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Photographing My First Airshow Tips & Things I Learned

Airshows are a lot of fun!! I really did not expect to enjoy an Airshow as much I did. I also never thought I would go to an Airshow. Watching so many photographers consistently going to Airshows made me curious to see what it's all about. I also like to challenge myself with trying new types of photography.

On September 18th, I visited the Joint Base Andrews Air & Space Expo outside of Washington DC. I am by no means an expert in Aviation Photography & Airshows but I did learn a lot. I also made some mistakes and hope that this blog will alert you to things to look out for so that you get great shots.

I think my timing was fantastic since I watched Top Gun just a few days earlier :). Watching the movie really makes you appreciate the skills of these pilots. But when you seem them live it is incredibly impressive. It really makes you proud to see the pilots fly pass you at over 1,000 miles per hour performing all sorts of aeronautical maneuevers. The sounds of the engines blasting past you is just an awe-inspiring experience.

Take Off

Before going to the show I did some research on various websites, YouTube and Instagram to understand how to photograph the planes. It is not easy!! The planes approach you at incredible speeds and they are gone in seconds.

One thing I should mention is that the Airshows are incredibly well organized. Given that the military runs an Airshow -- the logistics are flawless.

How do I find out where to see an Airshow?

To find out where you can see an Airshow, I found 2 websites that are very helpful. The first is Milavia Air Show Calendar and the second is Air Show Center. The good thing is that you can find shows taking place all over the country.

Once you find a show that you want to attend it is important to read more about the specific Airshow. What I mean by that is that you should check out what kinds of planes will be flying (see below). This is important because there are different camera setting that you need to know for Jets vs Propeller Planes vs Helicopters. The other thing to pay attention to is what you are allowed to bring with you and what you are not allowed to bring. Will there be fast jets? Warbirds? Stunt planes? Which way is the runway orientated? Where will the sun be? Here is an example from the website of Joint Base Andrews of a few of the Aerial Performers:

From Joint Base Andrews Air & Space Expo

My Photography Checklist

It is always a good idea to make a checklist so you don't forget anything like extra batteries or SD cards. Especially since you cannot drive on to a military base. So you will end up parking a few miles away and taking a bus to the military base. Here’s a look at what’s on my airshow checklist:

  • Tickets are usually free
  • Camera (s) Canon R3
  • Lens (100-500 mm)
  • *Tripod + Gimbal (*will bring next time)
  • CF 128 GB Cards x 2 but I should have brought more
  • Lens Wipes and Microfiber
  • Ear Plugs or Apple AirPods with Noise Cancelling
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Hat

Rules & Regulations

Airshows are run by various branches of the military so there are lots of rules of prohibited items. You also cannot drive onto a military base. At the airshow I attended we parked at the Fedex Stadium and they had 100s of busses taking people back and forth. It was very impressive how well organized it is. A few of the things you cannot bring with you:

  • Beverages - Reusable emptied personal bottles are permitted
  • All Food
  • Drones
  • Weapons Duh!!

Get There Early

Airshows are surprisingly popular. More than 30,000 people attended the airshow each day at Joint Base Andrews.

Not getting there early was my first mistake. You should definitely get there early so you can get a good position. I could not get a great position. It also takes some time to walk around and figure out where to stand. If you want to stake out a good spot right against the guard rail, you’ll want to be the first group to arrive.

How do you Track the Aircrafts

Airshows are very well organized. An announcer will keep the crowd informed about types of aircrafts, which direction the aircraft is approaching from, and their speeds and altitudes.

Lenses

I brought my Canon RF 100-500 mm lens. I think this is a great choice for an airshow. You will not be able to get close up shots unless you have a long lens. I think you really need a lens with a focal distance of not less than 300 mm because the airplanes are often quite far away.

Less than 18 inches apart

Bring Large Memory Cards

You’ll be taking shots left, right and center practically non-stop. I have never taking so many shots in such a short period of time. I came back with more than 7000 photos!

I had 2 (128 GB) Cards in my Canon Camera. It only took about 1 hour and change to go through the first card. I almost filled the second card. So bring a lot of SD Cards. This was my second mistake I should have had back up SDs. Don’t get caught short, always pack an extra memory card or two.

Shoot in C-RAW (Canon)

RAW files produces better detail, smoother tones and images that respond better to post-production. On my Canon camera there is a setting called C-RAW, a compressed raw file. This was my 3rd mistake. I should have shot in C-RAW since it writes a smaller file to the SD Card. Shooting in C-RAW will prevent you from hitting the buffer.

Metering Metering

The most common metering modes are Evaluative Metering, Center-Weighted Metering and Spot Metering. I shot the entire show in Evaluative Metering. I think I need to read more about the best metering for Airshows.

Less than 18 Inches Apart

I found a webpage that said that "At an airshow, Center -weighted metering is the way to go. This metering mode calculates exposure by reading the reflected light coming from the center of the frame. This means that the center of the image (which will usually be where your aircraft is located in the frame) will be prioritized in determining exposure, delivering a correctly exposed image." I need to read more about this because the planes can reflect a lot of light.

Shutter Speed and Aperture

Shutter Speed is the hardest part of shooting an Airshow. Airshow photography requires shooting under a range of conditions. One minute you’re photographing planes that are on Exhibit on the ground and the next you’re trying to shoot an F-35A buzzing by the crowd at more than 1000 miles per hour.

For my first show I chose to work in shutter priority mode. Shutter priority allows you to quickly change your shutter speed while the camera automatically selects the appropriate aperture for a good exposure.

When photographing flying planes, shutter speed is also tied to the type of plane. Depending on whether the plane is a jet or a prop (propeller-driven aircraft), there are two different settings needed. For fast moving jets, a faster shutter speed will minimize camera shake while panning, giving you a nice, sharp image.

For planes with propellers, you want to use a slower shutter speed so that the propellers are slightly blurred. An aircraft with completely frozen propellers can look unnatural or broken. Because prop aircraft are slower, you can lower your shutter speed while you pan to get some nicely blurred blades.

For my first Airshow I used Auto ISO and Shutter Priority (TV) and I think it worked well. My ISO was between 160 and 320 and I could easily change my Shutter Speed. I should have used some negative Exposure Compensation since the planes reflect a lot of light and its easy to blow out the highlights.

For a slower propeller plane/helicopters starting out with speeds of 1/250 to 1/125 is good. Faster Props 1/500th to 1/250 (panning) and Jets at 1/2000 to 1/1600. This is another mistake I made. I was shooting too fast of a shutter speed for the Prop Planes so I did not get a great propeller blur. Another mistake I made was when the Jets came out I forgot to increase my Shutter Speed to 1/2000th for the first few minutes.

If your camera lets you set up custom shooting functions C1, C2, C3, set one up for shooting jets (AV Mode, min shutter speed 1/1600, auto ISO). Set up another for photographing prop planes (TV mode 1/160, Auto ISO). This will allow you to quickly switch to the correct settings based upon if your shooting jets or props.

Exposure Compensation

When taking photos of planes the sky takes up at least half of the scene. This can confuse the camera’s built-in metering system. When the camera’s metering system takes an average of all the tones in the image and ‘sees’ an expanse of bright sky, the actual aircraft can be under-exposed or over-exposed. I still need to do more research on the best metering mode. It is something to not overlook.

ISO

I think Auto ISO is the way to go. Of course the lower the ISO better. I put the ISO setting in "Auto" and adjusted the aperture and shutter speed settings This method also allows me to only worry about over exposure as the Auto ISO will work to eliminate under exposure.

Should you Bring a Tripod?

For the first show I did not bring my Tripod. Holding a long lens for a few hours can definitely get tiring. So I definitely understand the rationale to bring a Tripod. Probably, for my next Airshow I will bring a Tripod with me. That being said, I would definitely bring a Tripod and a Gimbal Head. You will be able to pan much better with the Gimbal.

Drive Modes

Make sure to setup in a high speed burst mode. On my Canon I was shooting in Servo but I have a few options for Drive Modes H+ or H using the Electronic Shutter. On the Canon R3 the banding issue that you sometimes see is non existent in my photos. The only problem is in H+ I am shooting 30 FPS. I quickly realized I was shooting way too many photos so I switched to H which is 15 FPS. Even with the lower Drive Mode I still shot over 7000 photos.

Panning

Panning is the use of a slower shutter speed combined with a ‘sweeping’ motion of the camera so that your lens tracks the subject at roughly the same speed. Next, align your body so your hips are parallel to the flight line (this is usually the runway) with your feet a shoulder’s width apart. Place your left hand under your lens to support its weight. Use your right hand to hold the right side of the camera, finger ready to depress the shutter button. Point your lens toward the approaching aircraft and start moving your camera in sync to keep it within the viewfinder. Once the aircraft is close enough, depress the shutter, keeping it depressed until the aircraft has passed.

A good panned shot will put your main subject in sharp focus while the background is blurred. It is harder than it seems and requires practice.

To pan with your subject, put your camera in shutter priority mode and select a slower shutter speed like 1/60th-1/125th of a second. The slower the shutter speed, the more the background will be blurred. The reason it is also difficult is that at your first show you don't want to miss anything. I should have experimented more with lower shutter speeds.

Autofocus Tracking

Trying to manually keep a flying aircraft in focus can be a real difficult. Autofocus is the way to go for photographing aircraft in the air. There are several autofocus modes on my R3 , you definitely want to shoot in AI Servo (Canon) since the planes are moving. I also turned on Subject Tracking, Enabled Vehicle Tracking and Turned Off Eye Detection.

I also used a wider AF Area. On the R3 I used Zone 1 AF which tracks only the area restricted AF are mode that puts the area where you think you’d like to track the planes, so you’re not battling with the AF system hitting everything while moving and not locking on the planes.

White Balance

Usually an airshow will last the entire day. This gives way to a ton of different lighting conditions. I set my camera to AWB (auto white balance) – your camera will automatically adjust depending on daylight, cloudy or shady conditions. The only thing to watch out for is that some of the plane exhibits are in hangars that are illuminated by tungsten or fluorescent light and you may need to change your WB set your camera accordingly.

Post-Processing

Just a few tips on post-processing. I would highly recommend using Masking feature Subject Detect in Lightroom and also inverting Subject Detect for the sky. Subject detect will allow you to bring up the shadows and exposure only on the plane. I also highly recommend using Topaz Denoise and Sharpening to clean up the images.

Conclusion

Airshows are a unique, high-decibel opportunity to see aircrafts that we rarely get to see. It is very impressive to witness the incredible maneuvers and training of the pilots. The entire atmosphere of the airshow is a lot of fun.

While it may take a little preparation, airshow photography is very rewarding experience that you should definitely try out. I will be definitely going again and hopefully improve the quality of my shots.

Created By
Vito L Tanzi
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