Shooting at air shows?

[slackercruster]

Any tips about shooting at air shows?

I've never been to one, but they look like they got some great photo ops. Do they have lots of action back to back? Or is it a more of a drawn out thing with lots of down time?

Thanks

 

[Timbo1961]

Well it depends on the airshow.
Most small ones have one performer at a time so depending on your area of interest, you may have lots of down-time between your shots.
Larger shows, like Oshkosh, have multiple levels of activity.... you can have aircraft taxiing, low flyovers, and high level formations all at the same time. They also have a raised platform for photographers.
So .... the answer is that it depends.
Also, it depends on your location. If you can get access to a "Photographers Area" it can help with better angles etc. so you will be busier.
When I have shot these in the past, always keep you eye in the viewfinder ... you can look at the pics later.
Also, just a bit of advice ... the bigger shows actually are pretty proactive in making sure that the images you take are not for you to sell. They state this on the tickets and I had a colleague who received a letter from the EAA stating that the images on his website, in his pay area for sale and download, had to be removed as they were trademarked by EAA according to the conditions of the admission ticket.
Strange but true...
Good luck !

 

[tirediron]

They are great photo ops! As mentioned, like any other public show, you need to be careful about the terms and conditions. The best advice I can offer is scout your location! I shot an airshow in San Diego a few years ago, and the day before I spent looking for my spot (This was an 'open' air show, that is no gates, etc) and found it on a corner of Pier (IIRC) 32. The air-show started at 1.00pm; I was at my spot with all my gear at 9.30am. That enabled me to get a shot like this one (Not shown for the stellar quality of the image, but rather how getting in the right spot can get you a great perspective).

Long, fast glass and a monopod are necessary, especially for the type where the public are corralled cattle-pen style, usually a long way from the action, but don't forget wide glass as well (two bodies are really a must) so that you can get images which show more than just the aircraft, since, like fireworks, background really helps. Example.

 

[SCraig]

It is going to vary from show to show. I went to one yesterday and my advice is to get there early, do what you want to do in the static displays, see what you want to see, and then stake out a place EARLY so that you can pick the best spot available. Front row is a must, and I prefer the ends of the ramp to the center. The ends are where the aircraft taxi back in and there are so great photo opportunities there. Being in the center is really meaningless since the flights will cover the entire airport area. Just be close enough to a speaker so that you can hear what is going on but not so close that it is in your field of view. There was an unscheduled appearance of a B-1 bomber at the show yesterday and had I not been where I could hear the announcer I never would have known about it until it came over my head.

As has been mentioned, two cameras is best. I had one with a 150-500 on a tripod and another with a 70-300 around my neck. I used every range from 70mm to 500mm during the show. Also be very aware of your exposure. Shooting against a sky is going to cause severe underexposure on the bottom of the aircraft in flight if you don't compensate for it. I normally shoot in manual but be sure and check your exposure every few minutes because the light can change dramatically pretty quickly unless it's a cloudless blue sky.

Also, be sure and watch behind you. Teams such as the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds normally have "Solo" pilots in addition to the formation team, and they love to come blistering across the crowd from behind.

At all of them I have been to, once the show starts there is very little down time. There is normally something going on from beginning to end.