Re: [Leica] Helicopter Aerials - stabilizer question

["David W. Almy" <dalmy@mindspring.com>]

Gary,

Donal's shot helicopter-to-(moving)-boat quite a bit, if I'm remembering
right, so maybe he'll chime in on this. Years ago I was a staffer with
Flying, Business and Commercial Aviation, and A/C Flyer magazines.
Consequently, I'm a "veteran" of more than a couple dozen air-to-air
photo shoots, either helicopter-to-helicopter or plane-to-plane.

One of the great challenges in air to air photography is not "freezing"
propellers or rotors, which looks artificial and harsh and amateurish.
Taken to the max, often prop-driven airplanes look best when the prop
(or rotor on a helicopter) is blurred to the point of appearing to be a
solid arc of light, usually with a sunlit shimmer running through it.
The bad news is that that can require shutter speeds down to 1/60th of a
second, taken from a bouncing aircraft of a bouncing aircraft. Even the
1/125th and 1/250th shots, given this movement, often are problematic. 
Consequently, there is typically a high reject rate for the processed
chromes. For jets, the first instinct is to shoot everything at 1/1000,
but using a telephoto for a tight shot looking head-on down a jet
fuselage (see the pilots smile?!) results in depth of field problems, so
you're forced to slow the shutter down and up your reject rate.

Solutions? Shoot at dawn or dusk, when the turbulence is least. Shoot
over water (you've got that licked!) where the air is most stable during
the day. Shoot lots of film. 

In all this, I've never used a gyro. Read a lot about them. Some
air-to-air guys use them on occasion, but I know of no one in the
aviation community who uses one always, or considers them "the answer."
Maybe it's just pride, but skill, patience, planning and a good eye are
considered the best tools to produce stunning shots. And, of course,
Leica glass.

My two cents.

David W. Almy
Annapolis

- -----------------------------------


Gary Todoroff wrote:
> 
> I sure wish I could use some kind of stabilizer, but haven't shelled out the
> $3000 for a KenLab gyro yet. There is no place local to rent them, and the
> schedule is too sporadic to send away for a rental that might not even be
> used. Has anyone heard of a cheaper way to go for gyro stabilization?
> 
> So mostly, I just try to shoot a 1/500th or faster, using Leica and Zeiss
> lenses, which do well wide open if necessary (altho the Hasselblad Planar
> 80mm isn't all that great at f2.8 in my experience). I also take lots of
> film, knowing that often only one out of three frames is critically sharp.
> Even with all my attempts at avoiding vibration, the hit ratio is not at all
> like on the ground. So take lots of frames (Ted, I am already hearing that
> motor drive R8 starting to call my name!)
> 
> This morning the helicopter plans did work out and we flew to the St George
> Reef Lighthouse, about 30 minutes north and six miles off the coast of
> Crescent City. Weather was perfect, with just enought high overcast to keep
> the contrast range down a bit. I shot the Hasselblad ELM out the open door
> of the HH65 Coast Guard helicopter. We were really close during three orbits
> around the rock, so I was able to shoot with the 80mm, trying to capture
> some of the beautful turquois blue water as the waves receded.
> 
> >From a further distance, I used the old but dependable Leica SL with a 90mm
> Elmarit and a 280/4.8 Telyt. Two grey whales swam by when were at about 100'
> elevation, and I got a few shots of them, too.
> 
> We landed on the tiny landing pad and I used the M6 for some shots around
> the abandonded light, mostly with the 35. We toured the many rooms where
> lightkeepers and Coasties lived and worked since 1892, and I sensed what a
> rare priviledge it was to be one of the few who has ever been on that remote
> outpost over the last 100 years.
> 
> >From the top, I  shot an unusual perspective from above the helicopter, its
> blades still spinning, a flight mechanic nearby, and waves crashing on rocks
> just twenty feet below the scene. I love Velvia for landscapes, but can't
> stand the way it interprets the orange color of the helicopter. So far, I
> use Astia for the orange color, but haven't experimented much. Anybody have
> a favorite slide film for interpreting international orange?
> 
> After the group commander flew us home (it was his first trip to the
> lighthouse, too), we both husseled to a lunch meeting back in Eureka, where
> plans are rapidly developing for the festivities around declaring Eureka as
> a Coast Guard City on June 3rd. Should be a great party for a great group of
> people!
> 
> Regards,
> Gary Todoroff
> Tree LUGger
> 
> > Hi Gary.  Saw your posting on the LUG.  I occasionally go flying in
> > aircraft
> > (including helicopters like the UH-1 Huey and H-60 Blackhawk) as a flight
> > surgeon with the military reserves and sometimes take pictures in flight.
> > My question: do you use any stabilizing devices as part of your photo
> > gear?
> > Kinda like fellow LUGGER Donal Philby in San Diego?  Thanks.  Wyman
> > **************
> >