Shooting airshows in Manual

[spitfirejd]

Going to an airshow this weekend and want to try something new, shooting in Manual. I've always shot in Av and Tv but I've been spending too much time in PP and want to know if M will help. First of all, I've read every thread I can find on shooting in M, but I still have a few questions that mostly relate to shooting at airshows, something the other threads are mute on.

1. My biggest complaint is when panning an aircraft across the sky, the sky goes from grey to blue and sometimes back again. I know some of this has to do with the angle of the sun, refraction, etc, but will shooting in M help any?

2. Do I need to make any adjustments between shooting close-ups and formation shots?

3. Do my settings need to change when changing lenses? I know there is a huge exposure difference between a kit lens and any decent lens, but I'll be using all "L" lenses this weekend, except maybe my Tamron 17-50 for close taxiing shots. I wouldn't have a problem shooting those on Tv or Av.

4. How often do I need to recheck/change my settings throughout the afternoon?

5. Is it okay to shoot a grey card, hand or whatever inside the FL of the lens? My arm isn't long enough to hold anything in front of my 300.

6. Does it matter what metering mode you use when shooting a grey card?

7. Does cloudy vs sunny make any difference in how the process works? What do you do if it's partly cloudy and the sun comes and goes? That could be a nightmare in M.

If it matters, I'll have a 50D with 300 f/4 L IS and an XTi with a 70-200 f/4 or 2.8 IS. The later will occasionally switch with my 24-105L or 17-50 for close taxi shots.

Thanks y'all.

[PhotosGuy]

1. My biggest complaint is when panning an aircraft across the sky, the sky goes from grey to blue and sometimes back again. I know some of this has to do with the angle of the sun, refraction, etc, but will shooting in M help any? Yes. It also helps when shooting a navy blue AC vs. a silver one. 3. Do my settings need to change when changing lenses? Not as long as you're not shooting at f/2.8 & you put a f/4+ lens on. I know there is a huge exposure difference between a kit lens and any decent lens, No. Not as long as the aperture difference isn't what I said above. 4. How often do I need to recheck/change my settings throughout the afternoon? How often is the light changing? (Sun vs clouds.) 5. Is it okay to shoot a grey card, hand or whatever inside the FL of the lens? My arm isn't long enough to hold anything in front of my 300. Try this: Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)
And, if you must use a gray card, just drop it on the ground. It doesn't need to be in focus. 6. Does it matter what metering mode you use when shooting a grey card? No. 7. Does cloudy vs sunny make any difference in how the process works? What do you do if it's partly cloudy and the sun comes and goes? That could be a nightmare in M. I address that in the link I gave you. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123) Change the ISO, or anticipate & choose your shots.

Good luck, & don't forget:
Airshow guys - prop freeze? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=229542)

P-51's, it's all about the prop blur!! (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=200585)

Dramatic light when you can get it, & thinking ahead & planning your foreground & background made for some excellent images here:
Pensacola NAS 2009 Twilight Airshow (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=783125)

EDIT-1: While I usually only shoot on manual, I take precautions at events like air shows when I might be shooting a jet on M & a prop job comes by unexpectedly. So I've also set a slow shutter speed on Tv & a wide open aperture on Av, along with the Exposure Compensation (EC) that I think will work at the time I set it up. Then it's just a quick change of the dial to get something usable.
This also covers me on those few times that I accidentally bump the mode dial & don't notice it.

Someone will ask, "Why do you usually shoot on manual?"
Look at Post #47 in the link I posted above: Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)

EDIT-2: Someone else will come back with, "I've seen good shots that were taken on "Auto". Why can't I?"
Well, you can. The link above will show you that you're going to have to PP the shots where Auto exposures were off & you're probably going to have to delete a bunch that didn't make it, though. I guarantee that some of those will have been shots that might otherwise qualify as wallhangers, though.
tgara had pretty good luck his first time out here: USAF Thunderbirds (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=894119)
The venue was very bright, but with moving clouds that blocked the sun from time to time. Keeping that in mind, I used auto white balance, ISO 100, and Program Mode. To take advantage of the 6+ fps of the 40D, I shot JPGs, and set the drive to high speed with servo AF. I was also using a Picture Style setting with punched up color saturation, sharpening, and contrast. With those settings, it was fairly easy.... just focus on the planes, pan and fire away.

[spitfirejd]

Thanks, Frank. Your excellent tutorials are among the ones I was referring to. I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions. I see I asked some questions that you had already answered in your other links, I apologize for that . The confusing thing about the other posts are all the links to different pages. Helpful, but after reading them several times I got a bit confused on a couple of things.

An interesting side note, I met a new fella at work today that is a retired Navy photographer with about 1,000 hrs of air-to-air. He said he occasionally shoots in M, but spends most of his time in Av because there is less to worry about and he can concentrate more on what's in the viewfinder. I can see where that might make sense in the air where light, backgrounds, etc change quickly and frequently, but I'm definitely going to give M a try from the ground this weekend. The weather forecast is for overcast, so there probably won't be too much changes to worry about anyways.

[gkarris]

Manual Mode for Aviation Photography? :eek:

(*runs off screaming...*)

LOL...

For me, one shot at an a/c parked, next shot at one taking off, next shot one taxiing, next shot people doing pre-flight...

AV for me... :)

[spitfirejd]

I'm more interested in the flying displays. Aircraft moving across the field, shooting in high speed drive while panning. I usually avoid any shot with people in it (except the pilot in flight, of course). I almost never take shots of static displays for that reason.

[FlyingPhotog]

Aerial Acts I will generally shoot in Manual Mode and simply work off reciprocal exposure if I need to change from Prop to Jet. ie, 5 stops faster shutter = 5 stops larger aperture and vice versa.

Statics I shoot just like any other object with choice of mode based on what I want to accomplish with the image. If the image I want requires a particular f/stop for isolation via shallow DOF, I'll generally be in Av Mode in order to get the DOF I want.

If I need to freeze something or I'm using a longer lens, I'll likely be in Tv mode to try and avoid letting the shutter drop below a particular speed.

[spitfirejd]

Thanks, Jay. What do you mean by longer lens? I'll have my 300 f/4 IS and a 70-200 f/4 IS as well as something shorter for taxi shots.

[FlyingPhotog]

Thanks, Jay. What do you mean by longer lens? I'll have my 300 f/4 IS and a 70-200 f/4 IS as well as something shorter for taxi shots.

Generally speaking, when I start to get into "telephoto" lengths at and above 200mm.

[Geo]

Manual mode, Image Stabilization on Mode II and Al Servo for panning and the focus on rear to separe the focus from meter,that set, good look, regard.

[unmanedpilot]

I personally can't imagine doing an airshow in anything other then Av or Tv mode. Things just change way to often for me to be thinking about the shot AND thinking about how my light has changed since the last frame.

I totally believe its possible, but I have a feeling your going to be mentally exhausted by the end of the day.

[blackshadow]

I personally can't imagine doing an airshow in anything other then Av or Tv mode. Things just change way to often for me to be thinking about the shot AND thinking about how my light has changed since the last frame.

I totally believe its possible, but I have a feeling your going to be mentally exhausted by the end of the day.


You soon get used to it. I shoot concerts in M (almost exclusively) the lights to change and I change exposure to compensate for those changes. My results are far better than if I use Tv or Av and allow the camera to take control. The sooner you start shooting M the sooner making exposure adjustments will become automatic.

Manual mode is only scary for those who don't (or don't want to) understand it.

[PhotosGuy]

I personally can't imagine doing an airshow in anything other then Av or Tv mode. Things just change way to often for me to be thinking about the shot AND thinking about how my light has changed since the last frame.

I totally believe its possible, but I have a feeling your going to be mentally exhausted by the end of the day. Changing EC when shooting a silver AC followed by a dark blue one would drive me nuts. And what do you do when you have both in one shot? ;)
No method is perfect, & I prefer the results from manual.

[spitfirejd]

Thanks for all the replies and to Geo for resurrecting the thread. There's lots of good info here and I'm still keen to try these techniques because unfortunately the airshow I mentioned in the OP was cancelled due to extreme weather. Now I've replaced the 50D with a 7D and, weather permitting, I'll try manual mode around the local airports this winter. Then by next summer I'll be ready for the shows.

[neilwood32]

Changing EC when shooting a silver AC followed by a dark blue one would drive me nuts. And what do you do when you have both in one shot? ;)
No method is perfect, & I prefer the results from manual.

Thats my way of working as well - manual means that the sky is correctly exposed every shot (within 1 stop anyway even with semi overcast days with skies ranging from grey to blue).

Av with EC is to my mind anyway a fudge - take older planes with grey undersides and camo tops. What EC do you use? Expose for the grey and underexpose the camo? Expose for the camo and blow out the sky and possibly the grey? If you have a sequence of the plane doing aerobatics, your exposures are going to be all over the shop surely. With manual, the sky and overall exposure is pretty constant throughout the set.

[James Wheeler]

I always shoot Tv mode, I know some shoot Av when looking at jets but I am a prop man and am awful at jets so... :)

Manual mode seems a distraction too many personally, Tv and Av were invented for a reason :) You will have plenty to think about with your framing, panning, shutter speed etc.

[PhotosGuy]

Manual mode seems a distraction too many personally, Tv and Av were invented for a reason You will have plenty to think about with your framing, panning, shutter speed etc. "Etc" includes your exposure compensation, metering mode...

[altitude604]

I usually shoot in Tv for aerial shots and Av for static displays.

Works for me.

[FlyingPhotog]

Like Frank said, trying to chase the exposure by "guestimating" with EC would make me nuts...

[James Wheeler]

"Etc" includes your exposure compensation, metering mode...

The best metering mode I have found is evaluative. If you use spot metering you risk getting a wonky exposure if the canopy of the aircraft (or similar reflective part) catches a glint from the sun. Sure, sometimes you end up with a bit of work to do in photoshop afterwards but hey, you frequently played with exposure and so on in the darkroom :)

EC I tend to use at one of about 2 values for flying stuff, possibly a third for start ups.

[PhotosGuy]

EC I tend to use at one of about 2 values for flying stuff, possibly a third for start ups. Two values of EC plus a third... yup! It sounds easier than just one setting on "M" to me!
(Now, where's that "sarcasm" smily I need?) ;)

If it works for you, then stick with it. But, "Sure, sometimes you end up with a bit of work to do in photoshop afterwards" makes me wonder why you don't rethink your use of what's really just another "Auto" setting.

[James Wheeler]

Two values of EC plus a third... yup! It sounds easier than just one setting on "M" to me!
(Now, where's that "sarcasm" smily I need?) ;)

If it works for you, then stick with it. But, "Sure, sometimes you end up with a bit of work to do in photoshop afterwards" makes me wonder why you don't rethink your use of what's really just another "Auto" setting.

The 3rd I use very rarely (only if I am expecting an over primed engine throwing some flames back).

The other 2 are set depending on the general conditions and often aren't changed in a day at all.

There is always some work to do in photoshop, manual or not, especially if you shoot in RAW as some sharpening will need to be applied at the very least. You might want to tweak contrast etc.

Manual is more constant fiddling, the settings I choose I tend to fiddle with infrequently. In M as you pan across the sky you will be fighting with the exposure quite heavily some days.

Your sig says "Manual Everything", do you use manual focus while panning jets and prop aircraft travelling at a couple of hundred mph as well? :) Oh, not forgetting changing the shutter or aperture to keep up with the exposure at the same time... hehe

[PhotosGuy]

Manual is more constant fiddling, the settings I choose I tend to fiddle with infrequently. In M as you pan across the sky you will be fighting with the exposure quite heavily some days. The answer to that is in the thread I posted: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123
Your sig says "Manual Everything", do you use manual focus while panning jets and prop aircraft travelling at a couple of hundred mph as well? With film, we all did that? ;)

[James Wheeler]

:) The results on film often showed :) Although tv and av existed in film SLRs too you know :)

My film days were mostly spent in the studio so I never had the ... 'joy' :)

[PhotosGuy]

Although tv and av existed in film SLRs too you know Google "Nikon-F". :D

[James Wheeler]

Lol, now, I am just not that old :)

[surgeonhawkeye]

I dont know why i didnt find this before i did my first try. I just posted my first pictures of an air show here:http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=905324.
I am not disappointed, because at least i gave it a try, but this happened.
I started shooting in Tv mode, then i tried manual, but i was so hands full in thinking, that i forgot to change f/xx, and well, you see the result.
It was not what i wanted, but i think the only way to learn is to LOOK a lot of good photos ( as the ones you can see in POTN) and SHOOT a lot of pictures.
So thanks for your help, and please go on posting your experience, so newbies like myself can learn.

[PhotosGuy]

Trying to jump into M at a show isn't something that I'd recommend, which is why I suggest that you guys practice with something less intensive first. Keep at it & you'll be ready for next years show. ;)

[surgeonhawkeye]

I will keep doing it, i live under the traffic pattern of an airport, so will keep shooting and keep asking. Thanks