How to capture fast moving objects

In addition to being crazy by many audiences, millions of planes roared past people and posed for the photographer who had been waiting for a long time at the air show, which was beyond most of us. At the same time, unlike the current rock concert, shooting is not prohibited, and the air show deliberately brings together well-equipped photographers who know how to shoot.

It was not until Chris showed us his photo that we realized that it would be a great article. These photos are really great! We are all proud of Chris because he is a graduate student and student adviser at NYI University. In this article, he not only provided some good shooting skills about the air show, but also carefully prepared a set of slides, which I believe you will like.

At the Global Air Show every summer, expectant audiences appreciate the superb skills of aerobatic performance teams and individual performers and their extremely precise flight. In addition to wonderful performances in the air, there are usually static demonstrations on the ground. For photographers, these scenes provide them with many opportunities to take wonderful photos. If you have filmed an air show once, I believe you will do it again like me. The following tips are based on my experience at new york Air Show.

How to capture fast-moving objects: exhibition day

I suggest you arrive at the parking lot of the air show center one hour in advance to find the shooting point. Because when the number reaches tens of thousands, the air show will be very crowded. Another advantage of arriving early is that you can put the camera in the front position. Usually performers come in from the left and right and perform stunts in the exhibition center. A good observation point is very important, because it can make you pay attention to and track the passing planes. If possible, I will find a dark place where I can observe the panoramic view of the space center. However, many airports and military bases have no trees to keep out the sun. In order to prevent possible factors, I strongly recommend that you bring sunscreen.

How to capture fast-moving objects: lens selection

In 2008, in England? Red sword? During their first visit to new york, the performance team flew over Staten Island. A 400 mm lens is used to capture the changes in the queue and the clouds and smoke that follow.

Many years ago, when I first photographed aviation flight, I used a 28- 135mm lens. But I found that unless the plane flew directly over my head, I felt the focal length of the lens was shorter. Now I shoot overhead with a 70-200mm lens, and the 400mm lens is more rigorous. My camera doesn't have a Quan Huafu sensor, so a lens with a zoom of 1.6 times is actually equivalent to a 640mm lens. But remember, flying in the air usually lasts several hours, and a longer lens will only increase the burden.

Image stabilization is an important feature, but if you use a tripod, you can not only have a short rest, but also get beautiful photos continuously. In the process of using telephoto lens in most air show photos, I found that wide-angle lens is also suitable for the scattered air show of the whole formation. By using some different options, you can capture more scenes and return home with a full load.

How to capture fast moving objects: camera metering system

Even today's advanced digital SLR camera metering system may play in some cases. Under a blue sky in summer, when you try to expose a flying plane, the camera robot is likely to take the sky as the exposure object, and finally there is only one unexposed plane left in your photo. If you want to completely control your camera, I suggest you use the camera metering system and manual exposure mode, which will be better. As long as you make good use of the histogram and make corresponding adjustments as needed, the semi-automatic mode will be very effective. In most cases, I set the speed to11000, with a sensitivity of 400 and an aperture of 5.6. Of course, if you encounter those special weather, these will be completely changed.

How to capture fast moving objects: shutter speed

If you want to try to freeze the moment when the plane flies at more than 500 miles per hour, it's really not easy. In order to shoot successfully, it is recommended that you use the shutter speed of11000. However, like most aspects of photography, there are exceptions. For an old plane, the shutter speed of11000 is enough to shoot a spiral drum. Therefore, the shooting plane lacks motion, which makes the whole picture look unnatural. The shutter speed of 1/90 is a good starting point to show the rotation of the spiral drum. But you may have to adjust it slightly to 1/60 or lower, depending on the speed of the plane. It is worth noting that when you use these slow shutters, you should pay extra attention to your shooting skills to ensure that you take excellent photos.

Sports shooting skills

In order to show the motion of the propeller of this plane, the slow shutter speed is adjusted to 1/90th.

How to capture fast moving objects: focus mode

I prefer to use high-speed mode to record every moment in the past, rather than just getting wonderful photos. I'm afraid this method won't work if you want to keep up with high-speed moving objects. Fortunately, most cameras have the function of continuous focusing, also called artificial intelligence focusing. This mode allows you to keep an eye on moving objects. To use this mode well, you need to focus your center on the plane, remove the wires, and press the shutter halfway. When the viewfinder of the camera tracks the plane, the camera will automatically adjust the focal length with the distance of the plane. If you want to take a picture, all you have to do is press the shutter. Fortunately, air show organizers usually arrange one? Photo area? The plane will pass at a relatively low speed. But don't relax too much, because the plane will fly at full speed after several slow flights.

In order to show the motion of the propeller of this plane, the slow shutter speed is adjusted to 1/90th.

How to capture fast-moving objects: memory

With such high flight and fast-paced exercise, you will keep using multiple memory cards. I brought a portable hard disk, and I will copy the contents of the card when I want to continue shooting. Once I am sure that the photos have been safely written into the drive, I will format the card and reuse it. Most of the time, I try to shoot in the original format. However, if you don't have many memory cards and a portable hard disk, you can consider using a large and fine JPEG format, so that your card can store more photos.

A 70-200mm lens is used to capture? Red arrow? A performance that releases colored smoke.

What to look for:

The flue and the burning scene are a good complement to the aerial photos. Get ready! Because they are fleeting. The white smoke trail is actually caused by the pump oil entering the exhaust pipe. It will be very interesting when it is used by the whole formation of aircraft. This kind of smoke can make a more artistic background. In addition, it adds some contrasts with the ordinary sky. I also like to capture the flight between two planes? Interaction? When pilots fly side by side with their wings almost touching, an extreme tension is brought to the photo. Freeze this moment, and you can show accuracy and skill like a brave pilot.

Express quickly:

I will focus on some of my favorite flight show moments. These photos are all selected by me, which can well represent various planes, performers and wonderful performances. I want to emphasize a few important details to illustrate how I did it. I used a program called Soundslides, which cost 40 dollars.

I find it very useful to create multimedia works that can be put on the internet or blogs. You can set the time when each photo appears. I suggest you spend five seconds at most on each photo. For this special slide, I decided to speed up a little to improve my mood of enjoying music and airplanes. If you are interested in making slides, you can make music under the website. I can edit the pilot's conversation and the plane's motor sound anywhere, which I recorded with a zoom H2 recorder. Finally, edit the text into Apple Player and output it in MP3 file format. Whenever possible, I will try to keep the length of multimedia files within three minutes. The reason for doing this is simple: people are always busy and may not finish watching the slides of 12 minutes. With the above software, you can adjust the presentation to a suitable size.