Fire bombers and Choppers -- Doce Fire, Prescott, AZ

well, we have us a big fire out here in Prescott, AZ.


Fortunately, I've had a chance to get close to some of these beauties with a long lens (55-250) handy.
Comments and tips appreciated!

Here's a few snaps from the last 30 hours.

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Great pictures. The prop driven planes really need a much slower shutter speed to show the prop blur. I like to try for 1/160 or even a bit slower. 1/250 is probably the maximum. Unfortunately the helicopters usually need even slower, the bigger ones may need as slow as 1/60 to get good rotor blur. If you don't have the blur then they look like they are about to fall from the sky.

Alan

that's a great thought Big Al!
Unfortunately I was at 250mm for 90% of my good aircraft shots so I was keeping the shutter speed up to reduce blur from my clumsy hand.

Is there a way around that?

Same advice as Al and unfortunately it just comes from PRACTICE. Trust me when I say heli's are a BIG challenge but worth the effort when you get it right.
It's also unfortunate that you're having all the fire damage & although I'm a long way from it I really feel for those sweating it out or loosing a lifetimes worth of possessions.

thanks guys!

Fortunately the fire hasn't burned any houses--though it has charred about 7500 acres.
The wind may ground planes tomorrow...we'll see.

So is it a steady hand, a short focal length and a longer shutter speed that's the trick for prop-driven machines?

Great captures, that DC-10 is sick. Was going to be brought down here for our fire season but they said it wasn't "effective for our conditions"

rogue.guineapig wrote in post #16047526
thanks guys!

Fortunately the fire hasn't burned any houses--though it has charred about 7500 acres.
The wind may ground planes tomorrow...we'll see.

So is it a steady hand, a short focal length and a longer shutter speed that's the trick for prop-driven machines?

No it is practice, LONG focal lengths and LONG shutter speeds. IS helps, but to be really good you need to be able to hand hold 400-500 mm lenses at speeds as low as 1/60th. It can be done, you only need to look at the work of "FlyingPhotog" to see what is possible. I have managed to shoot at those speeds, but you have to remember that keeper rates are often going to be under 10%, although as I said before practice helps as does IS.

Alan

See the "Airshow guys - prop freeze?" & other links in post #2 of: Shooting airshows in Manual

awesome! Thanks for the tips...I've got a long way to go I reckon.

Then again, I don't get to shoot choppers and slurry bombers all the time as we fortunately don't have large fires real often.

Mr. Mitch, I found out there were actually two DC-10s working this fire till they sent them to New Mexico. I tell ya what though, I've never seen a jet liner flying that low and slow before...it was incredible.

...then the cops ran us out of there right after I tagged the DC-10 with the 250mm. :P

As an FYI prop blur & good wheel sports photos follow the same rule. Freeze the car or bike etc but blur the wheels / tires & background. Learn how to shoot one & you can shoot both venues.

Never seen one so big (3rd photo down)