What makes a good Aviation shot?

So I had some extra time at the RDU International the other day and decided to pop off a few shots while I waited for an incoming flight. Reviewing what I had taken, I came to the conclusion that they were totally too hoo-hum.

So I am turning to you all who love this genre of photography, what makes up a good aviation photograph. Are there particular angles, periods during take off and landing that are more compelling then others? Do you need wheel blur like you need in motorsport? Is panning used?

I have some ideas for next time. But your experience would be appreciated. I am attaching a few from that morning. The flight line was rather slow as it was really early in the morning. Most are shown with minimal cropping. Thanks for you comments in advance.

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The first FedEx shot is very good - you captured the plane just at rotation. I don't think there is anything ho-hum regarding your shots. Takeoff and landing shots are difficult to do at a major airport - not a lot of good vantage points.

As for the United planes, the only problem with those is they belong to Mesa Airlines!

(Do a search on Mesa and Jonathan Ornstein - he's a modern day Frank Lorenzo. You'll learn just how poorly their flight crews are treated)

Thanks Karl..... ok.... rotation = good. I will remember that.

Sorry to see your selling your stuff off. Hope things turn out for the better for ya. As an aside, I sat with a Mesa pilot who was dead heading to Chicago who had jumped into flying late in life. He said he had to live in assisted housing his first couple of years while he earned his stripes. Killed any ambitions I had of a career change from the back to the front of the plane.

Cheers.

Croasdail wrote in post #2554988
Do you need wheel blur like you need in motorsport? Is panning used?

RDU doesn't provide the prettiest back drop... does it...

Maybe on your next visit why not try a few slow shutterspeed pans . Not necessarily to give wheel blur but more to blur the background and not only impart the idea of motion but also give the added benefit of somewhat masking any backgrounds you might find lacklustre.

Great Shots there, blurring the back ground would get rid of those power lines that distract the eye a bit , and maybe straighten them up , as the last few shots of the CRJ makes it look as though its taking off up hill

Kevin

peacock wrote in post #2555838
Maybe on your next visit why not try a few slow shutterspeed pans . Not necessarily to give wheel blur but more to blur the background and not only impart the idea of motion but also give the added benefit of somewhat masking any backgrounds you might find lacklustre.

Respectfully disagree to a point. I don't think it's necessary to provide any wheel blur or background blur to impart the idea of motion on a commercial airliner that has rotated in the process of taking off. We all know it couldn't be sitting statically that way, unlike a car where the issue could be ambiguous.

Prop planes are a different story IMHO. I prefer at least some prop blur, but as I said, that (and the prior issue) is a matter of opinion.

BTW, Croasdail, nice shots!!!

aliencat wrote in post #2556929
Great Shots there, blurring the back ground would get rid of those power lines that distract the eye a bit , and maybe straighten them up , as the last few shots of the CRJ makes it look as though its taking off up hill

Kevin

I see what your saying... but I need to keep the trees vertical. If I correct for the angle these were shot, I would have a leaning forest. It's just one of those things, unless someone else has an idea.

Good to know on the wheel blur... I was dreading that.

I think I will try to pan next time. I had a tripode this time, next time I will go with a monopod which will make it easier.

I am looking for a head-on location I can shoot from... still looking for that. Otherwise, is a 45 degree or a pure 90 better... or does it matter?

What is killing me is I used to be a contractor up at Boeing in Seattle and had access to all the flight lines there... did I do anything with it.. NO! Now I am in North Carolina with no access, now I am interested. Dang it all to heck!

With jets, you know it's moving, so I tend to shoot with higher speeds, so you don't get much background blur. What I would try is using the bottom focus point. We don't need to see all that ugly stuff in the foreground. The only people who appreciate that are the Anet screeners!! Now for planes already in the air, I use center focus point most of the time. I also don't do airliner stuff, the jets I take pics of are 99% military, moving much faster, and a little easier to get some blur in the background.

No monopod either, hand held works much better.

Yeah.. I have been cruising through Aviation.Net trying to figure out what is really good and why. Some of the stuff is beyond ordinary verging on boring, while others are very impressive leaving ya wondering how the photographer got the shot. But there are a lot of shots that look like a jet just parked on the runway...not much action or feeling to the shot. Oh well.

Thanks for all the advice!

What makes a good aviation shot?
Simple answer to this, whatever you look at and like.
There are so many variants in avaiation there isnt a standard one methods suites all answer.
With Jets, Props and rotors let alone aircraft types and use; all requiring a slightly different appraoch.
I do a reasonable amount of military stuff, but for the life of me have not yet taken a decent shot of anything civil airline.
Your pics are fine, as with all things practice make perfect.
I have been looking back over the last 5 years at some of my stuff and have to say the comparison is startling, now looking forward to the better weather and heaps more practice.

Croasdail wrote in post #2561077
Yeah.. I have been cruising through Aviation.Net trying to figure out what is really good and why. Some of the stuff is beyond ordinary verging on boring, while others are very impressive leaving ya wondering how the photographer got the shot. But there are a lot of shots that look like a jet just parked on the runway...not much action or feeling to the shot. Oh well.

Thanks for all the advice!

Anet, is short for airliners.net, where they would not know a good photo if it slapped them in the face!!

You could always photoshop in some tire smoke and flames and turbine blades exiting the back of the engines...that always seems to liven up a dull photo....

I like em ...but agree a blurred background would have helped....
Jim