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Home → Essays and Inspiration

Season For Air Shows

By Alpha Whiskey 11 Comments
Last Updated On April 30, 2023

Summer is usually the season for air shows and that means yet another reason and opportunity to go out shooting. I had intended to visit the Farnborough Air Show this year but unfortunately an exhaust muffler decided to divorce itself from the underside of my car and reconciling the two became my whole day instead. Undoubtedly there’ll be other air shows for me to visit this summer but for now these images here are from previous shows, including the one at Farnborough.

1

Obviously when you first arrive there’ll be plenty of aircraft stationed on the tarmac awaiting your awe and inspection.

1a

Capture them with any lens or focal length you choose. Perhaps go wide to fit in their entirety but also feel free to zoom into them and fill the frame with just the cockpit or some other detail. Closing in may also help cut out unwanted distractions or people from your shot.

1a1

1b

Don’t hesitate to find a more interesting angle. There’s no rule that says the aircraft have to be captured from the front or the side. Large machines are interesting from a variety of angles, and have plenty of geometry to stimulate your compositional juices.

1c

1d

Well, I guess most people really go to these shows to see the planes in the air and I’m certainly no exception.

1e

2

You’ll find models old and new(er); supersonic and subsonic. Enjoy the afterburn and the speed, and mind your ears as they scream or hover through the air.

6

4

Having a zoom or long focal length obviously helps, and most of these aerial shots were captured with a 200mm F/2.8 lens and teleconverter attached (1.7x). Obviously go longer if you can.

12

12a

Yes, I captured these with a DSLR and zoom lens but it doesn’t have to be a such a heavy set of gear. I’ve seen many people at these shows with superzoom bridge cameras or compact cameras (laugh all you want) and their results were pretty impressive. Lesser mortals will waste time picking out the technical imperfections of their images but good composition and timing isn’t dependent on your gear. And at least they made the effort to get out there and make images. My point is don’t be shy about your gear; it’s much more fun to go out and shoot than it is to sit at home feeling inadequate about your kit.

18

22
Back to the show and there’s plenty of spectacle from the professional display teams, and capturing their trails will give the viewer a sense of movement and direction.

17

16

20

Most of us hope that a summer day will be sunny and warm but don’t be too despondent if there’s an overcast sky. If anything it will provide a darker background against which to contrast the aircraft and their trails.

13

14

15

Often at these events, there’ll be explosions and such going off. Having a good burst rate on your camera can ensure you get the best shot but carefully choosing your timing can be effective too. Phase detection autofocus is probably the most useful for tracking the aircraft but they are usually enough distance away that even contrast detection systems should be able to keep up focus.

23

23a

Don’t forget there are always plenty of people to photograph too, not just in the planes but on the ground or falling from the sky. One omission of mine here was not to include any close-up candids of pilots, although I’m not much of a portrait shooter. But you’ll do that when you go the show, right?

24

24a

These were processed in Lightroom with basic adjustments to contrast and some selective dodging and burning. Mostly in aperture priority between F/4 and F/8 with the camera choosing the shutter speed (fast enough on a bright day) and between ISOs of 200 and 800.

20a

So, anyway, please don’t waste too much time worrying or drooling over the latest lens or camera (unless it pleases you to do so!) and how it might make you a better photographer. It won’t. The only thing that will do that is practice and going out to shoot. Use these kinds of events as an opportunity, sure, but don’t just enjoy them through a viewfinder or LCD screen. Remember to have a good time too.

And if all else fails and you’re feeling tired and hungry, you can always find yourself a good dollop of cheese:

25
Call sign: Alpha Whiskey. Maverick it definitely ain’t!

Have fun!

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Filed Under: Essays and Inspiration Tagged With: Airplane Photography, DSLR, Telephoto Lens

About Alpha Whiskey

Alpha Whiskey has pursued his enjoyment of photography both at home in the UK and overseas, capturing scenic views from Alaska to Bulgaria, from Iceland to California. He has pointed his camera and trained his eye at almost every subject, from wildlife to architecture, from portraits to landscapes, from the Red Bull X-Fighters to the Northern Lights. His photographs have been published on the covers of national publications and within media for the National Trust. His blog is a growing library of images from his travels, excursions, and his photowalks with friends, and he hopes that by sharing them he can encourage others to worry less about gear and simply go out and shoot.

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Nigel Madeley
Nigel Madeley
August 4, 2016 5:51 am

Interesting that you said you use aperture priority. I’ve found that unless l shoot at no faster than 1/320th, the propeller[s] freeze on piston / turboprop aircraft – and that looks a tad silly. So I do tend to change settings depending on the aircraft. It makes it a bit tricky with a long lens and small aircraft, so I tend to try to pan them (I use a D7100 and 300mm/f4 + 1.4TC – and a 70-200/f4 for display teams). Enjoyed your shots.

0
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Matt Nielsen
Matt Nielsen
August 3, 2016 9:30 pm

Great shots! I haven’t been to an air show in a long time. I’ll have to stay on the lookout for any near me.

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Reply
Tobias
Tobias
August 1, 2016 11:47 pm

This may be nitpicking but everytime I see pictures of you I’m just annoyed by your watermark. It looks like some opened up Word 2003 to put a watermark on your otherwise great pictures. ;-)

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Alpha Whiskey
Alpha Whiskey
Author
Reply to  Tobias
August 2, 2016 2:16 am

It WAS Word 2003! How did you know??! :O
Seriously, though, I don’t think I’m any less entitled to have a watermark than any of the other contributors to this site (although most would argue my work is pants compared to theirs!) and I try to make it as faint and as unobtrusive to the image as I can.
Sorry you’re annoyed by it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

(P.S. I’m assuming you meant ‘pictures of yours’ rather than ‘pictures of you’ because the pic of me doesn’t have a watermark – it was taken by my friend.)

0
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fred flintstone
fred flintstone
August 1, 2016 5:49 am

great photos as always! thanks for sharing.

you mention that even contrast-based focus systems should have been able to keep up with the aircrafts and yet you have used a bulky DSLR rather than your trusted micro-four-thirds system. was it case of playing it safe or…? :)

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Alpha Whiskey
Alpha Whiskey
Author
Reply to  fred flintstone
August 1, 2016 6:02 am

Thank you Fred Flinstone.
These shots are from my archives from before my owning and using m4/3 gear. At the next show I visit rest assured I’ll take the m4/3 gear with me. If for no other reason than I enjoy a challenge :)
I have shot action with my m4/3 gear and contrast detection AF, an example of which can be seen here: photographylife.com/sunda…-om-d-em-5

Cheers.

0
Reply
John Havord
John Havord
August 1, 2016 4:17 am

Nice set of images and certainly show, how enjoyable, a day at an airshow can be.
Only thing I would add, is that for helicopters and prop planes, choosing the shutter speed yourself is a better option, as you can choose a slower shutter speed and “add” movement to the blades, giving a better sense of motion.

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Alpha Whiskey
Alpha Whiskey
Author
Reply to  John Havord
August 1, 2016 4:42 am

Thanks John! And yes, a good tip about the shutter speed :)

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Reply
Z
Z
August 1, 2016 4:11 am

Your writing is soporific.

But the pictures are first class.

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Reply
Alpha Whiskey
Alpha Whiskey
Author
Reply to  Z
August 1, 2016 4:41 am

Lol! Thanks for stopping by!

0
Reply
Christobella
Christobella
Reply to  Alpha Whiskey
August 1, 2016 12:08 pm

One out of two ain’t bad. Better than the other way round I suppose!

0
Reply

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