Aircraft Photos and Aerial Photography
October 3, 2006
Flying presents a lot of great photo opportunities, so I never leave the ground without my camera. Here are some of the best (in my opinion) photos my passengers and I have taken, both from the air, and at the airport.
I have a lot of pictures in my collection, so I’ll be adding new pictures regulary. Check back often to see what’s new!
Click on any photo to see a larger version.
Airplanes and Airports
Airports are great places to take pictures, both on the ground, and from the air. There’s always something interesting to see, whether there’s something special going on, or it’s just another day at the field.
During a recent airline flight from England, we had to make an unplanned landing in Goose Bay (to pump out the toilet tanks). Fellow passenger Mike Dilkes snapped this Vulcan bomber out of the open door of our parked Airbus. |
I snapped this photo of TJ Lilliman’s L-16 (the military version of the Aeronca Champ) departing the 2006 Ultralight Pilots Association of Canada convention at Lubitz field. |
My lucky day! I stopped at Barrie/Simcoe Regional Airport (CNB9) to pick up a friend to go to the 2006 Canadian Aviation Expo, and the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds happened to be parked there. |
My Mom shot this photo of me landing at Holland Landing Airpark (CNA4). The 1960ft paved runway is great short-field practice. The plane is a Diamond Katana, belonging to National Flyers. June 2006 by Brigitte Vorkoetter. |
A busy day at the Waterloo International Airport (CYKF). The planes in the foreground are part of the Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre’s fleet of Cessna and Piper aircraft. |
Straight in approach to Cascais Airport (LPCS) in Portugal, with clouds rolling in off the sea in the distance. I took this photo while flying with Frank Hugger during a September 2005 vacation. |
From the Air
The great thing about flying in a small plane is that you’re much closer to the ground than in an airliner, and you don’t have to look, and take pictures, through a tiny porthole made of two layers of scratched Plexiglas®. You can see things from above, but up close.
Home is where the horses are! Our farm, from left to right: mother-in-law’s house, riding arena, barn, garage, and our house. October 2005. |
Ceiling and visibility unlimited over the farmland in our neighbourhood. The world looks at the same time big and small when viewed from the air. October 2005. |
The Desert Rose Café restaurant in scenic Elora, Ontario is our favourite place to eat. For the aviator, its pink walls also make an unmistakable landmark. October 2005. |
A fortress on the west coast of Portugal near Cascais. Taken during a flight with Frank Hugger during our September 2005 vacation. |
Breathtaking shot of the CN Tower and Skydome in downtown Toronto, while approaching to overfly the Toronto City Centre airport (CYTZ). May 2005. |
Niagara falls from 4000 feet. It was a beautiful day, the tourists were out, and the sightseeing circuit was empty. August 2003 by Jennifer Macdonald. |
The Burlington Skyway cuts across the harbour at Hamilton Ontario. When driving, the Skyway looks tall and the road is steep. From the air it looks tall, but not nearly as steep. |
Two days after a tornado hit our area in 2005, I did some aerial sight seeing. The swath of destruction was evident from the air, and this is but one example. |
Cameras and Techniques
These photos were taken with a variety of good quality consumer digital cameras. There are a few tricks to getting good aerial photos, and the most important ones are:
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Use a fast shutter speed. 1/250th of a second or faster is required. 1/500th is better if your camera can do it. Any slower than 1/250th and you will get blurring caused by the motion and vibration of the aircraft. If your camera doesn’t have a shutter speed setting, see if it has an aperture setting, and if so, select a wide aperture. Or, if it has an “action” mode, use that.
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Presetting the focus to infinity means that you don’t have to wait for the camera to focus every time you press the shutter. It also reduces the risk that the camera will focus on something closer, like a wing tip or a scratch on the window.
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If possible, shoot through an open window. Aircraft windows are often scratched or dirty, or tend to reflect objects that are inside the plane. If you’re not the pilot, be sure you have the pilot’s permission to open the window.
Don’t be afraid to post-process the pictures in a good photo editing program. Even on clear days, aerial photos tend to be washed out and afflicted with a blue haze. The Auto Levels command in Adobe® PhotoShop® or the I'm Feeling Lucky button in Google’s PicasaTM are often a good first step, and you can play with the levels and colour balance from there. If you want to do a better job, there’s a very good description of how to do it at the Lunacore Photoshop Training web site.
Finally, if you’re the pilot and are taking pictures, don’t forget to scan for traffic and fly the plane.
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Bill Bilhou
October 28, 2009
Stefan, you are a very interesting guy. We share many interests. Hammond Organs, Electronics, Gen. Avaition, & Models, would make a good start. I was just checking out your photography. Very nice. You give good advice and write some good stuff. I’m a Hamtech member too. Glad to make your acquaintance. Bill Bilhou Lemoore, Ca. USA
Stefan Vorkoetter
July 15, 2011
Hi Frank! It’s been a long time! Yes, that was a wonderful flight! I still remember watching the clouds literally roll in from the coast.
Frank Hugger
July 15, 2011
Hi Stefan, greats from Lisbon! Still remember our flight, special light that afternoon. Hope you are well. Cheers, Frank
Matthew Reiman
November 05, 2011
What a great site. The Paia material is amazing. You seem to be a man busy with what he loves to do. Cheers to that.