Landing at Princess Juliana Airport - St. Maarten
Photography. Aviation. Two hobbies – nay, passions that go together like Châteauneuf du pap and Saint Marcellin. Aviation brings to us fascinating subject matter, the adventure of visiting new places, and gadgets galore for those of us who appreciate technology. There are, however, unique challenges that aviation brings to the shutterbug, especially when the person looking through the viewfinder is also the pilot in command.
Cockpit Buttons
Firstly, aircraft cockpits of all but the largest jet airliners tend to be rather cramped quarters. They are very functional spaces, designed to hold two or more people, the equipment and publications that are necessary to the profession, and little else. Camera bags full of equipment are bulky, even an SLR with a few lenses may be in one’s way during the course of carrying out aviation-related duties, if not in danger of being crushed by heavy metal seats moving on tracks.
Business Jet Cabin
Luckily, there are many alternatives to that big Nikon/Canon on the market today; anything from small SLRs with zoom lenses to camera phones are quite capable of capturing compelling images – all with their unique advantages and limitations. The cockpit of the business jet that I fly is comfortable enough for trans-oceanic flight, but doesn’t leave much safe room for delicate equipment. Therefore, unless I know I’m going somewhere that I know I’m going to really want the big guns, I get by with my iPhone 3GS.
On Your 6 (tail) -Waiting to Takeoff at Princess Juliana Airport - St. Maarten
Subject Matter
Airplanes are beautifully designed pieces of flying artwork, natural subject matter. If you don’t believe me, ask the several people I see every work week photographing my aircraft, from outside the airport boundary fence, as I prepare for takeoff. People are always interested in things they find dangerous or a bit mysterious, and when coupled with their beauty, the aircraft themselves are fabulous subject matter. The trick is to find an interesting angle or some other circumstance or even a gimmick - to bring added interest to your composition.
Rear of Business Jet
Bombardier Challenger at Sunset
Nose of SR71 Spy Aircraft
Out the Window / Air to Ground: I can’t count the number of times I’ve flown over the Rocky Mountains, awestruck by their beauty, frantically taking shot after shot of their rocky crags and impossibly white snowfields, only to be disappointed by the results. The difference being, of course, the fact that I was whizzing by at 500 miles per hour, their size and shape made apparent by my speed. On the screen, they look incredibly flat. However, if you catch them at the right time of day, some shadows can definitely help. I’m not above artificially changing the depth of field using a tilt-shift app either. HDR (high dynamic range) is another technique that is very useful. It allows me to include the relatively dark cockpit in photos of the very bright outside, giving us a view that approaches the incredible dynamic range of our eyes.
Landing at Princess Juliana Airport - St. Maarten
Colorado Rocky Mountains
Toronto Highway
Air to Air: Or, the “money shot”. The fact is, unless you’ve made prior arrangements with another aircraft, getting a good shot of one from the air is very difficult. Much effort and expense goes into keeping aircraft far apart from each other – for obvious reasons. Luckily for us, advances in technology and reliability have allowed a standard called Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) to be implemented over the last several years. Now, instead of 2,000 foot separating two jetliners at opposing headings, RVSM brings aircraft a scant 1,000 feet apart! Not to worry though, the requirements for this kind of separation are quite stringent. Below is an Emirates Airlines A-380, the double decker behemoth I’m sure you’ve heard of over the past few years. I took this next one over France – he was 1,000 feet above me, and we passed each other at a dizzying combined speed of roughly 1,000 mph.
Airbus A380 Flyby
Places you go
Airport terminal buildings, especially those of the larger cities, often present an opportunity to capture some fantastic architecture. Moreover, they are great places for capturing candid images of our fellow travelers.
Tampa Airport
Chicago Midway and Tampa's Airport
Growing up, most of my talent seemed to lay in drawing. Drawing airplanes, specifically: mostly vast WWII dogfights or vast sci-fi spaceship dogfights. Living in the Space Coast of FL, near a regional airport, an air force base, and KSC, there was plenty to inspire me in my dual interests of aerospace and art. I was first exposed to the nuts and bolts of photography in a ninth grade photography class: I learned to develop B&W, make prints, and learned the basic rules of composition. This love of photography follows me through my career as I’m sure yours follows you.
Looking through iPhoto, 99.9% of my photos are of my two mischievous and adorable boys, but let’s face it: photographing one’s kids is a subject that’s been done before. As a professional pilot, my experience as a photo enthusiast may be a bit different from yours. I’m privileged to work in an environment that’s always changing – literally. Weather changes, scenery changes, changes in the sorts of people around me. I’ve been places that very few people have been (i.e., 51,000 feet from the surface of the earth), and have had views of the planet that are somewhat rare. I’ve buzzed across the USA so many times that to me, it’s as if I’m driving around the neighborhood. Put me anywhere over the United States at 45,000 feet, let me look around a bit, and I’ll bet I can tell you where I am. But I digress…
This is your captain speaking, always have your camera ready wherever you are and have a great day regardless of your final destination.
Departure from Princess Juliana Airport, St. Maarten at Takeoff