so we have a unique opportunity coming up possibly this summer... and was curious as to what some of you use for photographing aircraft...

picked up a new (to me) camera a little while ago, at a price i just couldnt pass up.. i have 2 lenses, just havent taken any pictures of moving objects so far...

i know Parker has some good shots of planes he has posted in the past...

what is some of the equipment you guys use to get the best results?

if i can get away with using what i already have, i will, but if i need a new lens, i may go that route, or just buy a point an shoot like a Nikon P900 (which i can use for another thing as well)..

Think I'll coin Dan on this one...

GAF

Blurry plane pics. Stay tuned...

If you have to ask then you can't afford it.

". . . unique opportunity coming up possibly this summer...?" If not this summer, then possibly when? Not to mention, what unique opportunity? I don't know what special equipment is needed for photographing aircraft, but I'm guessing a fast lens matters if you plan to photograph planes in motion, or you'll get blurry pictures, like your infamous moon photos.

such great advice... (thanks Hank)

anyways, the opportunity is going to see the Blue Angels at Boeing Field, in an area that is restricted to the general public... they will take us out onto an area on the tarmac and use a lift and lift us up into the air for a "good" experience... not sure if we are meeting the pilots or not, but that isnt the reason im excited...

just got to pass the DoD background check (not a problem, have done it many times), and deal with traffic... this all depends on if im camping/fishing that weekend or not...

anyways, Hank, i asked about that P900 because it also sports an 83X zoom, and also has a mode for .................... MOON!!!

so yeah, i already bought a camera a little while ago, its a Nikon D7000, with under 8k on the shutter, came with a 24-120 72mm 3.5-5.6D AF lens, a Tamron 70-300 4-5.6 LD 62 mm lens, battery grip with trays for Nikon batteries, and the other one for rechargeable/AA batteries, a Albinor 2X tele converter (junk), a very nice strap, remote, and a nice Lowepro backpack.. the guys at Robies were stunned when i told them what i paid for it... 300 bux for all that is a steal...

was just wondering if i should run what i brung, or, spend 500 bucks on a P900 which i can use all year long for............. MOONS!!!

or spend some money on a different lens... have been looking at 400 MM lenses but not sure if i will need that, plus they are big, and heavy, and i would need to either buy another base plate for my Manfrotto, which are expensive, or buy another tripod itself, which are expensive, as the cheapo that i bought to hold me over a bit is a tad on the weak side... i suppose for this instance that i could get a Mono pod, but ive never used them...

the only reason i even asked, was because im not super familiar with Nikon stuff, mainly Pentax, and as you can see, produced some really good pictures when i started getting the hang of it...








this Nikon is a bit different controls wise, and i havent used it a ton, mainly for 1 purpose but thats for another time... i have taken some pictures of Rainier, and its definitely no slouch...






the way this website is formed, the pictures tend to stretch and end up degrading the quality of the image if its a certain size i have found.. i also dont edit my photos, and if i have to, i try to not do it too much... the D7000 has a lot of post click features that i can do in the camera, vs on an external program like Lightroom that i have...

i guess ill try running it on the 4th and see if i can figure some things out, but, thats at night, and settings have to be messed with in order for things to work correctly... you cant just put it on "auto" and start clicking like you can in broad daylight... it needs to be on a tripod, and the use of a timer/remote is a major need...

i can buy a used F1.8 or 2.8 or whatnot from Robies for a good price if they have any, they are pretty good about their trade in prices and whatnot so they dont over charge on stuff too terribly bad... kinda trying to stay away from ordering one from say B and H photo off the internet, because, well i cant use it first to see if it even works correctly, unlike at Robies, where they will take pictures with it as well...

i guess if i need real information, i need to ask real photographers, so maybe ill just go ask Stick.... he would probably be of much more help than a bunch of retards over here that cant hold a normal fvcking conversation, regardless of where its posted....

thanks Hank, ive actually been eyeing that camera for a while, then the P1000 came out which sports a 125X zoom, which is 3000mm equivalent, the P900 83X is 2000mm.... the P1000 is a grand tho, and i dont know of anywhere that stocks them so that i can go mess with it.... thanks again...

oh yeah...


my cat...

He has a nice face.

unstable medicated recent gun enthusiast?



says the fvckin retard that makes multiple accounts pretending to be someone or something hes not (unstable condition), that clearly stopped taking his sertraline (medication), and probably only owns a super soaker...

ive always liked guns, since i got my first one as a kid, i dont take medication, and im about the most stable motherfvcker you will meet... im still here, right?



Rob, its a she...

you are a fvcking weird individual you know that?

That's about how close you get to pussy. BOOM !

Go and axe a stick.

I would like to see some Wild Rainier pics.
A moon pic with a Wild Rainier silhouette would be most awesome.

I've spent a fair bit on time on the flight line with camera in hand. You don't need a fancy camera or special lens for the flight line Nate. Any decent P&S or a good phone will suffice - which you already have both. They aren't going to let you get near a plane or take any pics of inside the cockpit. Handles will be hot, so no touchy! Pay the fvck attention to everything they tell you to do; shut the fvck up and don't even think about touching anything. Those are the rules and they WILL ass blast you straight into Gitmo if you screw up. Have fun cuz' getting on the FL is a once-in-a-lifetime treat.

Evo, are you familiar enough with your D7000?

That's the one to take. Put on the Tamron lens, set your camera to Shutter
priority (if taking pics of moving aircraft), and set your shutter speed above
1/1000 sec. ISO 400 should be good enough

If you have auto-focus, be sure the moving aircraft is focused before you hit the
trigger. I have the Nikon 70-300 4-5.6, and it has an "in-motion" stabilizer setting,
and if your is the same, I suggest using it.

Switch back to the 24-120 for shooting still images, and re-set the mode to Aperture
Priority. If you can't hold still, then bring a tripod.

Hang some pics Mike.

yeah Nick, pretty much just going to let them tell us where to go and what to do... basically same thing i do when on FT Lewis property, because there, they will shoot your ass...

there was a lady that went last year i guess, and she tried to falsify something, not sure what, but she was an immigrant from India, and her Visa expired... well after they removed her, she ended up being deported.... i like my freedom, so, when on others property, regardless of where it is, i have the utmost respect for them, and what they are doing...

Hank, yeah ive seen some video of what they do down there in the bay, seems they fly a tad faster than they do up on Lake Washington, thanks to all the whiny yuppies that live on the lake... ive had the opportunities over the years to view them on multiple properties of homes i was building in Medina and Mercer Island, and have been on boats at the log boom and even just out in the lake... pretty crazy being under those planes when they are going nearly 600 MPH...

GD, semi familiar, still getting the hang of certain things, but can operate it...i suppose since i have a month or so before they arrive, i could go to the Nitro funny car races next weekend at Pacific and mess with it there... they are 250 MPH cars so that should give me a decent platform of fast moving objects and see how it does...

my Nikon lens isnt a VR, so no stabilization, the Tamron isnt either that i know of... i can get a used Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens for under 200 bucks, or for 250 there is the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR.... there is also a Nikon - AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED lens at Best Buy right now for 150 (new) down from 350, but its non VR...

i guess ill have to start using it and taking more pictures before August to make sure i have everything in order...

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics Nate in all seriousness. And "she" has a nice face lol.

yeah shes a cool cat...

i am too, never used to bring cameras to watch them, but i guess age changes people... its fun, and now i know why my dad dumped tons of money into taking pictures, because it was fun for him too...

GD, did some more reading, none of the DX lenses are compatible with the D7000, so i would have to get an older VR lens instead of the newer ones... which isnt a problem, Robis has a bunch of used lenses for Nikons there in excellent shape, with warranties...

All hat, no cattle.

No hat, all ballz...


Gonna buy the Tamron 70-300 VC ULD... Kinda expensive but whatever... I'm sure I'll use the hell out of it...

Work on that bud... It's easy to overcome...

I should have you take pictures of my stripers I keep hooking in the surf. Beautiful sunset tonight.

At one point, I took some photos of the Blue Angels. They were far from "good".

All you need is a good DSLR, a good lens, and plenty of sun light at your back. Not in your face or up in the Sky....where the Blues like to fly.

Oh, and hopefully the Blues are flying well that day and stay in a tight formation.

These shots would have been much better if the sun would have cooperated with me.



Blues need Super Hornets!



Stay in formation #3!!!!!



You can always just take photos of the clouds. Sometimes, if you put your imagination to work, you can make out pretty pictures.

"Look Mom! There's a small plane in the sky!"

LOL

I have not seen many, but this is the nicest B-17 that I have seen so far.

That is a gorgeous bird (and pic).

ok so yeah, decent day i guess, i have original photos as well as these "processed" photos, which i generally consider cheating, but maybe, im just not thinking the right way for photography, and need to do what i can to make them look the best they can....

generally i just take a picture and post it... no editing ect... this is color editing, some light, shadows, ect, no sharpness, but theres better programs out there than what i used also...

same thing with moon pics, i take 1 picture, most of the other people that do it for super amateur fun, take tons of pics and stack them on Registax or another style program, i dont do that... its 1 shot...

anyways, i think i might change things up a bit from now on....










i gotta go, you guys have a good night....

Not blurry enough.

Nice work Natedogg !

heres a few more... we took about 400 photos, so ill have to look through them more to see what else i have...

was a long night last night so might be a little bit before i get more done....

That top pic in your last post is fantastic Nate. Great framing and vertical line of sight to capture the plane's stance. It looks like its going MACH 1.5 sitting on the ground.

Glad you had fun - but how could you not! Getting on the flight line is one of those experiences you'll never forget.

it was fun, you dont get much of a show really, during the Angels atleast... its not like being on Ft Lewis property during their Air Expo when the T Birds and whatnot come... but it was definitely fun... not so much fun standing their for 3 hours because if you moved, someone would have taken your spot, but i made it... knee kinda hurt but oh well...

it almost didnt happen actually, i guess the Navy and Boeing didnt negotiate the contract this last year, so the Museum of Flight took it, but we luckily got contacted Thursday and said it was on and we were on the list for all 3 days... i would have went again, but like i said, its not really a "show" there, you get to see them take off, see the pilots, land, ect, but all the tricks and stuff you dont see, or they are 5 miles away and look like ants.... it was still a unique experience and i thouroghly enjoyed it...

we can also go next year as well, but i think i may try to be on a boat on that point, and be able to get some better pictures of the action parts of it....

those pictures right up there, were done using a phone app, which well, isnt that great... you can actually see blockiness in a couple of them and to me that doesnt look that good... this one i did with Photoshop CS7, and it takes a lot longer, and i had to figure out how to switch it from a TIF file to a JPEG file but i figured it out... now i will just have to figure out how to use the program more effectively... cant really right now, got bit by a fvcking dog last night and had to go to the ER per the police and 911 request so im not gonna get messing around with a mouse all day....

couple days i will, i should have quite a few good photos to work with....

That's bad ass nate.

Colors are off a bit. Focus on clarity and framing.