Fargo AirSho
Fargo AirSho
Just finished shooting the Fargo AirSho Sunday. Took my three-year-old son Cooper and met some family at the show. Gave me a great afternoon of photography and family. Cooper loved the aircraft and the chance to play with his cousins. He started talking about the “airplanes” at 7:30AM when he woke up, and he took the toy plane he got at the show to bed last-night. I enjoyed a chance to shoot the show, including the Red Barron Squadron, and the Blue Angels. It was a sunny and hot day; temp was in the 90's with hot sun and humid. A slight breeze saved it. We used a squirt bottle to keep the kids cool.
Again, it was a learning curve, but I picked up the process real quick, learning how to anticipate good shots, what to look for, what settings were best, lens choice, etc. Early shots were throw-aways, but by the time the Blue Angels were flying, I got numerous shots that I was very pleased with.
Lessons learned:
o If you are shooting blind; shoot with two people. I had my brother-in-law there and we both scanned the sky and alerted each other where the planes were coming from.
o Position on the “sun end” of the field. The sun was from the south; I positioned my self at the south end with a clear view to the north. The teams try to focus the center of the action in front of the center of the crowd. Shooting involves panning with the aircraft as they fly past. On the south end, you have less of the shots with sun flare.
o On a two show, set up and shoot wide angle video on the first day. Teams like the Blue Angels perform a highly timed and customized routine. Watch the tape with a notebook and a stopwatch so you know what to expect and where the best shots will be. Many sports are reaction; hope you recognize and get the good shot. When Dave Black shoots skating, he has a sketch book with diagrams of each skaters routine so by the finals, he knows where the shots will be. Dave did the same thing when shooting bull riding for SI; he watched tapes of the bull's tendencies. You can know exactly where the planes will be every second of the performance; why not take advantage and make the best shots?
o Use a zoom lens. I normally shoot fixed length lens most of the time for fast action sports (400mmf2.8, 300mmf2.8, etc.) I had periods where I simply could not track the planes, lost focus lock, etc. A quick twist of the zoom to a wider angle allowed me to get the focus point back on target and then I zoomed back in for shots.
o Look for options. Use the zoom to get foreground objects like flags, parked planes, or other objects to offset and frame the shots of the planes flying past.
o Look for crowd reactions; the utter amazement and joy in a small child may be a better shot than the 15th pass of the flying team.
o Look for unexpected shot. Everyone wants a shot that shows the entire plane. At an air show, that will involve including 15 strangers that will walk in front of your shot, pick their noses in the background, and/or be taking the same snapshot. Look for a small part of the plane, an angle, a reflection, or an interaction between a fan (especially a kid) and the plan. Look to frame shots of a plan with a part from another plane.
This week, unfortunately, is a very busy week for my day job. So I probably will not get anything posted to the photoblog until mid week. But watch that space for some shots of the Blue Angels and the Fargo AirSho. I have had a few friends and family review the slide show and I am excited to share them wider via the web.
posted by Marc @ 9:02 PM
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