Photographing from an Airplane

[jlipkin]

I'm going to need to take some aerial shots this fall, and will be renting an airplane to take them. The local airport tells me they can rent out a Cessna 172 - a high wing aircraft - for this. Does anyone have any advice about this (other than not falling out of the plane)? Is there special equipment I should bring? What shutter speed considerations should I have?

[DougAxford]

THE most important consideration is a good, clear day. It's tough to book this ahead and then find the day is less than optimal, so talk to the pilot or company and set-aside a few days if possible. Fog can be a problem in the fall in the morning, especially if you are near water and smog in the afternoon near cities. Spring is best, but you don't have that choice.

Try to get a pilot that has done pro photo flights before. They'll have a better understanding of what you require.

See if you can have the door removed on the aircraft, otherwise it's tough to get the angle you want through the opening available. You do not want to shoot through the glass. You'll want the highest shutter speed possible and set your camera on manual exposure and manual focus. I prefer to get a meter reading before I leave the ground. Keep everything strapped to you or the seat belt. Equipment falling out of planes is not a myth or a joke.

I would shoot raw, you'll need to up contrast and saturation.

Since you didn't indicate what you'll be shooting, it's hard to say how to shoot. Best to fill us in with more details. If it's a building shot, you'd be better with a chopper - there are too many variables to advise.

There are lots of more experienced aerial photographers on the forum, this is just a start.

Doug

[jlipkin]

Doug -

Thanks for the reply. I'll be photographing fishing boats. Since the fishermen leave before dawn, I'll have to try to get a pilot who's willing to leave early as well. I've been following a few fishermen, and hopefully will be able to fly over a few as they leave in the morning, and as they work their traps.

What focal length lens would you recommend? I'm sure it's a function of how much I want to include in the shot and how low the plane can go. I would like to put the boats in context, so I don't need anything too tight. I can't say how low you can go in a Cessna 172.

[robert_baker]

I typically shoot at 400asa if there is good light....It sounds like you are shooting specific subject matter....I would probably pack a 50mm and a 200 2.8 .

The pilots I work with will pull their doors off and pull out the back seats...so, then I pull back the front seat enough where I can sit perpendicular with the seat belt.

I also communicate certain hand signals for wing up or down even though I have a headset on (sometimes).

Make sure and clean your gear ahead of time..and, yes, please shoot RAW.

HTH.

[Mike_Guilbault]

Unless you have some kind of stabilizer or VR type lens, you will want to shoot at a high enough shutter speed to minimize vibration and plane (and therefore your own) movement. This will help determine your iso. If you're leaving early in the morning you'll probably have to adjust your iso and WB as the sun rises. (I've been out at 4:00am on a lobster boat off of Yarmouth, NS, a few times catching the sunrise with a line of boats coming out of the harbour - beautiful to see!).

I believe that over water, a plane can come in to about 500', but over civilization, it's about 1500'. Even at that you should be able to get some great images. Bring a polarizing filter if you can to help with glare on the water but remember, you'll lose about 1.5 stops if you use it. The lenses that Robert suggested are great. If you can, you may want to bring two bodies with a lens on each. It can be difficult to fumble around in a small aircraft to change lenses. A good zoom would be perfect, something like the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm VR.

I was in a Cessna 172 (I believe) and we simply opened the window. It opens outward and upward, and the airflow kept it open and out of the way while we were flying. I had no problem shooting this way. Of course without the door, you have more flexibility and a greater view.

[Ray Cahen]

If you have a choice of pilots choose one who knows how to "side slip" into your subject instead of flying parallel to it. You will find that the higher you fly the more you have to decrease exposure over a ground meter reading. Take your ground reading and bracket exposures, noting the altitude. From your brackets determine how much to stop down at that altitude on later sorties. The need to stop down results from light reflecting off atmospheric junk which also decreases image contrast. In the old black and white days I used a red contrast filter on everything I shot from over 2,000 feet to improve contrast. A UV cut off filter should help with UV scatter. The polarizer should improve contrast. Watch out for vignetting when stacking filters. These techniques work with film, and I see no reason why digital results should not be similar. I would use a normal focal length lens if possible and side slip in as close as possible to avoid image blurr. I see no reason why you should not tape your focus ring at infinity if you are flying over 500 feet. Let your body absorbe the aircraft vibration. I've seen cases where gyro stabilizers failed due to contact with some point on the aircraft.
Good luck!

[DouglasUrner]

Many 172s have been modified (slightly) for aerial photography. The window in the passenger door is hinged at the top. As they come from the factory there is a strap on the window that limits how far it will open. These are often removed and then the window will open all the way and the slip stream will hold it up against the wing. It doesn't give you as much space as having the door off -- but it's a lot warmer.

If you had the budget, I'd suggest a helicopter instead of a fixed wing plane. The boat will be moving very slow compared to the plane (which will have to keep moving at 40+ knots (roughly, I forget the stall speed on a 172)). This means that you'll be spending quite a bit of time turning around and coming back to your subject. If there were one in the area, a Piper Super Cub would also be a good platform. In it the passenger and the pilot sit in tandem (like on a bicycle) and you'd be able to shoot out of both sides of the plane.

A plane with an intercom and headsets will make it easier to communicate with the pilot when you've got the window open / door off.

Find a pilot who has respect for the possibility of an engine failure. Photographing boats over water you've got conflicting interests -- if the engine fails you want as much altitude as you can get. To fill the frame you want to be low . . . You may be able to find a Cessna Skymaster (336 or 337) which is a high wing twin with engines at either end. It could increase your life expectancy

Unless you know that you have a "cast iron stomach" I'd suggest doing a test flight to get an idea of what the motion is going to feel like and how you will react. It will also give you an opportunity to get to know the pilot.

Doug