If you are considering getting up in the air and trying your hand at aerial photography, then this article is a must read for some quick tips that can greatly increase your success. Don’t be intimidated by working in this different environment; it is much easier than you would believe! Obviously a very large portion of the work rests on the pilot’s shoulders, and your workload and stress level will vary greatly based on their actions.
The best way to insure that you won’t end up overloaded during the flight is to take extra time on the ground with the pilot planning the photo mission. Do this at the actual aircraft. I am going to assume that you will be using a Cessna 152 or 172 for economical reasons. If you decide to spring for the Robinson R-22 helicopter, your job will be much easier, as there is no door in place for you to shoot around, and the pilot will always be flying low where some of the best shots are to be had. More on this below.
So, while you are sitting in the seat of the airplane on the ground, practice framing shots while aiming the camera out the window (which must have its limiter arm removed – easy to do with a screwdriver). You will notice right away that you will always be trying to avoid getting the wing tip and wheel in your shots. Have the pilot take your position for a moment to get a mental picture of what you will be dealing with. Most pilots have never flown aerial photography missions before and often assume they just need to gently circle around your target and let you do the rest of the work. Nothing could be further from the truth. For you to have any chance of success, the pilot needs to be constantly working all the controls to give you an open shooting “window”. For example, you might be circling your target at the perfect height and distance away, but the wheel is constantly in your shot. If the pilot banks the wing to move the wheel out of the way, now your shot angle will be steeper and may not work. The pilot may need to “yaw” the airplane instead, which will not be an obvious answer to them if they haven’t considered it on the ground first. So your goal on the ground is to get the pilot thinking about every possible way they can maneuver the airplane to give you a clean shot from your desired angle. Come up with a form of communication that will allow you to quickly relay to the pilot what it is exactly that you need. Just this basic bit of ground planning can make all the difference in the outcome of your photos.
As mentioned above, low flying altitudes can give you great photo opportunities. This is because there will be more depth to your photos with a horizon in the background. If you are shooting a very wide area, such as an entire town, it is easier to get some horizon in the shot without being that low. But if your subject encompasses a small area, you will need to be much lower. This is where shooting from a helicopter is a joy, especially since you won’t always be trying to keep a wingtip out of your frame (although you have to be aware of the rotor tips, which you may not even notice). If you are in an airplane, you will need to ask the pilot to line you up for your shot, then raise the wingtip at a precise moment so you can fire off a few frames. Again, the pilot will need to be “actively” flying the plane at all times to give you the most shooting opportunities.
Regarding camera equipment and settings, you should have at least a basic SLR body with a normal range zoom lens, and manually set the camera to shoot at the highest possible shutter speed. Depth of field is not important in aerial photography. Normal exposure setting is fine with the expectation that you will need to make post-production tweaks, and ISO 400 to give you a bit more shutter speed. Finally, go with auto focus.
These tips will help you make the best out of your first aerial photography flight. If you find after landing that it is something you want to continue to pursue, there are a number of great books out there that will help you advance to the next level.
Good luck and blue skies!
Troy Hartman is a Southern California based aerial photographer. Please visit http://www.theaerialimage.com to see some of his favorite shots over the years.