Airplanes

[elsa hoffmann]

Not quite sure WHERE to post this -

this Aviation photography is absolutely exquisite

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3598540/The-Photographer-captures-pin-sharp-images-final-55-airworthy-Spitfires-using-just-handheld-camera.html#ixzz4FzHYqgE1

[MFloyd]

Excellent close-up pictures. Don't like much the postproduction (colors, contrast etc), but the base material is outstanding.

Hereunder a more modest picture of a Supermarine Spitfire LF.XVI.e



And a landing Mk VIII

[elsa hoffmann]

Great image Mr Floyd !
I would give a lot to do some fly by shooting myself!

[Fons Baerken]

Wonderful shots, always like the older airplanes, used to build them  in my early teens.

[Hugh_3170]

Elsa:      Great link - thank you so much for posting.

Michael: Love your Spitfire images.  As someone else said in another thread of your images, it is nice to see the pilot.  Also your 28-300mm lens seems to work well here, as has mine.

Fons:     Model aeroplane building is a disease that never really leaves you - you may not die from it, but you will die with it.  It can break out again after decades of dormancy.   

[knb]

Fantastic pictures of a favourite warbird. Thanks Elsa.
The long exposures necessary to get those moving propellers makes it all that harder. Though much easier (I suppose) than doing it from the ground, where the plane moves quickly relative to the camera position (from my own experience).

[MFloyd]

This is what you get, in most cases, from the ground:



Spitfire Mk XIX

But this is also possible:

Curtiss H75-C1

And then find the compromise between sharpness and propeller blur.


Boeing B17

[elsa hoffmann]

I now lust after shooting planes..... thanks for sharing!

[MFloyd]

This was the most sophisticated WW2 combat aircraft, the Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe, here landing:

[elsa hoffmann]

Bro' - you know your stuff!

[tommiejeep]

MF, excellent images as usual.  No need to worry about prop speed in that last image  .  I've never seen a ME262.  One was supposed to come to one of the UK airshows years ago but was a no show.   I do really like the B17 capture.
Thanks,
Tom

[Hugh_3170]

Nice image of this famous aircraft.

Adolf Galland, the famous German WWII ace fighter pilot, said that had this aircraft been introduced earlier and with adequate fuel suupplies, it could have literally changed the course of the war.  Fuel was so scare towards the end of WWII, that the ME262s were towed to the ends of the runways by horses prior to take off in order to conserve German fuel supplies.

A batch of new build ME262 replicas were constructed in the US a few years ago in order to meet demand from collectors.

This was the most sophisticated WW2 combat aircraft, the Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe, here landing:
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[MFloyd]

Thank you Elsa for having opening this post 😎 Thank you Hugh_3170, tommyjeep, and the other for your kind comments. I don't go too often to airshows but I like the atmosphere. We might return to one next year with my son, who is a professional pilot.  The merit of the pictures presented by Elsa is, to a large extent, attributable to the pilot who managed to get so close to the airplane to be photographed. Respect.

[knb]

This is what you get, in most cases, from the ground:

You get what you intend to I suppose. I use shutter priority for the propeller driven aircrafts, but for the long exposures needed (1/200 and 1/160 are about the limit for me with a 300mm, it should be even longer) the keeper rate is extremely small. At least it is very difficult to get the technical quality that you are showing here. Nice Griffon Spit, the B17 is superb.

[MFloyd]

Thank you Kjetil. I fully agree with the indicated shutter speeds: longer, you increase dramatically the fail rate, without really improving the speed blur effect; and once attaining 1/500 or shorter; the speed blur effect vanishes. I gained a lot of experience with racing car photography. Following the object as precise as possible - reducing the angular velocity close to zero - is the key.  From time to time, Ps gives me a little help, but difficult (if impossible) to attain the same quality level as a natural speed blur.

Static airplane photography, though, should not be disregarded:


Mustang P-51