Anticipate
Read the approach, departure or flight path before the aircraft reaches your ideal position.
VISUAL STUDY • 04
TRACKING • TIMING • MOVEMENT
Motion Lab
AIM • FRAME • CLICK™
Photographing an aircraft in motion means you are no longer simply composing an image. You are predicting movement.
Acquire
Find the aircraft early in the viewfinder and establish autofocus tracking.
Follow through
Move smoothly with the aircraft and continue the pan after the shutter fires.
Jets
A fast shutter can freeze aircraft motion and preserve sharp detail during approach or departure.
Propeller aircraft
Do not automatically use the fastest possible shutter. Some prop blur helps communicate that the aircraft is alive and moving.
Panning
Match the aircraft’s horizontal movement while allowing the background to streak. Smooth body movement matters more than frantic camera movement.
Timing
Watch gear position, wing attitude, runway relationship and background separation. The strongest frame may exist for only a fraction of a second.