Magazines for All | Download in PDF - Ken Gilbert
Magazines for All | Download in PDF - Ken Gilbert
Magazines for All | Download in PDF - Ken Gilbert
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or poles, but <strong>in</strong>clude picturesque<br />
landmarks or clouds, if possible.<br />
As <strong>for</strong> gear, use a camera that<br />
captures at least 5 frames per<br />
second. An F-18 can cover nearly<br />
120 feet <strong>in</strong> 1/8 sec. With slower<br />
burst rates, you may get off one or<br />
two shots per pass—not enough to<br />
catch the optimum <strong>for</strong>mation. I use<br />
a Canon EOS-1D Mark II at 8.5 fps,<br />
and a 70–200mm f/2.8L IS zoom<br />
with 2XX teleconverter. Result: a net<br />
focal-length range of 182–520mm,<br />
and about 10 shots per fl yover.<br />
Leave your tripod <strong>in</strong> the car<br />
and handhold the camera <strong>for</strong> free<br />
pann<strong>in</strong>g. Don’t bother with circular<br />
polarizers, either—they eat up too<br />
much light. (Want a bluer sky? Add<br />
it <strong>in</strong> postproduction.)<br />
For exposure, shutter speed is<br />
critical. I like to set it between<br />
1/1200 and 1/2000 sec (locked<br />
<strong>in</strong> shutter priority), and I dial <strong>in</strong><br />
higher ISOs until I get it. Evaluative<br />
meter<strong>in</strong>g works best, because the<br />
jets are too small to spotmeter.<br />
Just be<strong>for</strong>e a fl yover, I focus<br />
manually where I expect the jets to<br />
enter the frame. I compose so they<br />
sit slightly off-center, with empty sky<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e them. (Placed dead center,<br />
even Blue Angels can lack punch.)<br />
POP PHOTO FEBRUARY 2009 WWW.POPPHOTO.COM 45
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