Vulcan over Farnborough

[SEP555]

I took some pictures of a Vulcan as it flew over Farnborough, it was a partial cloudy but sunny day. The plane was low down and i took the picture with the sun through cloud at 45 degrees to one side. Looking at the pictures afterward the cockpit and nose was all in sun nicely exposed but the underside was shady so lost the great colours.
What tips for correctly exposing undersides with the rest of the picture?

[briansquibb]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Use spot focus
Point the focus point at the dark point and press and keep holding *
Then recompose and take

With practice this only takes a fraction of a second

[SEP555]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Thanks for that. Just learning so all shots have been left on evaluative, the centre focus point is centre to the underside of the plane. so what difference is there just taking the shot focusing on the dark area to focusing the dark area with * then reshooting the dark area?
As a test ive taken ground level shots have pressed * then reshot, sometimes it makes a difference and sometimes not, just trying to understand why sometimes it doesnt make a difference. I will see what difference there is with spot metering. Also does M or AF have any impact on this?

[briansquibb]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

If you are on spot foucussing the the camera works out the setting needed from where the spot is. If you point at the dark place then the camera allows for that and by pressing and holding the * button (AE Lock) then those settings are kept wherever you focus on.

This doesn't work for M

[applebert]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

That is one option, or overexpose by a stop or one and a half, and adjust in Photoshop using Levels.

[SEP555]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

just started learning so this week ive been trying to get the right settings ready for the show this week. want to make sure i actually capture a few shots rather than looking down too much at the camera for settings

so for jets it works on AF, spot metering, AI Servo to get the fast focus/refocusing, Shutter priority mode?

[briansquibb]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

TV - 1/250 or faster is possible (adjust using ISO setting)

[Neilly]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Hi Sep,

One of the big problems photographing aircraft against a bright background, like sky, is you'll always get a dark underside. So the choice you have is brighten the underneath of the aircraft, which will over expose the background. Live with the original or compromise between the two & use Photoshop to sort the picture out afterwards. Use the Exposure Control (EV) to compensate - depending how bright or dull, for that matter, +0.3 or + 0.7 will usually do the trick.

It would be a help if you posted a picture & we could see better what you've done.

TTFN,
Neil

[briansquibb]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Hi Sep,

One of the big problems photographing aircraft against a bright background, like sky, is you'll always get a dark underside. So the choice you have is brighten the underneath of the aircraft, which will over expose the background. Live with the original or compromise between the two & use Photoshop to sort the picture out afterwards. Use the Exposure Control (EV) to compensate - depending how bright or dull, for that matter, +0.3 or + 0.7 will usually do the trick.

It would be a help if you posted a picture & we could see better what you've done.

TTFN,
Neil

This method is more reliable

"Use spot focus
Point the focus point at the dark point and press and keep holding *
Then recompose and take
"

[Neilly]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Hi Brian,

I think your method is perfectly alright on a fixed object, but a fast moving small subject like an aircraft you won't have time to recompose, because it'll be gone. I use spot focusing occasionally, but prefer using the EV setting. It really does depend on how tricky the light is.

TTFN,
Neil

[briansquibb]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

I do it on birds without a problem ....

[SEP555]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

Thanks guys, will try each way as it makes its serveral passes, should get one or two good shots then

[SEP555]

Re: Vulcan over Farnborough

well i pressed frantically changing settings as it did its flybys so got a mixed bag. The sun was in the same place still bright and high at 4pm. The underside still silhoutted but with spot metering, perfect underside! yay happy with that. As expected though sky was blown out. Just need to combine the two settings to get the full picture. For now i'll photoshop the blue sky back into it.

On the whole quite pleased