Best way to take Pics from Plane

[Tex_Mike]

Hi Guys- I need to take pictures of large fields for my Brother-in-Law Farmer. I figure the 172 is best for the job over the Warrior I sometimes fly. Do any of you have advice on how to best take pics of the ground. I am thinking straight and level might not be best. Maybe a shallow turn?

 

[flyingron]

Open the window. You can remove the little arm that holds the window from opening all the way and just let it stick to the bottom of the wind from air pressure. If you have a different person flying than taking the picture it's not too hard. The problem with turning is you drop the wing into what you are trying to shoot. You can actually slip it a bit to get the best shooting angles if you need to.

 

[rottydaddy]

Best advice I can offer for shooting ground subjects is to have one person shooting while another flies the airplane. Better pictures, usually, and safer.

 

[somorris]

Open the window. You can remove the little arm that holds the window from opening all the way and just let it stick to the bottom of the wind from air pressure. If you have a different person flying than taking the picture it's not too hard. The problem with turning is you drop the wing into what you are trying to shoot. You can actually slip it a bit to get the best shooting angles if you need to.

That is the way I would do it also. It is difficult to do alone. Get your Brother-in-law to go with you and do the photography.

 

[Lawreston]

That is the way I would do it also. It is difficult to do alone. Get your Brother-in-law to go with you and do the photography.

And if above should be the case, you should fly from the right seat so he can shoot from the left seat's openable window. That is, unless the copilot's window will open and, pending the age of the 172, that's not always the possibility. Shooting through plexi can degrade quality and sharpness; reflection can be another problem.

HR

 

[Geico266]

Last year I took hundereds of Missouri River flood pictures that made it on Fox News, Weather Channel, local news stations, regional magazines, ect. All shot by myself, 300 - 500' off the deck in a low wing, through the canopy. Try different things until you like what you are seeing. Take notes of your settings, and play with them. SLR digital cameras are amazing.

 

[Gubbins]

Definitely the best images are with the window open. Shooting through a window is adding a very poor quality optical lens (the window) with distortions, aberrations, etc. Also, if you have a good enough camera and a fast lense, use as high a shutter speed as you can to keep the images sharp. As someone else said in a Cessna high wing you can unscrew the arm that prevents the window from opening the whole way. The airflow will keep it open, just make sure you open and hold it all the way into position (don't let it go until it is stable!)
I do it all the time in my 206.

 

[Lawreston]

When flying solo and doing photography I have a long and strong cord attached to the window latch. I sit on the extended length. When it's time to close the window I simply pull on the cord to pull the window down; then reach over and fasten the latch.
All that gets done without being distracted by having to reach out the window to grasp the window and overcome the air pressure holding it up to the wing. It works very well.

HR

 

[MSPAviator]

I use a Canon 50D and a Canon EF 70-200 f/4 IS USM lens along with a Cessna 152 flying low and slow with flaps set to 20 degrees.

A Cessna Cardinal would be ideal but I don't live in an ideal world.

I wouldn't do it solo, only as SIC or as a backseat passenger. There is too much going on to fly and to really take photos at the same time.

 

[somorris]

A Cessna Cardinal would be ideal but I don't live in an ideal world.

I think most Cardinal's don't have openable windows. Some have photo windows, but not all.

 

[cavmedic]

I could see the advantage of a Cub for this mission.

 

[Tex_Mike]

Thanks guys for all of the helpful info.
I will not be the one taking the pics. They will be taken by my passenger.
I fly a couple of different 172's. One has a passenger window that opens and one doesn't . I forgot about that little detail until someone mentioned it.
Didn't think about keeping it slow and using flaps. Good idea.

 

[dsbrantjr]

Make certain that the camera has a sturdy neck (preferred) or wrist strap and that the photographer uses it, lest both pictures and camera disappear (literally) into thin air.

 

[rpadula]

Hi Guys- I need to take pictures of large fields for my Brother-in-Law Farmer. I figure the 172 is best for the job over the Warrior I sometimes fly. Do any of you have advice on how to best take pics of the ground. I am thinking straight and level might not be best. Maybe a shallow turn?

Remember those turns around a point you practiced for your PPL? They're very handy for taking pictures of a particular spot on the ground! Let your photographer worry about the shots; you just keep flying the plane.

 

[spinfire]

Stock the windows in a Cardinal do not open except for a smaller triangle vent window at the front which is impractical for photography. However, because of the lack of wing strut and in the case of the RG the gear the Cardinal does have excellent uninterrupted ground visibility. Many people have added photo windows and I remember seeing some on Trade a Plane when I was shopping. For my level of casual photography the fact that my windows were recently replaced is good enough.

 

[denverpilot]

We just added a photo window to our Skylane. Replaces a regular non-opening passenger side window. Haven't had a chance to shoot through it yet but have confirmed that it hoots like a beer bottle being blown across when it's open in cruise.

 

[Tex_Mike]

Hey Guys- Took up the 172 yesterday and took a few pics of the rice fields for my brother-in-law. I couldn't get my photographer to open the window. She was a bit nervous. Oh well, the pics turned out good enough.

 

[PBristolJr]

Hey Guys- Took up the 172 yesterday and took a few pics of the rice fields for my brother-in-law. I couldn't get my photographer to open the window. She was a bit nervous. Oh well, the pics turned out good enough.

Does she not allow the use of windows in cars either?!

 

[Tex_Mike]

Her fear is indeed an irrational one but aren't most of them? As I typically do with these things I was understanding and just laughed at her.

 

[denverpilot]

If she's that fearful of the window, I hope you don't have to beat her off the controls if the door ever pops open.

 

[rpadula]

Come on, of course she's fearful of the window -- every movie shows us that when one is opened/shot/blown out, everything gets sucked out of the plane!!!



P.S. That is an interesting photo.

 

[raider]

for next time - pop a gopro HD cam on the belly and take some screen grabs

 

[Tex_Mike]

Come on, of course she's fearful of the window -- every movie shows us that when one is opened/shot/blown out, everything gets sucked out of the plane!!!



P.S. That is an interesting photo.

Of course. Why didn't I think of that. She was obviously worried about being sucked out of the window. I will have to give her a hard time about that later tonight.

The pic is of a rice field. The curvy lines are levies that keep all of the water from running out of the field. They follow the contour of the land.
My bro-in-law uses lasers and GPS to put them in their places. Farming has definitely become a high tech business.

 

[bflynn]

Picture looks pretty good.

If you do this again, there's a couple of suggestions I'd add
1) use the best camera possible. Great pictures start with a great camera
2) Optical zoom (the lens moves) is preferred over digital zoom by such a large margin that digital zoom should never be used for aerial photography. A good zoom lens can make up for a lot of leeway in where the airplane is.
3) take lots of pictures. You've seen that getting good pictures isn't that easy. Volume helps with that.
4) Your target is to be 1/4 of a mile from your subject and 1000 ft AGL. That creates about a 45 degree angle down, so that it doesn't look like the earth is falling away.

As to patterns. I prefer a level flight picture as opposed turns around a point. I do these by flying a level square along the cardinal headings (correct for wind), then doing a 270 turn to the next heading. For example, if you're flying west, the passenger is taking pictures from the right window and you're south of the target - fly straight west. When you're 1/4 mile past the target, turn left 270 degrees to a course of north. You're now on the second leg, 1/4 mile away and approaching where you can get good pictures. it's easier to do this than to try to time a 90 degree right turn from course west to north.

Just thoughts...I've done this more than a few times, it takes practice to work all the kinks out.

 

[denverpilot]

1) use the best camera possible. Great pictures start with a great camera

I'd counter that one with "great pictures start with a great lens". Many a mediocre camera body can shoot amazing photos with great glass hanging from them.

I'd also throw out there that "megapixels" is an awful way to compare bodies. I'll take a sharp 10MP image done right over a higher MP image that sucks because the lens couldn't do the job.

 

[kimberlyanne546]

I'd counter that one with "great pictures start with a great lens". Many a mediocre camera body can shoot amazing photos with great glass hanging from them.

I'd also throw out there that "megapixels" is an awful way to compare bodies. I'll take a sharp 10MP image done right over a higher MP image that sucks because the lens couldn't do the job.

I use a 5MP camera. Nobody complains. I don't have money for more, I paid over $1,000 back in the day and took out insurance on the thing. If it ain't broken don't fix it.

5MP Shots from POA events: