[AIR] Neutral Density Filters

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

A slight overpan or underpan can induce softness in your subject that you can't really see in the background because your subject is already moving.

Be sure you concentrate on keeping your AF point "center mass" right on the corner of where the windshield hits the cowling. If you snag your focus on the prop spinner, your tail may go soft. If you nail the tail, your nose may be soft.

This is all due to parallax error...

Jay, how much to shoot with you for a day?

I'd kill to have someone to shoot with, sadly there are few to none shooting aviation out here.

But anyway, I'm using center point expansion. Wondering if I should just use center point to keep it more 'pinpoint' accurate?

[FlyingPhotog]

Originally Posted by Leftcoast_Mike

Jay, how much to shoot with you for a day?

I'd kill to have someone to shoot with, sadly there are few to none shooting aviation out here.

But anyway, I'm using center point expansion. Wondering if I should just use center point to keep it more 'pinpoint' accurate?

You've got a ton of neighbors just south of you in the Seattle area...

Very active aviation photography community.

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

You've got a ton of neighbors just south of you in the Seattle area...

Very active aviation photography community.

yeah true enough. I might have to head to Paine Field soon. They fly their stuff quite a bit and we're not flying down there until later this summer

[FlyingPhotog]

You're in the PNW group on FB, right?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/120321418005566/

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

You're in the PNW group on FB, right?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/120321418005566/

just sent a request to join it and have literally now just been let in. Never heard of it before. thanks!

[Littlejon Dsgn]

Originally Posted by Leftcoast_Mike

just sent a request to join it and have literally now just been let in. Never heard of it before. thanks!

Its a new group, we just started it middle of last week if I remember correctly.

@Jay are you a member on there yet

[PhotosGuy]

Originally Posted by Leftcoast_Mike

But anyway, I'm using center point expansion. Wondering if I should just use center point to keep it more 'pinpoint' accurate?

I agree with Jay. Use just one point & lock it on one part of the subject.
It can also give you an interesting effect when the subject is fairly close. Here I used a headlight: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...esday_1318.jpg

[Leftcoast_Mike]

thanks for the link Frank.


I just went out and tried again...haven't off-loaded the pics yet but I think I might have had better success. I also used both my 70-200 and 100-400

[Leftcoast_Mike]

I gave it another go tonight but there wasn't much going on unfortunately. I think overall I managed o do better. I shot with both lenses and moved around from 1/100 - 1/200. Here's a few from this evening...sun was ahead of the arriving aircraft.

First two shot with my 100-400. The others, all with the 70-200 f/4


C-GIFO by YellowDrumProductions, on Flickr


C-GIFO by YellowDrumProductions, on Flickr


Seneca by YellowDrumProductions, on Flickr


IMG_8413_s by YellowDrumProductions, on Flickr

This one isn't great but thinking about what Jay suggested about getting focus caught on the props...I wonder if that had anything do with the outcome?


Seneca by YellowDrumProductions, on Flickr

[PhotosGuy]

It's hard to tell w/small images, but these look better to me.

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by PhotosGuy

It's hard to tell w/small images, but these look better to me.

Yeah I know, best I could do with Flickr

My test is to zoom in on the logo's of the training aircraft and if I can read the whole thing nice and clear then the shot is ok....alright, seriously though, I think they came came out better. There were far better percentage of keepers.

The last one I do notice how the front of the Seneca is in focus but I lose it at the tail. From that angle it's impossible to focus on 'center mass'.

[FlyingPhotog]

I agree with Frank. Much better results this time...

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

I agree with Frank. Much better results this time...

thanks Jay. I think its at least definitely going in the right direction now

[Leftcoast_Mike]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

Be sure you concentrate on keeping your AF point "center mass" right on the corner of where the windshield hits the cowling. If you snag your focus on the prop spinner, your tail may go soft. If you nail the tail, your nose may be soft.

This is all due to parallax error...

This may end up being one of the single best pieces of advice I've ever been given.