Are you planning to do aircraft photography and want to create amazing aircraft portraits?
Becoming an aircraft photographer is by choice but becoming the best aircraft photographer comes with practice. Aircraft photography is an art which can be mastered if you have a good knowledge of it. The aircraft photographers have an interest in aircraft and aviation since the very beginning. Many of the aircraft photographers are also pilots due to their love for the aircraft.
You can start doing aircraft photography from any moment you feel like. At first, you can begin taking aircraft portraits with your smartphone and gradually upgrade to a DSLR camera. With constant practice, you can specialize in the genre of aircraft photography and become a professional aircraft photographer.
You can master aircraft photography skills if you reside in close proximity to the airfield or an aviation academy.
Tips to Become the Best Aircraft Photographer
You can take aircraft photography to the next level by following the useful tips given below-
- Camera Settings: Prior to beginning aircraft photography, set the camera around shutter speed according to the subject. The fast-paced flying aircraft require a higher shutter speed. You can forget to change the camera settings from one display to the other while capturing aircraft portraits.
- Sunlight: It is important to take note of the sun while doing aircraft photography. It is recommended to shoot aircraft with the sun behind you. You can experiment to create a silhouette effect when the sun is behind the aircraft.
- Be Prepared for all types of weather: To be a dedicated aircraft photographer, you must be prepared to shoot in any weather. Remember you can capture some of the best aircraft portraits during the rain. However, for that, you must keep the equipment to protect your camera and lens from it.
- Keep the camera and lens clean: Always keep your camera and lenses clean to get clearer aircraft portraits. The dust spots are evitable when you are doing aircraft photography in the open sky.
- Keep extra batteries and memory cards: When doing aircraft photography outdoor or in air shows you must have extra batteries and memory cards. Carrying extra batteries and memory cards will ensure you never miss on any opportunity to capture the best aircraft portraits.
- Thinking outside the box: You can be a creative aircraft photographer if you try to include the surrounding landscape in your aircraft portrait composition. Also, you need to figure out the things to be avoided in your aircraft portrait.
- Carry the Stand: If you tend to do aircraft photography around an airbase you will need a stand or small ladder. It is so because most airbases have high fences which can be difficult shooting through.
- A Lens with Decent Zoom: You should carry the camera lenses with a decent zoom to get a closer look at the aircraft. The zoomed in lenses also helps in bringing out the minute details of the aircraft.
- Shooting Raw: It is best to shoot the aircraft images in raw format. It is recommended if you have the editing function in the camera and editing software.