The nature of photographing aircraft is far different from other genres of photography. And require a different approach and skill set to master. Having to handhold a large telephoto lens and steadily aim it at aircraft flying at speeds well over 600 miles per hour in a brightly lit sky is challenging, to say the least. Then there is the struggle of getting the right amount of rotor blur while photographing helicopters. There are many hurdles that one must overcome in Aviation photography. You too can better your results with a little bit of time and practice. So, how does one learn these techniques and knowledge? Spotting. Thatās right, Spotting offers a wide array of opportunities to help you rise above the obstacles in a predictable and repetitive manner.
During peak hours, depending on how large the airport is, youāll have a constant supply of subjects to test your abilities on. This is a wonderful chance for you to learn more about your gear and discover what settings work best for you. Does that mean you prefer shutter or aperture priority? At what F-Stop is your lens the sharpest? What autofocus mode do you prefer? What ISO do you like? When should you over or under-compensate for your exposure? The more time you spend experimenting and learning about your gear, the more knowledge youāll have about getting the results youāre looking for and you will understand your gearās limitations. It is crucial that you develop muscle memory when it comes to changing your settings quickly and effortlessly so that youāre not missing shots in the heat of the moment. Spotting gives us the luxury of try, fail, learn, and repeat with little to no worries.
Another helpful aspect of spotting is that it allows you to practice and learn new techniques in a predictable and repetitive environment before you go to your next aviation event. Such as trying to get better at panning airplanes at take-off or landing. It could be that you want to practice framing aircraft better. Or maybe youāre trying your hand at getting better prop blur. Perhaps you want to work on and feel more comfortable with your shooting stance. Before I went to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) last year, I knew I had to get comfortable with shooting while seated. The package I got came with a grandstand seat which you canāt shoot while standing. So, I spent as many hours as possible spotting while sitting on my tailgate just so that when I got to RIAT, I would be more comfortable with shooting from the grandstands. And Iām glad that I spent that time beforehand, and I can see it in My Results.
Due to the predictable pacing, spotting gives you a chance to test new gear. See how features and functions can help or hurt your shooting skills. As well as trying out new gear in different lighting conditions because Mother Nature is not always going to be nice to us when we are out photographing something that we have been waiting to see. The more lighting conditions you familiarize yourself with, the greater the understanding you will have of how your camera exposes aircraft in those conditions.
My experiences while spotting helped me not only develop my knowledge and skills but also to continue to nurture them. Spotting offers an incredible opportunity to hone your skills in a predictable environment, allowing you to experiment, learn, and grow as an Aviation photographer. With each outing, you not only gain a deeper understanding of your gear and technique but also develop the confidence to tackle more dynamic and challenging ones.
Since Iāve given up on New Years Resolutions years ago, Iāve found setting some personal goals for myself to be not only satisfying but fulfilling. They are, for me, far more meaningful and manageable to accomplish. I can add to them and edit them to suit my situation. As well as outright delete them. Some are completable, some are reminders, and some are something for me to continually work towards.
What did I learn in 2024?
Life has a way of teaching us lessons through both hardship and growth. Iāve come to realize that there are some mean spirited and fucked up people out there āindividuals who, without hesitation, bully and cause harm to others, whether through reckless actions like causing a car accidents or through deliberate cruelty. And because of my experiences with these individuals, it has taught me the value of distancing myself from those who donāt give a shit about their actions. 2024 has also shown me the importance of friendship and the memories we create together, grounding myself in the relationships that truly matter. Along with time, my most precious and non-renewable resource has taken on new meaning as I try to spend it wiselyāat work, at home, and in playāchoosing carefully who and what deserves my attention. And finally, Iāve come to embrace the value of exploring the quirks of my own mind, even though it doesnāt seem to function āproperly.ā Iāve come to accept it with a sense of humor and a willingness to grow, knowing that understanding myself is an ongoing journey worth taking.
Where did I go and see in 2024?
This was a bucket list year which included a bunch of firsts for me. Beginning with a mini road trip with my best friends down to Toledo, Ohio to see our first Total Solar Eclipse. It was stellar. (Pun intended š) Our next group outing was celebrating Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) in downtown Detroit.
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Then in July, I began my epic England aviation vacation. My first time āCrossing the Pondā, driving in England along with my first air-to-air photo flight. I struggle with describing how fucking exhilarating it was to photograph World War Two fighters over the iconic English countryside from the back of the famous pink Skyvan. While racking up 1400 miles on a rental car, I had to go and see the infamous White Cliffs of Dover along with one of my favorite all-time aircraft, TSR.2. She is such an amazing larger than life aircraft. And yes, I had to do some plane spotting at London-Heathrow while I was in England. Then I heard London calling, so I answered with another day trip via the train, which I found pleasing to ride. Seeing such iconic and historical landmarks felt like a dream.
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And since I fell in love with helicopter flights, you know I had to book a flight over London. And as long as I have been attending and photographing airshows, the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) has always been on my radar. And after 5 days of RIAT, I can say it is a far superior experience to Oshkosh AirVenture. A week after I got back from my England trip and with jet lag in full force, my sister along with my best friend and I headed to Las Vegas for some serious nerding out at the Star Trek convention. The best was saved for last. Two of my best friends got married, my other bestie officiated, and I was the āBest Manā (another first for me). From the rehearsal to the ceremony all the way through to the reception, we had an absolute blast.
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What did I Lose in 2024?
My good friend, Shawn Yost. Tragically, cancer relentlessly took him from us. My wonderful friendship with him started back in 2004 at the Grosse Ile Airshow. I had arrived early and scoped out a spot on the taxiway to shoot from. Shawn walks up and sets down his chair a couple of feet away from me. Opens up his camera bag and I noticed he pulled out the same camera body that I had, the Canon Digital Rebel. And that started our friendship with our shared love of aviation and photography that lasted for 2 decades. Over the years, we traveled coast to coast, shooting tens of thousands of photos, and creating countless hilarious and meaningful memories. We had so much fun together.
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As time passed, we had different paths in life, and our lives slowly separated further and further apart. I was in England when I got the news of his illness. It was two weeks later that I spoke to him, and the first thing he said to me was that it didnāt matter what happened to our relationship, life happens. But now we are starting over. And our conversation picked up right where we left off. We talked about shows and events we attended, shared photos back and forth, just like old times. Sadly, 35 days later, he passed. If Iāve learned anything from this, it is that Life is short. Use your time doing what you love with the people you love being around. Someone once asked me, āWhat are the images that you shot that makes you smile?ā Not your best or favorite. Mine are of Shawn and my fellow aviation photographers goofing around at airshows over the years. I miss you, my friend.
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What did I Gain in 2024?
Iāve had better mental health in the past 6 months than I ever had in the past 40 years. Why now and what caused this huge positive shift? Well, for years now Iāve been putting a lot of effort and dedication into bettering my mental health. And I can say with confidence that looking back at my life, Iāve had poor mental health for years and didnāt know what to do about it. To a point of just accepting and struggling with it. I journaled for years, and it helped temporarily and had no lasting impact. Then I started listening to self care podcasts and philosophy audiobooks, applying what I learned to my life. Some of it suck like glue and some just wasnāt right for me. But as I slowly got to know myself and my triggers, my outlook on life changed as well as having fewer and fewer days of having a noisy and chaotic mind. Then with the death of Shawn, it dramatically altered my perspective. I started to see who and what is profoundly important to me and on the flip side, who and what does not. Also expelling myself from the super massive black hole of death scrolling through social media and the News has been so liberating. Itās a gravity well of anxiety and fear that is relentlessly damaging and tremendously toxic to my peace of mind. This ongoing spiritual journey has helped me discover and realize a meaningful purpose in life.
How I met Cielo
Early this year, I got into a car accident which was caused by another driver’s road rage. Fortunately, no one was hurt but my car of 10 years was damaged. It was repairable but I knew sooner versus later, things were going to start failing and I wasnāt going to start dumping money into her. So, this was my reasoning for getting a new car. From the start of this, didnāt know what kind of car I wanted, just features I knew I wanted. Turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay along with the newer technology that my old car didnāt have. Did quite a bit of searching online and found a few possible candidates. While at the dealership looking at various Genesis G70 models, I spotted the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which checked all my boxes. And after a test drive, I told my sales representative that I wanted a blue one. The dealership didnāt have any in blue. But she would contact their other dealerships and if they had one, it could be transported here. The next day, she called and told me that she found one with the same trim level I wanted. A week later, I got my Cielo. Which is āSkyā in Spanish.
Looking back on 2024, it had its profound life lessons, bucket list adventures and strengthening meaningful friendships. From witnessing a solar eclipse and fulfilling lifelong aviation dreams to embracing better mental health, this yearās ups and down has been instrumental in changing the way I live my life. Finding a sense of purpose, cherishing my friendships, and continuing on with my life long spiritual journey are my most valuable takeaways from 2024. So, whatās in store for next year? Youāll just have to stick around and find out.
Departure day, a full day of aviation and photography for the ultra-passionate. Since this was going to be my last opportunity at capturing this yearās attending aircraft, I struggled with how I was going to capture them. On one hand, I can use settings that will pretty much guarantee the shot and the other is riskier but produces a much more striking image. That is to shoot with a slow shutter speed while panning the aircraft as it is taking off. The result is an image where your subject is tack sharp and the background is blurred due to the panning motion. The sense of speed makes the subject appear to leap out of the photo. And after three days of off and on practicing this, I felt confident and comfortable with my panning abilities. I found the key was to shoot within a certain range of shutter speeds.
My range was as slow as 1/80th and my safe zone was 1/200th. A factor that you must keep in mind is the speed of the aircraft as it is taking off. The faster the takeoff, the faster the shutter speed you can get away with. This also means the slower the takeoff, your shutter speed had to be slower as well to show a sense of motion. Something else to keep in mind is that it is far easier to successfully pan with a small lens versus a larger one. For example, I had no problems shooting as slow as 1/60th of a second with my 18-135mm. But compared to my 100-400mm, the slowest I comfortably shot at was 1/125th. Unfortunately, shooting a large telephoto zoom at such slow shutter speeds, my keeper rate drops significantly. Remember, all you need is one to be spot on.
Iām not going to say it was an easy decision and to execute it. Shooting aircraft with slow shutter speeds, handheld with a large telephoto lens, sitting down on the next to last upper row of the grandstand, was so unnerving. Especially knowing thereās sure-fire technique just one turn on the main dial away. I was super hesitant to shoot the Greek and Turkish Phantoms with a slow shutter. But I had to trust in my abilities and knowing that the outcome would be totally worth it. So, without further ado, here’s 45 of my favorite images from Departure Day at RIAT 2024. Enjoy!
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So, Iāve been struggling with a question āWhat do I love more, Aviation or Photography?ā Thereās something uniquely alluring about capturing photos of aircraft in close proximity bathed in amazing light. And you know I couldnāt resist doing some spotting at London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) while I was in England. Itās the busiest airport in Europe and one of the busiest in the World. I discovered two locations; the first one was sketchy as fuck. It was at the roundabout at Bath Road and Stanwell Moor Road to catch arrivals on runway 09 Left. I didnāt spend much time here due to its precarious location. And the other is a well-known quaint little park at the end of Myrtle Avenue for activity on runway 27 Left. This location, I feel is far superior but itās worth noting that parking there sucks. Went multiple times, shot a couple hundred images, and got to see some special liveries and a bunch of airlines from around the world that I donāt get to see at Detroit Metro. Thatās enough talking, letās get on with it!
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