Heading to Alaska next week. I was thinking of chartering a plane for flight seeing around Mount McKinley and the Denali NP. Looking for guidance for shooting photos of landscape from a plane, what aperture, shutter speed to use, is it better to be in manual or aperture priority? Would like to shoot out an open window, but I am not counting on it, more likely thru the window. I have a Canon 5d Mark II, 24-105 lens on it. Tried a search but only get posts about airplanes and air shows.
Alaska flight seeing tour
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JoshuaSimPhotography
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Aperture: Try a very wide one as you will probably have a wing in front of you, so you want to also focus the distant background
Shutter SPeed: Very fast...You're going to move fast!
A or M: If you're gonna take a lot of pics, try A as you will continuously experience the chaining of light as there are a lot of clouds that occasionally block the suns light
Shutter SPeed: Very fast...You're going to move fast!
A or M: If you're gonna take a lot of pics, try A as you will continuously experience the chaining of light as there are a lot of clouds that occasionally block the suns light
WesternGuy
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Have a look here - Tips For Taking Photos from an Airplane – PictureCorrect , and here - Aerial Photography: Tips for Your First Flying Experience . I haven't done any photography from an airplane in about 15 months, but it really isn't that much different than taking photos on the ground, but there are some things to watch for ;
1) Be careful of the sky and the sun as they can mislead your camera's meter - really the same as shooting on the ground, but in the air, the sky tends to be a bigger part of the picture.
2) Watch that you don't lean the camera on any part of the moving plane while you are taking pictures - the vibration will ruin the shot.
3) Make a list of what you want to photograph before you go and make sure the pilot understands what you want to photograph. He will be able to tell you what is and is not possible.
4) If possible, get a topographic map of the area so you will have some idea of where you are going and discuss the route with the pilot beforehand. Take the map with you on the flight.
5) If you are shooting Mt. McKinley, remember that if most of the scene is glaciers or snow, then you should shoot it like you would a winter scene. Can't comment on Denali NP.
6) If it is hazy, as a lot of mountain areas are these days, take a haze filter or a polarizer, if you have them. The polarizer will help to cut down some of the haze and will help with reflections off lakes and even the ice and snow on mountains.
7) If it is a 4-seater aircraft, you may want to think about sitting in the second row as this may get you away from the wing a bit, but check it out first. Better still, if the plane is equipped with skis, maybe the pilot will land you on some remote glacier so you can really get a look at the scenery.
8) Try and get a high-wing aircraft. That way you will have a better view of the ground and the scenery without an interfering wing.
As far as aperture, shutter speed, etc., you will be far enough away from your "scenics" that you will have to use a moderately small aperture to get the subjects in focus with the appropriate depth of field, e.g. probably, f11 and above (personally, I would use f16). Shooting in either manual or aperture priority is really up to you. Personally, I would shoot in aperture priority, rather than trying to shoot in manual mode - things change too quickly, in my experience, to use manual mode effectively. When it comes to shutter speed, a lot depends on how close to the ground you are. If you are flying above 500 feet, then you probably don't need a really fast shutter speed, because the scenes you want to shoot are really not going anywhere - if you were flying in a fighter jet, then that would be quite a different matter, but you aren't, so normal speeds should be okay, because you are not moving that fast relative to the landscape you are trying to photograph. HTH. Please, share some of your images with us when you have them. HTH
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WesternGuy
1) Be careful of the sky and the sun as they can mislead your camera's meter - really the same as shooting on the ground, but in the air, the sky tends to be a bigger part of the picture.
2) Watch that you don't lean the camera on any part of the moving plane while you are taking pictures - the vibration will ruin the shot.
3) Make a list of what you want to photograph before you go and make sure the pilot understands what you want to photograph. He will be able to tell you what is and is not possible.
4) If possible, get a topographic map of the area so you will have some idea of where you are going and discuss the route with the pilot beforehand. Take the map with you on the flight.
5) If you are shooting Mt. McKinley, remember that if most of the scene is glaciers or snow, then you should shoot it like you would a winter scene. Can't comment on Denali NP.
6) If it is hazy, as a lot of mountain areas are these days, take a haze filter or a polarizer, if you have them. The polarizer will help to cut down some of the haze and will help with reflections off lakes and even the ice and snow on mountains.
7) If it is a 4-seater aircraft, you may want to think about sitting in the second row as this may get you away from the wing a bit, but check it out first. Better still, if the plane is equipped with skis, maybe the pilot will land you on some remote glacier so you can really get a look at the scenery.
8) Try and get a high-wing aircraft. That way you will have a better view of the ground and the scenery without an interfering wing.
As far as aperture, shutter speed, etc., you will be far enough away from your "scenics" that you will have to use a moderately small aperture to get the subjects in focus with the appropriate depth of field, e.g. probably, f11 and above (personally, I would use f16). Shooting in either manual or aperture priority is really up to you. Personally, I would shoot in aperture priority, rather than trying to shoot in manual mode - things change too quickly, in my experience, to use manual mode effectively. When it comes to shutter speed, a lot depends on how close to the ground you are. If you are flying above 500 feet, then you probably don't need a really fast shutter speed, because the scenes you want to shoot are really not going anywhere - if you were flying in a fighter jet, then that would be quite a different matter, but you aren't, so normal speeds should be okay, because you are not moving that fast relative to the landscape you are trying to photograph. HTH. Please, share some of your images with us when you have them. HTH
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WesternGuy
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Chartering a plane to see McKinley is the best way to see it, but for Denali taking the all-day bus trip is much better. It's well worth the price (it includes lunch) and you really get to see the landscape and animals up close. Just my thoughts. No matter how you see Alaska, it's worth it !
Thanks for the replies, Great advice Joshua and Western Guy. Nod, were doing the bus trip in Denali but also have a morning free. One of the options is a flight seeing trip to McKinley. I watch B&H Cameras event special on Landscape Photography with Nat Geos Michael Milford. He mentions the flight seeing charters in Alaska which got me thinking about chartering a plane
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