Aerial and People Photography

I've extremely busy and traveling more lately, which has afforded nice photo opportunities.

In Flight Photos - Have you ever noticed that most people on a commercial airliner read or sleep and don't look out the windows. This baffles me because above the clouds, beauty is omnipresent. Take your camera in a small carry-on bag and have it ready to go for those fleeting aerial landscapes. A couple notes about traveling with your camera. First keep it with you at all times. Partially for security reasons but also you can't get the pic if it is in your luggage. To avoid film damage, use an x-ray blocking lead bag, available at camera stores for around $20. If your film goes through the x-ray scanner unprotected, it runs a high risk of damage, despite what the signs say at the airport. Remember, the people working at the airport and the people who make those signs don't see film every day. Camera stores do. I've had numerous customers bring in film damaged by x-ray machines and every one of them said that the airport told them it wouldn't damage it. Expect that your x-ray blocking bag may be hand inspected. To make that fast keep your film out of the containers so they can see it is film without opening each one.

Digital memory cards run a risk going through a scanner, although it is much lower. In most cases memory cards won't be damaged by an x-ray scanner when the card is NOT IN THE Camera. Take your card out of the camera before going through the scanner. I've only had one customer bring in a card that they thought got damaged by an x-ray scanner when it wasn't in the camera. So it is possible, but much less likely. If you want to be extra safe, take some junk pics on your memory card and let it get scanned next time you go on a trip and see if the pics are fine afterwards. Never put your memory cards or film in checked luggage. Luggage scanners are much more powerful than carry on scanners.

A nice feature to make your inflight photos better is image stabilization. Planes move and there is no way around it. Canon calls it image stabilization, Konica Minolta calls it anti-shake, Nikon calls it vibration reduction. All compensate for hand movement to reduce blur. A high shutter speed also helps, when lighting permits. Also bring a rag to wipe the window. It may have nose and finger prints on it.

The most important tip about flying though is picking a good seat. I like to get one in front of the wing, on the side of the plane that I hope will offer the best photo opportunity. How do I know which side is best? I don't always, but I pick based on origin and destination direction. If I'm flying North in the evening I pick one on the West side of the plane to give me a chance at a sunset shot. If I know we will be flying by a cityscape I pick one on the side of the plane I think I'll be able to view the city from. For example, next week I'll be going from St. Louis to Detroit and I hope to get a picture of St. Louis. Since the St. Louis airport is on the North side of town and we are going North East, I'll pick one on the right (South) side of the plane. When I say right it is from a perspective of sitting in your seat facing the front of the plane, not the other way around.

Do you feel self concious pulling that camera out and taking pics while everyone else is in boredom land? Well get past that. The rewards of overcoming you social stigmas far outweigh what someone you will never see again thinks. Of course you do have to adhere to airline rules concerning carry-ons.

Photographing People -
Funny thing about people. Lots of people who are the shyest about having their picture taken, shun photographers, and never take a camera anyplace, are the same people who beg you for photos when they see how nice the ones you took are. So don't let them discourage you, they like photographs to, they just aren't into making them. If you want people shots ask the person first if they mind if you take their picture, and if they don't want their picture taken don't do it. They will probably regret it later, but respect their wishes. Some religions are adamant against photographs being taken of them. If you want a candid shot (always look better than posed), and don't want to ask the person, take the shot, ask the person after the fact, and delete it if they protest. Keep model releases with you just in case that picture is nice enough to sell. Again, don't be afraid to approach people. I've found 99% of people I ask approve and appreciate getting a copy later. Especially when you capture them in their element, doing what they enjoy doing most with whomever they enjoy being with.

An exception to the asking rule is if you take a picture in which the subject is not recognizable. You don't have to ask a crowd of people for permission to take their picture either. A photograph of a crowd, without an individual who stands out as the main subject, does not require a model release. Have you ever noticed that contest winning photos almost never show the face of a main subject? That's because main subject models require a model release and if the photographer didn't get one from the person they can't use the picture.

A few general tips about photographing people. Close is usually better than distant. All that junk surrounding people may seem interesting at the time, but what transcends generations is the faces. There are times when you want to capture the surroundings, for example a mountain climber is more interesting when you can see how high up they are. A wide angle lens can give you both with the subject in the foreground. As for settings, it is dependent upon the lighting, but if your camera has a portrait setting those work great in most cases. A somewhat shallow depth of field will blur the background and make the person stand out more. When using a flash, beware of back shadows. Back shadows are an ugly distraction in a portrait. To avoid them use multiple light sources and aim one at the back wall.

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