Photographing air shows

Mike150

Senior Member
Now for some long winded questions about something I've never successfully done. Saturday (9/24) I'll be going to an air show at a naval air station about 4 hours drive from here, and would like to get at least a few good shots.

I'm nowhere near a busy airport so I have very little experience in this area. I also have little to no experience of photographing fast moving objects.
The lenses I have to choose from are:
AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f4-56G
AF-S DX VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G
AF-S VR Micro 105mm f2.8G
I don’t think I can carry all three lenses all day long, but I think I can handle two. The problem is which two?
For Static (on ground) displays, would the 18-55 or the 105 be a better lens to use?
For the aerial fly by shots, I am positive the 55-200 is the way to go.
I’m guessing a minimum of 1/1000 shutter in shutter priority mode. Long range forecast is for sunny skies.
What is bothering me the most is the exposure. Past attempts, (can't tell you the settings) the aircraft was grossly underexposed, because of the bright sky in the background. I’m guessing that I need to use SPOT metering, and I’ll need to boost the exposure comp some (but how much)?
Am I on the right track?
 

Rick M

Senior Member
You're going to want your widest lens on the ground (18-55) and the 55-200 for air shots. I've found I do alot of zooming in and out at airshows, so the 105 won't be efficient for air shots.
 

PhotoAV8R

Senior Member
Rick's got it right. Even the long zoom may not be enough for the airborne shots, but the zoom will allow more flexibility while you've got it mounted.

This was with an 18-55mm zoomed to 32mm and un-cropped. (I hadn't planned on shooting anything airborne, so that's what I had mounted.) You can see the airplanes (T-6s) aren't very large. 200mm will get you closer to something that may work in the final image.

BWTHDIK

(Four hours = NAS Oceana? I was stationed there back before there was dirt.)
 

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Mike150

Senior Member
Well I must thank all of you who offered advice, but Foul weather cancelled the show. FAA regs dictate that the lowest clouds must be a minimum of 1500 feet above runway level. Our cloud cover was down to 100 feet. About the only action we got to see was the "Combat Gulls". They were busy dive bombing the crowds.

Combat Gull.jpg
 
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