Helicopters fighting Noosa bushfires

[cris_m]

Hi, Took these yesterday during the bushfires. All cc welcome
Both iso 200, f7.1,400mm, 1st 1/500, 2nd 1/1600

Cris

[FlyingPhotog]

Very nice set.

The composition of #1 gives a definte "Man Vs Nature" vibe. Good timing to catch the drop in #2...

Only nit: Shutter Speed is a bit high causing pretty frozen blades. Lower it and get some nice rotor disc blur...

[cris_m]

Thanks for that, I have struggled with this lens (100-400) at 400 and handheld, hopefully as time progresses I will try and bring the speed down a bit to give some more movement. Heres another.

[Moppie]

When they are this dramitc, well exposed and so perfectly composed, who cares about frozen or blurred rotor blades.

[FlyingPhotog]

When they are this dramitc, well exposed and so perfectly composed, who cares about frozen or blurred rotor blades.

JMO, keeping the little things in mind as a background to the big picture is one of the key things that sets photographers apart from "picture takers."

Granted, if one doesn't shoot aviation subjects on a regular basis, it's not a key thought. However, you post, you learn and eventually the little things just become second nature allowing you to concentrate much less on the mechanics and much more on composition and exposure.

Don't get me wrong, I think these are stellar in and of themselves... ;)

[Moppie]

Don't get me wrong, I think these are stellar in and of themselves... ;)


Exactly :cool:

Having to have prop blur is something created by photographers with a fetish for aviation. There is good reason behind it, if you know anything about aircraft, then you know that if the prop is stopped, the flight is about to end, usually in a bad way.
But remember not everyone is an aviation buff, and not every photo of an aircraft is about that aircraft.

In this case these photos tell a much wider, more import story, and do that beautifully, with out prop blur :)

[FlyingPhotog]

Exactly :cool:

Having to have prop blur is something created by photographers with a fetish for aviation.

I disagree. It's not a "fetish" and it's not limited to only aviation photography. It's the generally accepted way to suggest movement in a non-moving image. It's no different than panning in motor racing, shooting slow enough to get some pedal blur in cycling or setting the preferred shutter speed when doing an automotive rig shot.

There is good reason behind it, if you know anything about aircraft, then you know that if the prop is stopped, the flight is about to end, usually in a bad way. But remember not everyone is an aviation buff, and not every photo of an aircraft is about that aircraft.

I realize not every photo that contains an aircraft is about the aircraft itself but it's simply jarring to see a prop driven aircraft where the prop appears to not be moving.

It's doubly jarring when you do know why prop blur is generally prefered.

In this case these photos tell a much wider, more import story, and do that beautifully, with out prop blur :)

That's why I said what I said in the second line above: The fine points of shooting propeller-driven objects isn't second nature for every photographer.

But if you choose to persue more images in this genre, it's a technique that will become second nature with time and practice.

However if no one ever, ever bothers to bring up the concept of "Prop Blur" in the first place nor bothers to describe how and/or why it's preferred over a totally frozen prop, then someone just blindly goes on making every photo look as if it's an in-flight emergency.

Maybe I didn't make it clear enough but I think the OPs images are awesome as is. From a purely composition and exposure point of view, they're first class.

[xMClass]

When they are this dramitc, well exposed and so perfectly composed, who cares about frozen or blurred rotor blades.


Agreed. Nice shots. Looks like a big fire.

[PhotosGuy]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/PhotosGuy/Forum%20Junk/Welcome-ChargerRT_020.gif

[Scout7id]

Nice shots. I agree with FlyingPhotog as far as the rotor blur is concerned. I look at pics that I took back when I was in the army and wish that I'd known then what I know now. I've got some fantastic pics of helos in Ft. Hunter-Liggett but most of them have frozen rotors. Irks me now...

But now you know and you'll think about that on the next shoot. That's what this photography thing is about, constant learning and applying that knowledge. BTW, very nice pics.

[asysin2leads]

OP, these are nice images. They do tell a story and that's the underlying point, right? I have a crap load of nice shots with frozen props/rotors. That comes with time and practice.

JMO, keeping the little things in mind as a background to the big picture is one of the key things that sets photographers apart from "picture takers."


I agree with that statement. However, If someone grabs their camera and takes an impromptu photo, without taking the time to think about exact settings, it's hard to get proper prop/rotor blur. I'm guilty of that! It happens. Happened just the other day to me. I keep my camera in my bag at iso 100, AV mode at f/2.8. There was a unusual prop-driven plane go over my head that would have made a great shot. Well, the TV came out to 1/1250. If I had planned that shot, I would have set the TV mode at 1/250. Things happen. Turns out that the picture looked like crap with the frozen props. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

[Mick Finn]

Agree with Flyingphotog.
A lot of people make this mistake when taking helicopter or prop driven aircraft shots. With helicopters, set your shutter to about 1/250 or lower and you should be fine. Most light helicopters are fairly close when it comes to rotor rpm.
Have a look here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=540766

Anyway nice shots. I flew the same type on fires 2 season's ago in Southern Australia.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/Micksphotos/308-2.jpg

[ChunkyDA]

OP, great lighting, nice captures

[3Turner]

Nice set, #1 is a great composition.

[cris_m]

Thanks for the feedback-very encouraging.

Cris:)