Things to keep in mind for perfecting your aviation photography

We see them every day overhead, and they always make us look up and admire their beauty. There will always be a certain romantic element attached with airplanes. After all they are the personification of a unfulfilled desire in men that has haunted him for thousands of years- flight. This and the opportunity for travel and adventure that they present with their long range makes them very much fitting for the awe that they inspire in us. From an artistic point of view, their streamlined shape and design are very attractive. No wonder they are the muse of an emergent trend in photography- aviation photography. Aviation photography is a fast-growing community. More and more photographers are discovering that not only is it challenging—it's also a lot of fun. Plus, it requires very little equipment.Here we take two practices that can help you polish your aviation photography skills-

Shutter speed- everybody knows this- to keep a fast moving object, you should choose the fast shutter speed settings for the camera. While this is also a good advice for an airplane photographer, it can also cause your photographs to lose their charm if taken too far. One should keep in mind that airplanes are something that is meant to be in motion and not at rest. But a common mistake that amateur aircraft photographer do is that they lower the shutter speed so much that the airplane appears completely static, hanging in midair. This takes certain beauty out of the photographs. Ideally one should choose shutter speeds that are able to capture the body of the aircraft clearly while providing the rotors with the typical motion blur that signifies that the aircraft is not completely static. As a rule of thumb, propeller driven aircraft should not be captured with shutter speeds lower than 1/250 of a second. For helicopters, they must be kept even lower for best aviation photography quality.

Setting- looking at the best in aviation photography one can clearly see that it is not only about the aircraft that one is trying the capture, it is also about the settings and backdrop in which it is captured. Framing of the scene is equally important. Experienced aircraft photographers agree that the best time to capture truly beautiful photographs of airplanes is at dawn or dusk, when sunlight falls on them at lower angles. Besides this there are things that are up to chance such as weather. An aircraft with a cloudy sky in the background makes for wonderful photographs. Clear skies are not your friend when it comes to aviation photography. Snow and water also help in getting good photos. Not only do they add aesthetic beauty in the photographs, they can also reflect light to the underside of aircraft which makes them more visible.

Shooting range- whether it is shooting with a gun or with a camera, you need lots and lots of practice before you can master your weapon. As an aviation photographer you should ideally find your proverbial shooting range as early as possible. While aviation shows are good opportunities to witness and capture aircrafts, you need some options that are available throughout the year where you can hone your airplane photography further. These will most likely be the closest airports and airfields to you. Talk to the people in charge, get the necessary permissions and form close relationships with the people who work with aircrafts. These people who are passionate about aviation can not only help you get more opportunities to capture best aircraft portraits, they can also improve your perspective about aircrafts.