Going to try to shoot RC Airplane airshow

[ilzho]

There is a an RC airshow near me this weekend. This should be fun. I'm just a spectator bringing my camera.

I haven't shot this kind of event before, so I'm up for the challenge.

Might be putting my 65 focus points to use....

Anyone ever shot an RC airshow before?

Cheers,

David

[cicopo]

Sounds like there were more young people at that event than we average at the ones I attend but in general the hobby is getting cheaper & thanks to flight simulators for home computers learning to fly is a whole lot cheaper too. Crash on the sim, press "reset" & you have a nice new plane to fly again. There are also more & more cheap foamies on the shelves for those who prefer to fly rather than build like us old timers had to. Best of all it sounds like you've made some new friends & can enjoy sharing your hobby with theirs which is how I look at this. I get to be on the flight line enjoying the flying, taking photos and making lots of new friends. It has taught me how to pick the more interesting photos & how to process them quickly so they are on line before the next event and every so often some go for publishing in Model Aviation Canada which is a non profit publication for the MAAC (same idea as AMA) members. A few photos have been used in "for profit" magazines too but in general thinking you'll make money from this style of venue is not going to pay the travel expenses due to the number of events going on weekly & on how few magazines are still in print.

[ilzho]

It was more than 2/3 adults and 1/3 under 18 years old.

Not sure my photos are magazine worthy, but when the pilots complement me on the photos and offer me lunch, it's more than worth it.

[cicopo]

Exactly. They love it when they see decent photos of their "toy" which certainly isn't a toy. So many people think they can take a photo of these things flying using a cell phone or cheap P & S that decent photos are rare. Also many with decent gear rely on Auto settings & get under exposed photos, prop freeze (pilots in general are OK with that if the plane is in focus) or boring belly shots as it flies directly above the camera. The pilots can't fly & photograph their own planes PLUS you're showing an interest in their plane so it's a win - win.

Now that you're interseted in a new venue which probably runs all year in that part of the world you have one more way to learn what works for you when shooting action. Shooting Motorsports is very similar & both use the same technique & similar rules to what makes a photo interesting. A nice sharp shot of a race car without wheel / tire / background blur looks like a parked car but when you slow down your shutter speed & pan smoothly it now implies FAST moving.

If you didn't notice the link in that article I directed you too my photos have been migrating to Flickr after Google decided to shut down Picasa Web Albums.  

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/96950645@N04/albums

You can decide what you think look 'interesting". I don't spend a lot of time on the static side of this because I stay on the flight line as much as possible from start to finish. I leave the static stuff to those who don't have the equipment or won't learn how to use what they did buy well enough to shoot action.  

[ilzho]

Yeah, I still didn't get the motion that I was looking for, but early on I decided to try to get decent photos of every plane flying and some of the activities.

It was a sanctioned AMA event.

I talked to one of the leaders (as I know nothing about this) and he said the events don't happened every weekend, but when it's a AMA event the other local clubs can't hold a sanctioned event, so it encourages everyone to come out and fly.

There are a couple of other clubs in my area, so I need to see when the events are happening.

[cicopo]

There should be a web site for sanctioned events at the AMA site but many clubs have their own "event listing page" & most clubs work together in a region to schedule things without conflicts so each event draws pilits from the region. There may be conflicts between heli & fixed wing events or even jet vs fixed wing but they aren't too common & most pilots decide which they'd prefer if there are 2 events scheduled. AMA & MAAC are the sanctioning bodies & provide the necessary insurance / safety guidelines etc & it's rare for a club to hold an event & insure it themselves. Next time you talk to someone from the club just ask how they know what's coming up & get the web address. 

DON'T worry about the motion blur with these things. Prop blur is more important at the beginning & when you feel you've got several good shots of the plane(s) then try a few at slower shutter speeds as they do a low pass. Motion blur is much easier with a race car than a model airplane due to the size difference / distance between camera & subject. If it was easy to get right it wouldn't be what sets some photos apart from all the rest.

[ilzho]

Sorry, yes I meant prop blur, getting the full circle of blur, most of my shots have either a quarter or half turn of blur...

Which is ok for me, for now 🙂

[Ricci]

In orden to get the blur prop you are looking for, you'll have to slow down your shuter speed and follow the model with your camera in hands or moving it on a tripod or monopod (assuming that it is in movement). This does definitively requires some practice but the result is really worth it.

Tracking AF points in the proper mode should also help to get the model focused and sharp using this technique.

Ricci.

[ilzho]

Here's the link to the album.
The pilots all loved the pictures.
Thanks for the tips.
https://flickr.com/photos/61106982@N08/sets/72157675169193275

[Waddizzle]

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@ilzho wrote:
Here's the link to the album.
The pilots all loved the pictures.
Thanks for the tips.
https://flickr.com/photos/61106982@N08/sets/72157675169193275

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Nice shots, all around.  It's not hard to tell you were having a ball.  The passion is palatable in the shots.