Looks like the pilot sits in front. The wing struts appear that they will be somewhat of an annoyance from the rear. I would definitely make inquiries as to whether or not the pilot can fly from the back seat and allow you to sit in front.
Looks like the pilot sits in front. The wing struts appear that they will be somewhat of an annoyance from the rear. I would definitely make inquiries as to whether or not the pilot can fly from the back seat and allow you to sit in front.
Ed
William Garnett was the pioneer, and still the master, of this kind of work. He started with a Speed Graphic in the 1940s. Marilyn Bridges, too; she used a Pentax 6x7.
I haven't done enough of this work to offer any advice- except to say "learn from the experts before you go up".
Yes, I will be sitting in the back seat and I noticed those struts too. It looks like there will still be room to shoot at a restricted angle though. Providing I don't do anything stupid like throw up on him or fall out, I don't think this will be the last time he takes me up. He mentioned he will let me sit in the front on the next trip.Originally Posted by iozone
As far as the shooting from a train reference. He will fly as slow as 50mph and at any elevation I request. My thought was 200ft.
I know this will be a challenge to do the first time so I appreciate all the feed back.
I am still not sure how wide of a lens though or minimum aperture and shutter.
Shoot 2 or 3 times what you think you'll need because I find most aerials are blurred, no matter how fast the shutter speed. I've shot out of Hueys, Chinook, Bells, Cessnas, and I'm always amazed that even shooting at 1/1000th the images can be too soft. Maybe image stablilization or lens vibration reduction will overcome that problem?
There will be nothing to it! The hardest thing to do will be to shoot in a 50mph wind. With that in mind, and the thought that you will probably be going back, I would try something basic to start, the Cannon 5DII would be perfect. Take a normal lens and use a high shutter speed. At 200 feet and farther I suspect depth of field won't be much of a concern.
After the first trip you will know so much more about altitude, lens selection, possible film formats for the future etc.. Keep it simple. The first trip, your first priority will be to relax and enjoy the flight.
Ed
That makes perfectly sens. Landscape running 200ft in front of you at 50mph cannot be made steady by shooting with LF shutter speeds trying to hold the camera steady in the wind of the same speed.
You can easily decide how wide a lens you can use already before your flight. From the picture of the plane it seems that you will be severely limited by the construction of the plane - unless you want to have its parts in your field of view on the picture. You can find it by a simple inspection of your view from the seat of the plane.
To get to the deep bottom of your worries, why not to start on the Earth? Thanks to the stated airplane speed you have a great opportunity here.
Let somebody drive a car at 50mph speed, open a window, stretch out and shoot with your 4x5 or 8x10 camera hand held all what you see from a close range (i.e. 200 ft) to a far view. You can then see for yourself what to expect on the film up there. Just a thought.
Re: Shooting from a plane?
John Let me know if I can help
Tom
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