Skydiving Photography

[Noni]

Hi, all.

Skydiving is incredible. To be out in the sky, dancing with clouds, playing with friends and riding sunbeams is an extraordinary experience. It is not the safest thing I've ever done, but indeed one of the most amazing and satisfying things I've done.

However, I don't think I will ever, ever, ever put a camera on my head, use a tongue trigger to trip the shutter, or use a sight ring to frame the shots, not to mention the business of actually skydiving at the same time.

Here is what the good skytogs use...it caught my eye, and I thought I'd share with you what I see regularly roaming around the dropzone. I don't know the first thing about equipment, but these shots shows you all the stuff on their head. And yeah, they also shoot video at the same time they're taking stills.

Enjoy!
Noni

[felix21685]

wow that looks pretty cool..impressive

[sykocus]

when i went the camera man had a video camera and a film rebel with a clear tube that he I assumed he use to trip the shutter. Any idea how that works? Blow in the tube? It looked like a lot of fun. I know I had a lot of fun.

http://www.sykocus.net/hosted/images/syk_diving11.jpg

[Skip Souza]

What? Jump out of a perfectly well flying aircraft? :shock: :shock: :shock:

Good captures.

[Noni]

Any idea how that works? Blow in the tube? It looked like a lot of fun. I know I had a lot of fun.
I think either there is something like a remote shutter release that is either triggered by the tongue or the teeth, but to be honest, I have no clue. I've not looked at the equipment all that closely.

It is amazing fun. I tore my delta ligament in my right ankle back in February (not skydiving...), and have been grounded. But the sky calls, and I do believe I will be making my first jump of the year this week some time. And I just can't wait.

Skip, I understand your question. The stock answer is there is no such thing as a safe plane, or a perfectly flying one. But that answer doesn't address the reality of the thing. There is something so big and challenging to actually look fear in the face, acknowledge it, and move through it into the sky that changes perspectives about the rest of life. And then, in those moments of freefall, to be flying like birds do, to touch a cloud, to smile at your friends 2 miles above the earth - in the air, not in a plane!!! - to touch the sun before it touches the earth...is simply amazing and beyond imagination.

It's definitely not a sport for everyone...just like most extreme sports (why climb up a mountain face with only your hands and feet? Why swim with sharks? Why drive through Los Angeles during rush hour? :smile:), but I love it.

I'm glad you all liked the skytogs' shots. I'll take a closer look the next time I'm there, and ask some questions.

Best-
Noni

[Jonny]

Here's one i took today!!!!!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.speed/Forums%20Pictures/skyd.jpg

[cmM]

wow that's crazy.... I really wanna do this some day. (skydive, not necessarely take pics while doing it :P)

[Noni]

Jonny - you jump? That is a great shot! I love the highlighting of the ribs in the canopy. My moving shots aren't good enough yet - but they will be. I just can't seem to time them well.

We had a bunch of Brits over at my DZ on holiday; they were fun to chat with.

cmM, there's a dz near you (several, actually), so if you need directions, just let me know - I'll be happy to see who I know out there and hook you up.

Thanks for looking, all...they were fun to shoot - especially as they weren't aware I was shooting them.

Best-
Noni

[PhotosGuy]

What? Jump out of a perfectly well flying aircraft?:D:D:D I know what you mean & I did it once (I thought) with some friends to see what it was like. Took a new Rollie 35 'cause it was small & fit in a pocket, but it had a back that slides up to close & it pushed the film off the sprockets so I got nothing & had to go again a few weeks later! Those 3 jumps were my limit! Watching that airplane flying away... ;-)

[Jonny]

Jonny - you jump? That is a great shot!

Best-
Noni

Thanks,

I used to jump but not anymore. I did AFF back in the early nineties and did about 60 jumps.
I quit after about 18 months.
About 2 years ago i went back and had another crack at it but the thrill had gone!

Now i just nip down to the local DZ now and again and take pics. They have some CRW going on in a few weeks so that should be good for a few shots.

[Noni]

They have some CRW going on in a few weeks so that should be good for a few shots.
CRW.....drool. I will never intentionally do CRW (at least not at my experience and currency level), but building formations in the sky, 10-15 canopies all flying linked together with hands andfeet - wow. That particular risk is just too much for me right now.

60 jumps? That's a nice number to decide if you like the sport or it's worth the risk to you. I've got just over 100 under my belt, and hopefully - if I stay injury free - I'll get to add 50 to that over the summer (and no, not skydiving injuries...I am a clutz in every day life...I fell out of the bath once and knocked myself silly; currently I am healing from a torn lig in my ankle from going thru a doorway...sigh...)

PhotosGuy, three's a charm! At least you've smelled the air at 12,500 feet - a totally different smell...and you're totally correct - watching the plane fall away is one heck of an experience.

Best-
Noni

[Skip Souza]

And screaming. You forgot to mention screaming.
Amen brother. :eek: :eek: :eek:

[PhotosGuy]

...screaming.

[Noni]

And screaming. You forgot to mention screaming.
LOL! Somehow, I never screamed. Well, except for when my parachute didn't open correctly. When that happened, they heard me on the ground...LOLOLOL!

I did hear screaming once. The student had two instructors holding on to him, probably his first or second jump, and they got in place at the door. Rock out, rock in, rock out and as his feet left the plane, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" could be heard for approximately 1 second. He must've been really loud, too, because to hear him over the twin engines and the 80K winds - and for that long - he was really going off. I must confess, I was supposed to exit next, but I was laughing too hard to leave right then. And I did grin the whole way down. (And yes, I am ashamed of myself for laughing).

I've been asked many times what else I do that's extreme, but there isn't anything else. It's an odd quirk in me that allows me to skydive, much to my family's dismay. And it's not for everyone, and it's not even for skydivers all the time; but it is enormous, and surprising, and incredible.

Best-
Noni

[stumpy]

I'm just gtting into skydiving photography, one of the reasons i am now on these forums as it will be my new 20D that gets stuck on my head with (mostly) a 15mm sigma attached. It brings a whole load of somewhat unique problems, not least not being able to change any settings after exiting the plane!!! (or indeed look through the viewfinder) But its a challenge and the creative possibilities are pretty interesting

[MDJAK]

My heart be still. Skydiving is something I've always wanted to try, but just can't bring myself to do it. Something about that possibility of the parachute not opening that stops me.

Yeah, I know I can be killed crossing the street, but I'm usually pretty careful when I do that. For me, I just don't want to tempt fate. Got to see my kids grow up.

I wholeheartedly admire your courage, that's for certain.

I also love your pictures.

mark

[stumpy]

Don't know what you are worrying about - you have a spare!!!
No seriously though, anyone who says its safe is lying, but it is a risk vs reward payoff.

And when i get some pics i will post them.... ;)

[MDJAK]

LOL. At first (I'm a bit slow on the uptake) I thought you meant I've got a "spare" life. Didn't realize you were talking spare chute.

I've been a fan of Superman (the original TV show) since I was a kid. I've always wanted to fly. I guess if they could take me real, real high so I can free fall in Superman position for like five minutes or so, then I might try it.

Who am I kidding? I'm way too chicken. I love to watch it though. Too bad it's very rare around my way.

mark

[Jonny]

Dude, Just make sure you have a cypres onboard, concentrating on photography is a sure fire way to forget your height!

Where do you keep the trigger? Is it just a long remote cord to your glove? I think i remember one guy at our local DZ in the early ninties have a small straw he used to blow into for the shutter release.

[stumpy]

No the standard way to release is something like a conceptus tongue/bite switch routed through the helmet. Only problem is they don't make them for canons fiddly-ass jack on the 20d so you have to bodge one together using one of those cheap adidt switches on ebay, geffer tape and a beer bottle top. (yes really!)

As for cypres, i have one anyway, and audible altis are pretty much mandatory for camera flyers as well, certainly in the uk. Much better to keep an eye or your altitude though rather than waiting for gadgets to do it for you.... ;)

And MDJAK - you are going to struggle with 5 minutes LOL - you starting outside the atmosphere or something?!

[One Eyed Jack]

I was getting into freefly after my b-rels with 86 jumps under my belt when I had a motorbike accident which put a stop to my short but incredible skydiving career. Even after a mal on my tenth jump. If you haven't done it don't knock it. It is a must try for everyone. Most people don't do it because they are affraid of falling but don't realise that you don't get the sensation of falling when skydiving because you are already travelling at speed. The best thing I have ever done!

[Nidz]

Haha I did a tendem jump once.. one of the craziest things i've ever been talked into.. You gotta worry when the door on the plane has fingernail marks from previous unsure jumpers.. hehe.. Nice pics you got there.. I still got some old pics lying around from ym jump a few years back now.. Nothing like floating in freefall though.. You just gotta experience it to knwo what it's like.

[One Eyed Jack]

AMEN!!! :D

[::John::]

I did my first (and only) jump around 7 years ago and I can still recall the buzz.

Absolutely awesome.

The extra kilos around my waist have curtailed it - but I would do it again, given the chance. I want my next jump to be from a hot air balloon...

Awesome pics - I wouldn't mind trying to get some pics up there - another buzz, I reckon.

[One Eyed Jack]

I want my next jump to be from a hot air balloon...



Jumping from a static platform is a totally different experience. That's when you know that you are falling! All the same, a great rush.

[Nidz]

The freefall is the cool bit but I also remember the pain when the ripcord was pulled and shot back up 50 feet when not expecting it...

A few pics from my experience I thought I'd share. I'm not trying to hijack this thread.. hehe

http://home.alphalink.com.au/~nbaxter/skydiving.jpg

[One Eyed Jack]

The freefall is the cool bit but I also remember the pain when the ripcord was pulled and shot back up 50 feet when not expecting it...



Might have been a hard opening for you. All depends who packed the canopy and how good they were. You can pack it to open fast and therefore 'hard' (as in but by no means as fast as a BASE jumpers canopy) or you can pack it to open slowely so it feathers out and you get a nice cushioned opening. Someone else with not enough experience packed my main canopy on my 10th jump as I was still learning how do it myself. It opened hard and as a result streached my harness enough to pull the pin on the reserve and I was left in the dilema of having both canopies open at once. Scary

[PhotosGuy]

All depends who packed the canopy and how good they were. Another reason I didn't go past my 3rd jump! While the packers were federally certified, they were all about 18 & didn't have to jump. I like the military system where the Sgt pulls a chute off the shelf at random, puts it on a packer & they go up & try it out!
"Moment of truth" time!
http://photo.klein-jensen.dk/smilies/0162.gif

[PhotosGuy]

Even after a mal on my tenth jump. Just remembered. The guy I was with had about a 3-turn roman candle on his 1st jump. He muscled it open. What a way to start!

[Jonny]

It opened hard and as a result streached my harness enough to pull the pin on the reserve and I was left in the dilema of having both canopies open at once. Scary

I had a 'line over' once out at Skydive City in florida, that was a bit scarey. I spent what felt like an eternity trying to decide whether the canopy was landable or whether to dump it. In the end i dumped it and had my one and only ride under a round parachute.
On landing i just missed some massive trees so in the end i was doubly lucky.....it did cost me a crate of beer though!

[PhotosGuy]

..it did cost me a crate of beer though! Cheap at triple the price! :D

[baldylox]

What? Jump out of a perfectly well flying aircraft? :shock: :shock: :shock:

Good captures.

I prefer too look at it the other way. I wouldnt have to jump out if I actually knew it was a perfectly good aircraft. Been skydiving for over 15yrs. 9 via US Army....static and halo.

everyone should jump once in their life even if its tandem. AMAZING!!

cools shots. i would love to invest in a good head gear setup, but i prefer enjoying the drop and surrounds. Its hard enough to maneuver without trying to line up a shot too.

[One Eyed Jack]

In the end i dumped it and had my one and only ride under a round parachute.

That must have been old equip. (no offence). Now days all reserves are rectangle. With a round one you just go where the wind takes you. Unless you can get some control with the risers. My reserve was rectangle like my main canopy so I had full control with toggles but it was a darn sight smaller than my main and hence my first crash lesson in speed decent. :shock:

[Jonny]

That must have been old equip. (no offence). Now days all reserves are rectangle. With a round one you just go where the wind takes you. Unless you can get some control with the risers. My reserve was rectangle like my main canopy so I had full control with toggles but it was a darn sight smaller than my main and hence my first crash lesson in speed decent. :shock:


Yeah it was, this was back in 1990.

[Knightshade]

man...I really want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane one day, :D

motorcycle trackdays are my rush for now, perhaps when I need another one, I'll gather up enough cash for a jump.

my wife will love that....I can hear her now. "You want to race motorcycles and now you're skydiving too? Are you trying to kill yourself on purpose or what?"

[master of nuggets]

Jonny - you jump? That is a great shot! I love the highlighting of the ribs in the canopy. My moving shots aren't good enough yet - but they will be. I just can't seem to time them well.

We had a bunch of Brits over at my DZ on holiday; they were fun to chat with.

cmM, there's a dz near you (several, actually), so if you need directions, just let me know - I'll be happy to see who I know out there and hook you up.

Thanks for looking, all...they were fun to shoot - especially as they weren't aware I was shooting them.

Best-
Noni
The problem is--Most of the time, the planes aren't so perfect. Even if you are a part owner, or have friends who own, or rent, or whatever, a lot of the planes aren't in the best condition. The first 1000 feet is pretty much the most dangerous part of the dive around here, as your chute takes around 800 feet to open, and that remaining 200 feet won't do you much good ;)

[Michael]

Hey

I did my first skydive yesterday! Its awsome! I got the DVD. I work at the DZ and when people ask why we jump out of a perfectly good airplane we say, have you seen the pilots landings?

[Snoozle]

Did a Tandem jump in Swakupmund in Namibia a few years ago, not only got the thrill of the skydive, but the view was just fantastic. It was so good I did it again the next day, and because I didn't have someone taking pictures and video it was even better as I was able to watch the whole way, rather than trying to look cool (unsuccessfully), I even got to control the canopy.

I can't believe I haven't done it again yet. Oh well hopefully I have a few years left :)