How do I get great air show pictures?
- hirejn
- Aug 5
- 6 min read
Air shows are a thrilling spectacle, offering a unique opportunity for breathtaking aerial pictures and stunning aircraft views up close. While there are countless ways to capture these moments, I'll focus specifically on photographing aircraft in flight from the central spectator area on the ground. With the right gear, settings, and tips, you can elevate your air show photography and create stunning images that encapsulate the excitement of the event.
Basic Gear
To get started with air show photography, it's essential to have the right equipment. Here’s a list of basic gear I would bring along:
Camera: A DSLR or mirrorless camera with good autofocus capabilities is ideal for capturing fast-moving aircraft. A mirrorless camera with airplane detect autofocus is the best, as the camera will find and track aircraft anywhere in the frame, leaving you free to just compose and shoot.
Lens: I highly recommend a lens of 600mm equivalent for shots of aircraft. However, depending on the show and your position, a 200mm could be sufficient. In any case, I'd recommend at least a 200mm for any airborne portion of the show. A lens with image stabilization can also be beneficial.
Tripod or Monopod: While a tripod can be cumbersome at an air show, a monopod can provide stability while allowing for mobility, especially for water or ground portions of the show. For flight, I typically shoot handheld for the greatest flexibility.
Extra Batteries and Memory Cards: Air shows can be lengthy, and you don’t want to miss a moment because of a dead battery or full memory card. The most recent air show I photographed, I ended up with about 10,000 images and maxed out all my cards.
Sun hat: I wear a sun hat, with a brim that goes all the way around, to protect my neck, head and ears, since I'll be in the sun all day. A regular hat doesn't do for me.
Sunscreen: Should go without saying, even on overcast days!
Umbrella: If there's rain in the forecast, an umbrella is essential. Use it to shield yourself and your gear until the rain passes. If you have an umbrella chair, that can also shade you in the sun.
Rain jacket: Use in a temporary light rain or drizzle only, and avoid subjecting your gear to prolonged rain. If you're not sure the gear can take the rain, put it away.
Chair: While some air shows provide seating, it may not be to your liking, and some don't provide seating but allow chairs. An umbrella chair is especially handy for protection from sun and rain. Check with your air show's policy on what items you're allowed to bring.
Advanced cameras can really make a difference for air shows, not only because they have airplane detect autofocus but faster frame rates and pre-capture ability. With my Z9, I'll set the focus area to full screen, so no matter where the plane is in the frame, the camera will lock focus onto it and track it, freeing me to just compose and shoot.
Precapture is a game-changer if you have it. With pre-capture, I don't need to shoot until after the action occurs, and then I'll get up to 1 full second of frames before that, at whatever frame rate I set.
Pre-capture is essentially a time machine. When you activate pre-capture mode and hold the shutter button halfway, the camera starts "remembering" images at the selected frame rate. If you push the button all the way, the camera records up to 1 second of action before you pressed the button, plus when you pushed the button, as well as any frames after that as long as you hold the button. If you don't push the button, no images are recorded.
So, for example, for a close cross pass, I'll track one plane, holding the button halfway. As soon as I see the other plane cross paths, I push the button all the way, capturing that frame plus up to one second before that, encompassing the entire cross pass sequence and, at up to 120fps, get just about whatever position I want the planes to be in.
Starting Settings for Great Air Show Pictures
Once you have your gear ready, it’s time to set up your camera for optimal performance. Here are some starting settings to consider:
Mode: Set your camera to Manual exposure mode.
Shutter Speed: Aim for a shutter speed of 1/1600th to 1/2500th of a second to freeze the motion of fast-moving aircraft like jets. For prop planes (with spinning props), experiment with shutter speeds from 1/125 to 1/500; then, set the focus drive to continuous and drive mode to burst, and fire away as you pan with the plane to get a sharp plane and blurred props.
Aperture: F/9 is my go-to for air shows, with a range from f/7.1 to f/10. While for most other shoots I prefer a much wider aperture for softer backgrounds and letting more light in, I'd rather get the aircraft as sharp as possible.
ISO: Auto.
Exposure compensation: Use the +/- (exposure compensation) button in combination with your control dials to tell the camera to make the image brighter or darker. Since you've set shutter and aperture manually, the camera will adjust the ISO automatically as you dial in brightness compensation. For blue skies, it's ok to leave exposure at 0 to +0.3. For overcast skies, it's ok to put exposure at +0.7 to +1.3, and check your results. This is because an overcast sky influences the camera to underexpose the scene a little, so to correct that I add positive compensation.
Focus Mode: Use continuous autofocus (AI Servo or AF-C) to keep moving subjects sharp. This should be on at all times for action.
Drive Mode: Set your camera to burst mode to capture multiple frames per second, increasing your chances of getting the perfect shot. Depending on how badly I want the perfect shot, I'll set my camera to from 10fps to 20fps.
File quality: Since I'm photographing with the intent to archive, edit and display or print, I capture raw files to record the most information about the image. However, I set the quality to High Efficiency, or whatever is the most compressed on your camera, since the editing will be fairly light to medium for the most part.
Tips for Success
To truly make the most of your air show photography experience, consider these additional tips:
Plan Ahead: Check the schedule for the air show and familiarize yourself with the layout. Knowing where the planes will be flying can help you position yourself for the best shots. I pay for centerline tickets which is usually where the best angle when the planes do photo-passes.
Use the Right Background: Plain blue skies can be a great way to showcase an aircraft portrait, but they can also be boring after a while. Aircraft passing in front of cloud formations can look dramatic. In fact, I prefer partly cloudy to add some elements of interest to the background.
Keep an eye out for interesting foreground or background elements that may add a point of interest to the images, and follow aircraft beyond their main passes, as you may see them pass by something interesting, like the image of a C-130 behind the flag (below).
Practice Panning: To capture the sense of speed and motion, practice panning your camera with the aircraft as it moves. This technique can create a dynamic background blur while keeping the plane sharp. Experiment with a shutter speed of 1/125 to 1/250, drive mode in continuous, and frame rate to burst, and pan with the aircraft while holding down the shutter button. Only 10% of the shots may be in focus, so shoot as many as you can and pick the best later.
Review and Adjust: After a few shots, review your images to ensure your settings are correct. Adjust as needed for the lighting and aircraft speed.
Edit at home: While it's good to check and adjust quickly as conditions change, avoid spending too much time looking at the back of your screen or you'll miss shots and maneuvers. Save the culling and editing for when you get home at the computer. Focus on getting the shots now, even if you're not sure you want them. Use intermissions to do some quick culling if you must, but it's faster to do it at home in Lightroom anyway.
Capture the atmosphere: Not the sky, but capture the atmosphere of the show when opportunities present themselves. Sometimes there are ground performances by military bands, veterans standing for the anthem, crowd shots, or other environmental shots.
By equipping yourself with the right gear, understanding your camera settings, and employing these practical tips, you'll be well on your way to capturing stunning air show photographs. Enjoy!