Through The Lens

3. Is this something you do as a hobby or is it a commercial operation for you?

Aviation photography is currently a hobby, however I do make a profit from image use and publications.

4. Tell us about your best ever day shooting.

Way too many to recall. My favourite times to shoot are during dawn or dusk while the sun is golden. I also love clouds that have plenty of contrast and a great quantity and range of aircraft to photograph. One of my favourite spotting trips was spotting in Sydney for the first time. I meet plenty of people and had a great time, even though the weather was terrible.

5. You’ve got to choose your best shot ever. What is it and why?

My favourite shots are the ones which have a unique story behind them. My favourite shot is image number 3, being a long exposure of a Qantas Airbus A380 (VH-OQB) after arriving into Singapore from Sydney onboard QF1. Big thanks to the pilots for allowing me to get this shot and allowing me to watch them do their pre-flight checklists before departure. Legend has it that my lens hood for shooting through windows is still in the flight deck, but who knows?

6. What’s your best tip for anyone starting out in aviation photography?

In terms of gear, if you want the best quality for the lowest price then purchase any base model Nikon or Canon camera as they will work brilliantly. Make sure you pick up a wide angle and telephoto lens too, even if it’s a kit lens. I wouldn’t recommend shooting with a smartphone camera unless you’re close to the aircraft. Remember to shoot with the sun behind you at all costs as this will drastically improve the quality of your photos.

7. Tell us about your gear.

I started with a Nikon D7000 with the kit Nikon 55-300mm. My current setup consists of:

• Nikon D810 (Lovely camera, especially the image quality it produces)
• Sigma 150-600mm (Brilliant lens!)
• Tamron 100-400mm (Good for beginners, however not as sharp as the Sigma)
• Tamron 24-70mm (Awesome wide-angle lens especially when used at F/2.8)
• Nikon 50mm (A nifty 50 is a must have! The F/1.8 comes in handy!)

8. We’ve all got our own style; tell us about yours.

I prefer to shoot creative angles rather than side on. I enjoy photographing aircraft front on, especially Boeing 777 with their massive engines. As I mentioned above, I love golden light with dark clouds!

9. Any quirks to how or what you shoot

Sometimes I pan my shots to add background blur. Otherwise I really don’t do too much differently.

10. We’ve all done it – missed the prefect shot. Tell us about the time you missed what could have been the best shot ever. What happened?

My mates will never let me forget the time I forgot to turn on my autofocus for an Air New Zealand All Blacks B772. Other than that, I once forgot to remove my tripod mount off my lens and install it onto my camera for a long exposure in a Boeing 747 flight deck. Luckily, I was able to rest the camera on a jump seat and get a decent shot.

11. What’s a day at an air show look like for you?

The key to a good day at an air show is to get there early, otherwise you will spend more time waiting than photographing. Plan out which flying displays most appeal to you and try to balance your time between flying displays and ground displays.

12. Photo editing – love it or loathe it?

I use Lightroom for the edit, and then I export the image into Photoshop to add my watermark and do any final tweaks. I’ve grown to a more natural style now, usually increasing saturation, contrast and exposure to my liking. I usually spend around 15-30 minutes on a photo, depending on how much work is required. Most of my time is spent removing the pesky little dust spots which live on my lens.

I keep all my images on a single 6TB HDD. Make sure to have a back-up, either online or local.