| George Lepp captured this four-image panorama of central Oregon's Mount Washington from a Cessna 172 using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with a Canon EF 24-105mm ƒ/4L lens at 85mm, 1⁄1000 sec., ƒ/13, ISO 400. |
Up In The Air
At my recent Canon seminar in Chicago, folks expressed a lot of interest in the lenses, camera bodies and supporting equipment I use for my aerial photography. There's a lot more to aerial imagery than the photo gear, however. Here's some of the information I shared at the seminar, and more.
Safety First. The very first consideration for aerial photography is a qualified pilot. I usually hire a flight instructor at a local airport after discussing what it is I'm trying to accomplish during our flight. The point here is that it's just not a good idea to trust your life to a friend of a friend who occasionally rents a plane and flies. Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for. Serious aerial photography requires the support of a pilot with advanced skills who can position the plane precisely at lower altitude and unusual attitudes.
The next consideration is the plane itself. You'll want a high-winged plane, such as a Cessna 172, that has a passenger window that will open. Trust me, you want the window open. Some small planes have only sealed windows, and shooting through Plexiglas isn't the best way to work for maximum sharpness and true color. The windows that do open will nicely stay up against the wing when you're in position over your subject.
For me, the ideal platform is a slightly larger high-winged plane, such as a Cessna 210, with a removable rear door that offers much greater access and an exhilarating experience. Strap yourself in, and be sure you have a communication link to your pilot! Small helicopters are stable, slow-moving and easy to position; unfortunately, they're also considerably more expensive. With the door removed, the photographer has a nearly 180º view of potential subjects. One very important safety note is that if you drop anything out the door, it has the potential of hitting the rear rotor and taking you down.
Dress appropriately if you're photographing in a cold environment. And handle your equipment with extra care: Dropping a lens overboard means it's gone forever and it could injure a person or animal below. I have friends who have lost expensive lenses in the air; I'm not mentioning names here, but you know who you are.
Photo Gear. Now to the camera info, and rule number one: More megapixels = more detail. Cameras such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark III or 5DS (coming soon!) are ideal. For Nikon users, the D800 or D810 make the most sense. The lens depends on what your subject is all about. If you have small subjects, such as a unique land formation, on the ground that you're keying on, use a 70-200mm zoom. For aerial landscapes, I would use a 24-105mm zoom. It's easier to use the zoom to reframe the composition than it is to reposition the airplane. For landscapes that benefit from the special interpretation of infrared capture, I'll use a camera converted to IR. I seldom use filters for aerial work except for an occasional polarizing filter; the drawback is that it will cost you about two stops of light. These days, postprocessing in the computer should render the polarizer unnecessary.
Technique. I once insisted on using a Ken-Lab gyro to keep the camera free of vibration when working from a plane, but in the digital age, with advanced cameras, I find it's no longer necessary. That's a good thing because hauling and working with that thing was a pain. Still, you need to take care to mitigate the effects of plane vibration and wind stream from the open window. Don't lean against the airframe because this transfers vibrations directly through you to the camera. Choose the lens' best aperture for sharpness, usually ƒ/8 or so. Choose a fast shutter speed, 1⁄1000 sec. or better. A higher ISO will assist in achieving the fast shutter speed and ideal ƒ-stop. I'm generally shooting aerials at a moderate ISO 400 as a compromise. Noise in the image shouldn't be an issue at that ISO.
You can take horizontal or vertical aerial panoramas if that helps the project. Take a quick series of images that overlap by some 30% to 40%. Even though you're moving, the panorama will go together because of your distance from the subject.