AIRSHOW ACTION

I love going to airshows! Watching and photographing my favorite machines is one of my passions. I've been fascinated and enthralled by airplane since I was small. My first ride was in a helicopter and I can tell you I didn't want to get out!
Capturing the speed and power of these flying machines isn't easy, but it IS fun.  To capture the feeling of movement you need to slow the shutter speed down and get some clouds in the background. Higher shutter speeds freezes the motion and the airplane looks like it's hanging from a string, also the higher speed freezes the motion of the propeller. Start with 1/60th of a second and adjust as necessary.
Panning is an art and must be practiced to become proficient. Start by shooting cars or other vehicles.  Also don't grab the lens but cup it in your hand. Speaking of lenses, a good choice for aircraft in the air is a long lens in the 300mm range. I've shot airshows with 600mm lenses and not only are they heavy but hard to track the airplanes, but they do get great photos!! For ground or static shots, a wide angle around 28mm is a good starting point.
Something I plan to do at my next airshow is some portraits of the airplanes and their pilots. The machines are no good without their pilots.  So that's all from Airshow central. Once you start photographing these beautiful birds you won't be able to stop. Now get out there and shoot something!

1/80th @ f/22 ISO 200 300mm lens

1/640 @ f/11 ISO 200 200mm lens



1/250 @f/14 ISO 200 200mm lens

1/100 @ f/22 ISO 200 200mm lens