Aircraft photography may not seem to be your dream job but it can earn you great happiness. Once you become a professional aircraft photographer you can get paid handsomely for your aircraft photography skills. You might begin as an amateur and do aircraft photography as a hobby but the progress to becoming a professional takes skill and vision.
The scope of earning a handsome amount in aircraft photography domain is high. You can either work as an aircraft photographer for a firm or establish your own aircraft photography business. You need to be passionate about aircraft and photography both in order to pursue your career as an aircraft photographer.
The camera is one of the important components of any type of aircraft photography session. Although, aircraft photography can be done by using any camera you need the best outcome.
Let’s learn about the basic features of a camera and which camera is the best for doing aircraft photography.
The Basic Properties of Camera for Aircraft Photography
It doesn’t matter which camera you end up buying to get the best aircraft photography results. Always look for the four basic features in a camera for doing aircraft photography-
· Resolution: Resolution is a more commonly referred to as Megapixel. Resolution is the image formed by the camera in pixels (dots) that make up the photo. The cameras of today offer a high resolution that is more than enough for common uses.
· Sensor Size: With a larger sensor size, you can get aircraft portraits that are clearer and nicer. The difference between a higher megapixel smartphone camera and a lower megapixel DSLR is visible. The smartphone sensor size is tiny whereas, the DSLR camera’s sensor size is very large. The sensor size has an impact on what your camera actually sees and the image quality.
· Focal Length: In technical terms, the focal length is the distance between the sensor and the lenses. The focal length will determine how zoomed in your aircraft portrait will appear.
· Crop Factor: The same focal length can result in a different field of view depending on the size of the sensor. The crop factor does the function of expressing that. The crop factor will determine what focal length lens you need on a full frame sensor camera. It specifies how much zoomed in will the final image appear small sensor cameras.
Which Camera to Use for Aircraft Photography
Basically, there are four types of digital cameras namely compact cameras, superzoom cameras, mirror-less cameras, and DSLR cameras. To get the best aircraft photography results, it is recommended to use a DSLR camera no matter the model. A DSLR is the best choice if you plan to pursue aircraft photography in the long-run.
- A DSLR camera is well-equipped with an optical viewfinder and the ability to change lenses. It is the type of camera used by the most professional aircraft photographers.
- The DSLR camera has relatively large sensors generally APS-C or full frame size.
- When you photograph an aircraft using a DSLR camera, you can view the actual scene as if through binoculars. This feature of a DSLR is very beneficial when capturing a fast moving aircraft.
- To begin your aircraft photography journey, you can get a DSLR kit with one or two lenses. Even an entry-level DSLR camera with its kit lens will result in ok images if you know your equipment. Aircraft portraits of superior quality will require an investment in more expensive lenses.