I've just begun a bit of aviation photography at my home airports of PHL and DUB. I was wondering if there are any threads in this forum you gents could point to that answer the 6,000 beginner questions I have. (e.g. general photography questions about ISO settings, how to compose a good photograph, can one do respectable aviation photography with an entry level DSLR?, what type of post shoot editing/processing is typical of photos in different circumstances?, how can one begin experimenting with dusk/night photography?, etc.)
I'm sure many other novices will have identical questions, so I thought perhaps there was a single thread that had aggregated these topics. If there is, do they come up frequently enough to warrant pinning it?
Finally, I just wanted to share a personal anecdote. My first day out spotting at PHL happened to be the Sunday before the US election. President Obama and Hillary Clinton were due to arrive at some point in the evening, in time for a 7PM appearance. I didn't know about this until I met up with a gentleman at around 3PM who himself had come out to do some spotting. He mentioned the arrival of Air Force One. It got dark rather early, and despite leaving us alone for hours, the local police eventually asked us to leave before we ever got to see the VC-25. We did get to see the SH-3 Marine One in front of a hangar. It was great fun, and really put a bee in my bonnet for this hobby. However, before I invest money in better equipment, I would like to become comfortable and competent using my little D40X, hence this thread.
Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
Re: Pinned "Beginner" Thread?
I don't know of a thread that would answer all your questions. As for airliners.net, the Photo Acceptance Guide found on the Photo Upload page at least gives you an idea of what the site looks for in accepting an image. In the mean time, I can try to answer a few of the questions that you raised:
You can do aviation photography with current generation entry level DSLR's. A decent zoom lens is a must unless you have ramp access to get up close. A 70-300mm lens works well.
ISO 200 is a safe setting to use. I almost always use ISO 200 and use JPEG file format. I use lower ISO's and RAW if I'm doing night photography using a tripod. Panning at night would require a higher ISO and expertise in post processing Noise Reduction.
Post processing is almost always necessary for issues such as leveling, sharpening, contrast adjustments, cropping, etc.
While we'd love to have contributions of good images to the site, there's more to aviation photography than posting on airliners.net... Therefore, if you like an image you have taken, then it works!
If you have other specific questions, ask them here. You can also post sample images in the Photography Feedback forum and I'm sure folks will give you feedback.
Jehan
You can do aviation photography with current generation entry level DSLR's. A decent zoom lens is a must unless you have ramp access to get up close. A 70-300mm lens works well.
ISO 200 is a safe setting to use. I almost always use ISO 200 and use JPEG file format. I use lower ISO's and RAW if I'm doing night photography using a tripod. Panning at night would require a higher ISO and expertise in post processing Noise Reduction.
Post processing is almost always necessary for issues such as leveling, sharpening, contrast adjustments, cropping, etc.
While we'd love to have contributions of good images to the site, there's more to aviation photography than posting on airliners.net... Therefore, if you like an image you have taken, then it works!
If you have other specific questions, ask them here. You can also post sample images in the Photography Feedback forum and I'm sure folks will give you feedback.
Jehan
Re: Pinned "Beginner" Thread?
Three possible options:
1. Pop to a Bookstore and buy a guide to photography. The key page will be on lighting, the times and seasons it will best to shoot.
2. The archive pages on the Photography Forum have an abundance of guidance, albeit in question and answer form. If you are a loose end one afternoon, have a browse through the Forum.
3. Trial and error. This is the digi age; go out and experiment! You aren't burning through loads of 35mm film and waiting to see the results! You can look at Flickr for other photographers work and hopefully, if they haven't hidden their EXIF settings, you can get some ideas.
Good luck.
1. Pop to a Bookstore and buy a guide to photography. The key page will be on lighting, the times and seasons it will best to shoot.
2. The archive pages on the Photography Forum have an abundance of guidance, albeit in question and answer form. If you are a loose end one afternoon, have a browse through the Forum.
3. Trial and error. This is the digi age; go out and experiment! You aren't burning through loads of 35mm film and waiting to see the results! You can look at Flickr for other photographers work and hopefully, if they haven't hidden their EXIF settings, you can get some ideas.
Good luck.
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