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Welcome to the guide to start spotting airplanes, an exciting hobby for aviation lovers AvGeeks and photography.
When viewing a photograph where an aircraft appears, one starts to think about the infinite ways of being able to recreate the moment from where and when it was taken; with EXIF settings, try to find your editing process to flirt the perfect shot, It is a task that requires certain knowledge..
In collaboration with: Transponder 1200 – Victor Ambriz
Who does not know or just starts in the world of spotting, It is unusual for you to hear terms like the one you previously placed, “EXIF, besides others like: diaphragm, ISO, exposure or focal length, etc., used these and more in the jargon of photography.
In this article I will detail how to get a good photograph of an aircraft, in addition to tips that also apply to any photography environment and of vital importance that you master them. First, some rules that you must take into account to start and improve your skills, son:
- The camera does not make the photographer: This trite phrase is the most related to photography. Some think that because it is the most expensive camera, it is the one that captures the best photos., but it's not like that, since what will really depend is the lens, camera combination. About, the quality of the images depend on the lens in a 20%, a 5% on the camera body and the other 75% in your ability to transmit what you see. So it doesn't matter if you have a team of $2,000 o de $5,000 Dollars, if you know how to use and balance your camera settings well you will get the best results.
- Spotting is for everyone: sometimes it is believed that this is an elite activity or only for some people with exclusive access or expensive cameras, Well, no. Spotting is open to everyone, you just need a camera, it can even be your cell phone, to begin to enter this world that little by little, it will hook you.
- Light is everything in the photo: "We are all children of light" and it is true, your photo will depend a lot on the exterior lighting and at the same time on the quality of your lens, of your opening of the diaphragm (the F in the camera) and the programmed ISO (ISO is the “artificial lighting” added to the photograph). For the aeronautical environment, I personally recommend not marrying a specific configuration, every camera is different and captures light differently, although I have always obtained the best results using a diaphragm between 8 and 11 with an ISO between 100 and 640 to obtain a shutter speed - the speed with which your photograph will be taken- between 1/800Sec and 1/640Sec. This will prevent any part of the target - in our case the plane- come out blurry; the more light, the higher your focus factor.
- We learn from mistakes: Do not be afraid of making a mistake in taking a bad photo, Practice too much taking a photo of any plane you see, play around with the camera values so you can see the difference between each one. Like I say before, don't marry defaults, always look for your best results.
- Always have your equipment in good condition: this involves cleaning, the storage and treatment that you give to your equipment when you are not using it, make sure they are in a dust free place, since it can cause a low quality in the photo, just like dots will appear on the photo. I recommend having the equipment cleaned periodically, the each 3 months with a specialist, This will depend a lot on the use you give to your equipment and how often.
Now we make these basic recommendations:
Don't fire on automatic
Cameras process image colors differently in auto mode, generating wrong colors, The camera sensor was created similar to the eye and by nature of the human eye we primarily perceive red colors, greens and blues generating a confusion between "stronger the more real color", which is not entirely true. Use manual mode, but if you are not yet ready to control all the parameters of the equipment, use the aperture priority mode (A in the selection menu), with which you will only control the ISO and the aperture of the diaphragm (f on camera).
The plane must always be framed
In the camera there are options to display the grid (or rule of thirds) to give you a guide on where you should place the plane. You always have to give the same proportion (in distance) on all sides of the photograph relative to the lens (our objetive: the plane).
There is an exception to this rule, because you can generate the golden rule or mix your objective with the environment and it is still acceptable.
Try to use a diaphragm aperture (the F in the camera) media
It will depend on the type of lens you have., If it is a luminous lens, I recommend you choose values between 5.6 and 7.1, in lenses with average brightness of 4.5 a 5.6 (this comes in the descriptive part of the lens) I recommend using a value between 8 and 11, this will prevent you from having blurry parts on your target, since the diaphragm is in charge of the focal zone and therefore the focus area.
Remembering that the diaphragm allows the passage of light, the lower the value of the F, greater the passage of light and vice versa. Not Nikon (and, I use Nikon equipment) the interpretation of the lens information is read as follows:
AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 G ED VR
It is interpreted as:
Lens with a single focus motor with a minimum focal length of 55mm and a maximum of 300mm, with a maximum aperture of 4.5 a 55mm y 5.6 to 300mm with vibration reducer.
Use an ISO between 100 and 800
In almost all cameras these ISO levels do not generate much noise (pimples in the photos generated by adding artificial light) and they will give you a higher quality in photography, allowing to appreciate the details of the objective (a plane) in a precise and definite way.
Buy filters for your lenses.
There are filters such as UV or polarizers, which are the most used in the medium of spotting; the UV filter helps prevent dust or dirt from reaching the lens directly, its cleaning is easier and cheaper, and it is better to change a damaged filter than a damaged lens.
The polarizing filter reduces or eliminates disturbing light reflections on the fuselage (especially if it is a white fuselage) and increases the contrast of the photo.
Use class memories 10.
This will allow you to have a higher recording speed in memory, allowing you to rewind the camera shutter at a higher speed, which will allow you not to lose any detail in a sequence of shots.
Always shoot RAW.
There are two types of photo format, the JPG y el RAW, the advantage of RAW is that you can control the contrast values in photoshop or lightroom, shadows, illumination, details, noise, etc., of the photo; in JPG it is already an automatic processing of the photo, with default values that can make the photo appear to be overexposed or underexposed.
After these tips, it only remains to recommend something that is of vital importance, enjoy spotting, Don't get carried away by people's negative reviews., if you liked your photo it is valid, At the end of it all, it's your job.. Just pay attention to the recommendations and constructive criticism -where they explain what to do or what to modify from the photo- since you learn from mistakes and no one is born an expert.
Where to do spotting in an airport?
It is important that before going to any airport, be very clear about the security policies of each terminal, you can usually find this out with spotting groups or by asking.
Some countries or airports are strict and do not allow photos even outside and worse inside their facilities, beware, since it could generate more than one headache.
Some airports have terraces or exclusive areas for spotting, so you can start there and little by little try and look for new angles to make your photography unique and stand out from other spotters, even though this activity, it's not a competition, We will always want the most beautiful and original photo.
The quietest way to do spotting is outside the airport, in public areas not private, but be careful not to risk (cars and even thieves) your safety and that of others.
¡Happy spotting!
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