Starting my own thread for a place to post my aviating pics and such. Recently got a new camera, a Fujifilm X-E2...now I just have to learn how to take pictures!! Practice makes perfect, eh?!?!

To that end, feel free to constructively criticize any pics you see here, I'm pretty humble and want to learn how to take a good picture. Any advise is welcome. Other than that, I'll just try to post some interesting pics for all to see. I love aviation porn and just doing my part to promote it!!

A recent trip with Bob to a local river. He showed me some good spots...Bob has been flying the local backcountry for decades and knows his stuff.


Bob's place...pretty awesome..




Some local shenanigans...pioneering new spots...



Gratuitous Airplane pics...


Flight today from Sierra Skypark to the Bishop Airport. I've never been there, so today was perfect weather over the Sierra's...took a quick jaunt over the big rocks to visit and take some pics along the way.

Upon returning home, this fine specimen was hanging out at the Skypark...

Like

OregonMaule wrote:Like

x2!

Wow, dude! Nice!

Shots look awesome.

Keep it up. We are all plane porn addicts around here. Great pics!

Bart,

You are well on your way to taking great pictures! Fantastic!

Nice pictures Bart! Keep it coming!!

Nice pics Aaron! Did you pick up a new (to you) Super Cub?

bart wrote:
To that end, feel free to constructively criticize any pics you see here, I'm pretty humble and want to learn how to take a good picture. Any advise is welcome.

Put naked women in your shots...er, attractive naked women.

Seriously though, do. Other than that your pictures look great! Nice variance of angles and perspective...lots of people keep using the same perspective on every shot, and while each photo is good, as a batch they all look the same. You broke it up well.

Which lens(es) did you get? I really like the Fujifilm X series of cameras. If I didn't already have a safe full of 35mm glass that's the route I'd have gone.

Crzyivan13 wrote:Nice pics Aaron! Did you pick up a new (to you) Super Cub?

Yep, I got it back in February. She's a nice, light, sweet flying bird! Just about got her setup the way I want, which I'm sure will always be the case

Hammer wrote:

bart wrote:
To that end, feel free to constructively criticize any pics you see here, I'm pretty humble and want to learn how to take a good picture. Any advise is welcome.

Put naked women in your shots...er, attractive naked women.

Seriously though, do. Other than that your pictures look great! Nice variance of angles and perspective...lots of people keep using the same perspective on every shot, and while each photo is good, as a batch they all look the same. You broke it up well.

Which lens(es) did you get? I really like the Fujifilm X series of cameras. If I didn't already have a safe full of 35mm glass that's the route I'd have gone.

Good thinking on the attractive naked women part LOL! I'm sure that would be easy to remedy, but cost lots of $$$$$$$$$

I just have the "kit lens" for now. Its an XF18-55MM F2.8-4...looking for advise on which one to get next, although still learning this one.

On this pic, how do I get the prop to blur?? Is it only a function of shutter speed? I was pretty rushed on this shot, so this was purely auto-focus, but in other pics of airplanes taxiing I'm getting some good prop blur.

On this pic, how do I get the prop to blur?? Is it only a function of shutter speed? I was pretty rushed on this shot, so this was purely auto-focus, but in other pics of airplanes taxiing I'm getting some good prop blur.

Yup, prop blur is a function of shutter speed. How slow a shutter speed you need to get blur will depend on how fast the prop is turning. You can use Aperture priority or Shutter priority to slow the shutter speed down.

Be sure to manually select a low ISO, not "auto ISO", or the camera will keep bumping the ISO up rather than allow the shutter speed to slow down in Aperture priority. The reason for that is that a slow shutter speed requires a stable camera platform or the entire photo will be blurry. Most people cannot hand-hold a sharp image slower than 1/60th of a second, so cameras in aperture mode tend to do whatever they can to keep the shutter speed above that. Finding a balance between blurring the prop and still getting a clear image takes trial and error.

There may also be a Program mode on your camera which will work.

But for prop blur to look good you need better light than the sample photo...you want light reflecting off of the prop arc.

I usually start at 1/100th of a second and slow it down from there if it's not slow enough.

Hammer wrote:But for prop blur to look good you need better light than the sample photo...you want light reflecting off of the prop arc.

Definitely, though an "invisible" prop or just a hint of a disc is preferable to a frozen one. The ones shot in low angle light off the nose produce super sweet looking discs.

Some recent pics of the planes and the dog...


A brief stint with Bushwheels on the wagon. They were taken from the cub, but pretty worn out so they didn't stay on long...but they looked great...




On the bluff in Fresno...


Pioneering a new spot...




Ole' Wilson the photogenic mutt...

Nice shots Bart, those look awesome! That camera takes great pictures.

A third "like" for Hammer's idea, that would do the trick!

I like that 180. Too bad you already have a yellow cub with bushwheels and a black lightning bolt.....

Great pictures Bart!

Great Pics Aaron! We need to do some flying again sometime.

robw56 wrote:Great Pics Aaron! We need to do some flying again sometime.

That would be great...although I just moved back to King City, decided to go back to my old Ag job. We have another month or so before things start getting busy. Me and another guy out here are trying to put together a little fly-in out at his strip in Lockwood, I'll see how that pans out. Lots to look at in this neck of the woods, and the winter weather here is usually very nice (no fog/overcast/wind).

bart wrote:

robw56 wrote:Great Pics Aaron! We need to do some flying again sometime.

That would be great...although I just moved back to King City, decided to go back to my old Ag job. We have another month or so before things start getting busy. Me and another guy out here are trying to put together a little fly-in out at his strip in Lockwood, I'll see how that pans out. Lots to look at in this neck of the woods, and the winter weather here is usually very nice (no fog/overcast/wind).

Awesome Aaron! Looking forward to it!

Flynengr