Calgary
The other day, as we were landing (on my way back from the recent trip to Phoenix), into the -18C frigidity:
Click for larger.
How to shoot these in the first place: I have recently talked about this. Basically, low ISO but large aperture (low “F-number”), wide angle, and get very close to the window.
As is often the case with aerial shots, this image needed some adjusting in Photoshop: mainly, a levels adjustment; with a bit of noise reduction added, followed by some sharpening after resizing.
Aerial picture tips
Since I have not been on an airplane for a year, I thought it might be time to tell you how to take pictures from one. And in sort, it is like this:
- Carry your camera, no bag, “underneath the seat in front of you”. Keep it discreetly when flight attendants walk by. A camera does not in any way endanger the aircraft. You could put the strap intop your seat belt to avoid the camera flying off in case of turbulence.
- Sit near a window (but not over the wing…).
- Wait until the plane banks, after take-off or before landing (as when turning final in the picture of Manhattan above).
- Aperture mode, wide open, perhaps 100-200 ISO. Or you could try “sports” or “portrait” modes.
- Get close to the window – close, but no touching.
- Zoom in, but not extremely so: use the widest angle you can to still get the right composition. Wide angles are less susceptible to vibration.
- Shoot repeatedly, as much at right angles to the window as you can.
Finally: you will find many aerial shots to be somewhat hazy. That can be fixed if the problem is not extreme. In Photoshop, do a “levels” adjustment to ensure the histogram goes from black to white.
It is as simple as that!
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