Shooting Aerial Photography from a Microlight Plane

Illustrative images are from a recent project shooting in the area of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Shooting photography from a microlight plane can be an exciting and unique way to capture aerial perspectives, but it's important to take certain precautions to ensure that you get the best results. Here are a few things to consider when shooting photography from a microlight plane:

1. Safety: First and foremost, it's important to prioritize safety when shooting from a microlight plane. Make sure that you are wearing all necessary safety equipment, including a seatbelt and a helmet. Follow the instructions of the pilot and pay attention to any safety briefings or demonstrations.

2. Camera equipment: Choose your camera equipment carefully. A camera with a high megapixel count and a good lens will be important for capturing clear, detailed images. Consider using a camera with image stabilization to reduce blur caused by the movement of the plane. It may also be a good idea to bring a backup camera in case of any issues.

   - I was using a Nikon D800 with 70-200m f2.8 lens

3. Composition: Consider the composition of

   
   
   your shots carefully. Look for patterns, lines, and other compositional elements that will help to create a sense of depth and balance in your images. Pay attention to the position of the sun and how it is affecting the lighting in your shots.
4. Timing: Be mindful of the timing of your shots. The best light for aerial photography is often early in the morning or late in the evening, when the sun is low in the sky. This can create beautiful, golden light that can add warmth and depth to your images.
5. Communication: Finally, be sure to communicate with the pilot about your photography goals and needs. Let them know if you need to fly at a specific altitude or angle to get the shots you want, and be open to their suggestions as well.

Here are a few additional tips for shooting photography from a microlight plane, specifically related to photography technique:

1. Use a fast shutter speed: To freeze the movement of the plane and reduce blur caused by motion, use a fast shutter speed. A speed of at least 1/1000th of a second is recommended. - Most of my images from the microlight flights were shot at 1/1000th or 1/2000th of a second

   
   

2. Shoot in manual mode: Shooting in manual mode will allow you to have more control over the settings of your camera, including the aperture, ISO, and white balance. This can be especially important when shooting from a microlight plane, as the lighting and conditions can change rapidly.

   
   

3. Experiment with angles: Don't be afraid to experiment with different angles and perspectives. Try shooting from different positions within the plane, such as looking out the side windows or even laying on the floor. This can help you to capture unique and interesting perspectives that might not be possible from a traditional aircraft.

   
   

4. Use a polarizing filter: A polarizing filter can help to reduce glare and reflections, allowing you to capture clearer images. This can be especially useful when shooting over bodies of water or other reflective surfaces.

   
   

5. Bracket your exposures: To ensure that you have a range of exposures to choose from, consider using the bracketing function on your camera. This will allow you to take multiple shots at different exposures, giving you more options when it comes to post-processing.

By following these tips, you can improve your technique and capture stunning aerial photographs from a microlight plane.

Aerial Photography - Shooting using drones

Aerial photography is an interesting field of photography. Becoming airborne and shooting the landscape, cityscapes, or sceneries from perspectives we usually are not used to. This gives images a special and unique touch mainly by means of perspective but also by means of color contrast and composition.

There are several possibilities to get into these arial perspectives such as tall buildings, a flight in a plane, or a flight in a helicopter, or in recent times using drones and camera remote control.

Using drones:

Since not every photographer can afford hiring a helicopter or a plane for shooting arial pictures or when topography does not allow to fly with a large vehicle drones become more and more popular in photography.
The image below shows a beautiful panorama of the Raja Ampat archipelago shot from a drone (I guess).

Kri Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia - Nu Parnupong (facebook)

Have a look at the 3dr blog: GoPro Dorne Aerial Photography: Beginner's Guide

Aerial Photography - Shooting from a helicopter

Aerial photography is an interesting field of photography. Becoming airborne and shooting the landscape, cityscapes, or sceneries from perspectives we usually are not used to. This gives images a special and unique touch mainly by means of perspective but also by means of color contrast and composition.

There are several possibilities to get into these arial perspectives such as tall buildings, a flight in a plane, or a flight in a helicopter, or in recent times using drones and camera remote control.

From a helicopter:


My only experience in a helicopter so far was a flight from Las Vegas across the Mojave desert to the Grand Canyon and back.


Since this was a standard touristic flight the conditions were not optimal.

The flight was in the late afternoon which is a good time of the day. The low sun gives rise to good contrast and puts emphasise on the texture of the topography

Since it was a touristic flight doors of the helicopter were closed. Even tough I was privileged to sit in the very front I got a lot of reflections from the windows.

For the first time in a helicopter it was also difficult to choose the right lens. I ended up to shoot mainly the Nikon 14 - 24 mm f2.8 lens. The wide angle lens yields images with enormous depth and clear features of the topography.

 Some other images I shot with the Nikon 24 - 70 mm f2.4 lens. Which was especially good to crop interesting landmarks. Such as the deserted city of Mead View on the right.
Only an airborne view makes visible the geometrical construction of this city which was advertised with beautiful view onto the Lake Mead not taking into account a mountain rim in between.

Another interesting wide angle shot on the left when approaching the airbase again.
The airstrips embedded into the landscape give interesting lines and structure to this image.









Photographer Jared Polin recently released a video on arial photography from a helicopter. He describes in a very interesting way his experience shooting out of a helicopter with open doors the city of Las Vegas.

Aerial Photography - Shooting from a plane

Aerial photography is an interesting field of photography. Becoming airborne and shooting the landscape, cityscapes, or sceneries from perspectives we usually are not used to. This gives images a special and unique touch mainly by means of perspective but also by means of color contrast and composition.

There are several possibilities to get into these arial perspectives such as tall buildings, a flight in a plane, or a flight in a helicopter, or in recent times using drones and camera remote control.

From a plane:

Becoming airborne is probably the most spectacular and only true way to do arial photography. A couple of years ago I hired a little plane and made a sight seeing flight around the most scenic parts of the central Swiss alps.

Working good together with the pilot it is possible to get very special shots from viewpoints which are usually not accessible.

Such images are special not only by means of composition, color, and perspective, but also unique. Since compared to other images of comparable landmarks most of the time no second image has been shot from the same point of view.

The two images here showcase the highest mountains of the central Swiss alps from different perspective.

On the right hand image there is a top view of the village of Bellwald. A very traditional and picturesque village which is worth visiting for a photography trip also on ground.

The difficult thing in planes and helicopters are reflections of the windows. Hence, to capture really good and valuable images one needs to keep doors open which needs extra equipment for securing photographers and equipment and which depending on the air-vehicle is not always possible.

Aerial Photography - Shooting from tall buildings

Aerial photography is an interesting field of photography. Becoming airborne and shooting the landscape, cityscapes, or sceneries from perspectives we usually are not used to. This gives images a special and unique touch mainly by means of perspective but also by means of color contrast and composition.

There are several possibilities to get into these arial perspectives such as tall buildings, a flight in a plane, or a flight in a helicopter, or in recent times using drones and camera remote control.

Paris, la Défense

Tall buildings:

The easiest and cheapest possibility is probably by just climbing a high building and shooting from the top.
I did this on several occasions. For example from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The image on the on the right exhibits a lot of interesting features. Almost central symmetry of the architecture and the park in the foreground. The modern city of la Défense in the background, and the interesting texture of the buildings in between.

The image on the left was taken in Shanghai from the top of Shanghai Tower.
The image gives an impression of the endless cityscape of Shanghai as well as of the gigantic size of skyscrapers in the commercial city center of Shanghai.

Taking such images in black and white gives a very nice texture to these photographs. There are a lot of overlying patterns in arial images of cities which lead to interesting texture.










A similar picture is the image on the right of lower Manhattan in New York taken from the top of Empire State Building.

An interesting aspect of this image are the clear lines of the streets. With the Flatiron Building breaking the perfect rectangular symmetry in this texture.

Interesting perspective is also to look straight down a building. As in the image on the left.
This picture was taken in Dubai from the visitors platform of the Burj Kalifa, the tallest building in the world.

Vehicles on the road look like toys, and the roads seem artificial.

Not only roads and vehicles look like little toys, but also very tall sky scrapers when viewed from a height of more than 800 meters.

Interesting shots can be achieved when including reflections on glass walls of the skyscraper into the framing.
The image on the left exhibits true and reflected Dubai city scape along the Persian Gulf coast line.