A successful journey into the clouds begins with thorough planning and organisation on the ground. Here are some things you can do before your upcoming aerial photography flight to ensure that you have a fruitful and fun experience:
1. Be Aware of the Subjects You Wish to Capture- Researching the location is the first step in determining what you wish to capture at any given location. Do you have any particular sights or spots in mind that you’d want to check out? Find out more and spend time familiarising yourself with the region that you will be flying over, paying particular attention to the landscapes and landmarks that may be observed from above. Imagine the finished photos with the composition you have in mind. When you have a notion of how you’d like to get these images, it will be much simpler for you to communicate with the pilot regarding the appropriate planning and the routes that you want to take.
Finally, to get inspiration, turn to the work of other photographers. Examine the photographs they’ve taken, think about what viewers like and don’t like about the shots and then move on to developing your own style and capturing the subject in a manner that is unique to you.
2. Be aware of the best time of day to take your aerial photographs before you take off. Do you wish to take some pictures before sunrise? Sunset? Light in the middle of the day? When planning your flight, keep these light conditions in mind. It is essential to have open lines of contact with your pilot in order to determine whether or not they are available to fly during the period of the day that you like. Certain airports and organisations impose limits on the hours in which passengers are permitted to take off.
3. Restrict Yourself to Using No More Than Two Camera Bodies- When taking photographs from a plane or helicopter, the passage of time has the highest significance. Because of this, we strongly suggest carrying two camera bodies along with the two lenses you want to use. This way, you won’t have to worry about switching lenses while you’re in the air because you can effortlessly swap between lenses. If you have more than two gadgets, you won’t be able to give each of them the same amount of attention that you give the view outside the window, which is ironic considering that the view outside the window is the reason you’re in the air!
The term “two bodies” can refer to a mix of several different devices, such as smartphones, GoPro cameras, or DSLR cameras. The use of a GoPro camera that is attached to the user’s head or chest in order to free up their hands is one notable exception. (You’ll only need to watch out that they don’t get in front of your camera!)
4. Choosing the Appropriate Lens to Use-When it comes to aerial photography, selecting the appropriate lenses to use relies on the subject you are photographing. To ensure that we are prepared for any scenario, we always bring lenses that have a broad range of features.
