to getting good access and this is very important but it is sometimes not easy to get.

If you do get a special pass like a media pass, use it for what it is intended for, exposure of that particular airshow or event.

Some people get a pass like this and can think they are gods gift to the camera, and start pushing their luck, entering areas they shouldnt etc.

Try and form good relationships with other photographers but if you cant get on with some people just leave it at that and carry on doing your own thing.

Be professional and most importantly work hard.

Never get pushy with aircraft owners and operators, things will happen for you if you work with these guys, it can take several years but its worth it in the end.

You must also work out why you are taking photos?

For me, its about the flying and recording history.

I love to fly and love flying with people and aircraft I admire and thats all that matters to me.

Sure, I sell quite a few photos now days but its not the motivation for me and never will be, the magazine photos are the result from a good flight.

Magazine covers etc are nice but its all about being up there having fun, the photos I sell help put gas in the tanks and shout pilots at the bar.

Every cent I make goes back into the photography.

If money becomes the focus the enjoyment will go away and I dont want that.

When I am at an airshow I love being around the aircraft and people.

If you are having fun doing what you are doing the results will come.

If you are in a bad mood results will most likely go into the bin.

Taking photos at airshows:

When it comes to airshows I prefer to wander around on my own so if you see me I will most likely be talking to a pilot or making my way to a new spot to take photos.

There are less distractions and I can get on and take the images I am after.

At a two day airshow there is always things I miss so target different displays each day.

Back yourself to get the images you want each day otherwise you will get home and have way too many photos of the same thing to sort through.

Make sure you have a good back pack that fits everything you need.

Their are some flash ones around that cost up to $300.00 but I got mine off trade me for $30.00

I can fit my 40D and 100-400 on it, a 50D with a 24-105 on it, it also takes my 70-300 and 17-40 as well as all my cards etc and even has its own rain coat so keep an eye on trade me.

At an airshow be prepared to walk!!!

I find I am constantly on the move all weekend long depending on access.

Last week at Wigram I was all over the place but came away with what I wanted.

If you cant get access buy it.

Get yourself a Goldpass, it might be expensive but most of the time you will have a clear view.

At Masterton I had a Goldpass and Media pass but found the gold pass to be a bit better so stayed there.

It does pay to be patient when you are after an image.

It took around two years and five airshows staring through the viewfinder for around 30 WW2 engine starts just to get the flames from an exhaust but when I got it, it was quite spectacular.

Aeroplanes dont always do what you want, when you want them to.

Make sure you have a copy of the displays in front of you so you know what will happen and when. You shouldnt miss anything that way.

My only rule when it comes to airshows is never ever posts photos of accidents or incidents on the internet or give them to magazines.

If you want to be friends with these guys its always good to be on there good side.

If the pilot asks for them thats ok but I never make things public.

I remember seeing a photo of a groundloop in a magazine feature covering an airshow and there was plenty of good stuff at the show yet they printed that photo.

The above also applies to posting information on accidents or incidents you see.

Speculation is dangerous and can be harmful so if you want to make a statement make it to the CAA if required to. Comes back to being professional.

If it is a cloudy day I normally leave the camera in its bag unless there is an aircraft debut or something very special happening.

If the numbers you are seeing do not suit your lens, sit back and watch the show.

Sure you can compensate for things but on a cloudy day with bad sun position, the rich colours and contrast will be missing.

Depending on your lens your AF should work faster on a nice day and will track targets better.

Apart from all of that, always check your settings when looking through the viewfinder, just to make sure you havent bumped anything, drink plenty of water and again, have a great time.

What do I not spend enough time doing at airshows?

Having a beer after the show with the lads.

Have struggled in the past but plan on changing things a bit if possible as I have quite a few rounds to shout.

At the end of a busy air show day I find myself quite buggered so I get an early night so I can focus on the next day.

Image Stabilisers, and Lenses etc.

A good lens makes all the difference when it comes to taking good photos.

Canon L lenses work well as do Sigma EX lenses, haven’t used any other lens types.

Lenses have sweet spots, which is the range where they work best in auto focus and produce good colours etc so read the manual fully before using as if you get it wrong at the start it may take some time to figure out why the images don’t look like you expect.

Sometimes the lens producers make bad copies here and there but if you have lens problems at the start it is normally due to the photographer not driving the lens properly.

Image Stabilizers do work but don’t let trick you into thinking that your images will automatically improve.

You still need to work at getting sharp images and the photographers panning technique etc will provide far better results than a stabiliser alone.

When it comes to Air 2 Air photography I haven’t seen any difference in having a stabilizer on or off but I just leave it on anyway.

The shorter the lens the less effective the stabiliser is as the lens is lighter and easier to control, well that’s what I have found anyway.

Technology is great but stabilisers still depend on good technique to get the best from them.

Just forget it is there and work as hard as you would have without one and you should see some good results.

When it comes to filters, I only use a good UV version and only fit them to the Air 2 Air lenses, as there is real potential there for them to get knocked around due to the restricted room in some aircraft cockpits.

Always use you lens hood if you have one.

It will keep out the unwanted rays etc.

I don’t fit one when taking air 2 air photos as they only cause disruption when they are out in the airflow.

SLR cameras will always have issues with dust spots.

The 40 and 50D has a really good sensor cleaning mechanism but if I start seeing to many dust spots I use that facility in combination with a blower but I never go near the sensor myself, I just send it away to get it cleaned properly but that may not be a luxury if you only have one camera body.

I hate getting rid of dust spots in photo shop so always try and look after my gear in the hope that dust spots are minimal.

Air 2 Air Photography:

I am going to be careful what I say in this section.

It has taken me three years to get to a standard where I am happy and still have lots of learning to do and I don’t want to make things sound too easy because if you haven’t done Air 2 air before in a controlled environment it can be challenging to say the least.

I do have a flying background, which a lot of photographers don’t have so I may see things a bit differently.

The last thing I want to do is throw a lot of information out there to find that someone has gone out and “experimented” and its gone wrong.

Having learnt from scratch and teaching myself with the help of some readings of Phil Makanna it has been an enjoyable journey and has been a lot more work than I thought it would be.

The Air 2 Air environment can be a challenging one for obvious reasons.

To get good photos you have to be close, (But not scary close) and that will only happen with good formation trained pilots.

Don’t just get a mate and head on up to see how things go as you may only frighten yourselves.

Close formation training is essential and takes some natural flying skill as well.

I continue to be blown away by some of the standards these pilots have.

I use well-trained pilots who are up there to do a job and not to show off their own flying capabilities.

If a pilot doesn’t know how close we need to be I walk it out with them and show than and if they are not confident that they can do it we don’t fly as I want to take nice clear images and not have specks on the horizon.

It is important that subject pilot and camera ship pilot are happy to be flying close together.

You could have an experienced camera ship pilot and formate on the subject but if the subject pilot is nervous then the results will most likely not be that good.

You can tell straight away if a pilot has good formation skills.

If you enter a turn and the subject aircraft drifts away that’s a bad sign and you need to decide right there as to weather you carry on with the flight, and personally I would flag it.

If you want to experiment use good pilots.

Good pilots make good photos.

Directing the flight is important as well.

You must be able to tell the pilots what you want and position aircraft where you want them.

I use a set of hand signals instead of the radio as the WW1 aircraft don’t have radios and if someone’s radio fails and I am up with an important aircraft we can just carry on.

Some of the guys with precious aeroplanes normally don’t like burning up large holes in the sky just for the sake of it so plan the flight well and during your brief make sure you illustrate to the pilots what you need so they can visualize it in their minds.

It just costs time and money flying round and round without a plan.

If you are flying with a high performance aircraft, always put that aircraft on the outside of the turns and make sure the camera ship pilots keep there speed up as much as possible as you want to make it easier for faster aircraft.

Camera ship pilots need to be smooth and fly to the highest standards.

Wandering airspeeds and altitude only put doubt in the subject pilots mind.

Make sure you have good gear especially a high quality harness if you are using an aircraft with a door removed.

Recently a very experienced pilot joined us on a flight.

He had several thousand hours but had never flown in a close formation and he was totally blown away and came away with a huge smile on his face.

So, the total amount of hours a pilot has shouldn’t be an indication as to setting up a flight.

Always ask how many hours of formation flying has the pilot has or ask if they are FAST rated.

If they are you will have a great flight.

Memory cards and storage of images:

Have been asked questions regarding my photo storage set up over the past few weeks.

Basically I have a 1000gb external hard drive connected to my main computer at home which I keep all of my images on.

On top of that I have another 500gb external hard drive.

I keep this in another place away from the house just incase we have a fire or something, but I bring it home often to update things as needed.

I also back up all photos on compact discs and they are stored in another location.

Having seen people have problems over the years I think this set up is ok.

I have a spare computer in my office and that has all of my favourite Air 2 Air pictures on it.

I use that computer for the limited amount of photoshop work I do, (roughly 60 seconds per image is enough. Any more time spent means I am working with an image which is not very good so most of the time I delete images like these) so it helps having them there.

As for memory cards, I have always used Sandisk cards.

Never had an issue with them, I use four 4gb Extreme IV cards and four 8gb Extreme IV cards as well and they have been great.

I hope this info is of help in some way and this entry will be the last as I have covered as much as I can.

Cheers

Gavin