Michael Haluwana is an award-winning photographer and videographer who has labored on iconic tasks with Sir David Attenborough on BBC Planet Earth II documentary. With his expertise in aerial images and videography, he shares his recommendations on every thing from staying secure, to choosing one of the best gear and settings for the job.
Plan Ahead for Your Shoot
Before embarking on your shoot, it’s price researching your location and excited about what you wish to seize – what’s your imaginative and prescient and inspiration? Look into the forecasted weather and consider the movement of clouds and wind pace. Ideally, time your shoot for beneficial weather circumstances to get essentially the most out of your time.
Be Prepared with the Right Gear
It’s necessary to have the proper camera and lens suitable for aerial shots, and that usually means having high shutter velocity and resolution. My go-to gear is the Canon EOS R5 paired with the Canon RF mm f/2.8L IS USM or Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM lenses. If you get the opportunity to do aerial shots from a aircraft, I recommend sticking to 1 lens per digital camera body in the course of the flight and leaving the lens hood at residence. Heavy wind can get trapped in the lens hood and if it will get unfastened it can turn into a potential security hazard. As for any aerial shoot, ensure you have plenty of charged batteries and spare SD playing cards simply accessible and prepared for use. The last thing you need is to overlook a outstanding shot as timing is everything!
Best Camera Settings for Aerial Photography
I prefer to rely on the digicam autofocus to adjust for the ground velocity and shifting objects. The Canon EOS R5 has as a lot as 5940 auto focus factors which is out there in very helpful. Consider using back button focus too as it’s going to allow you to seize shifting targets.
I recommend taking pictures in manual mode because it allows you to regulate the shutter speed, ISO and aperture according to the location conditions. If you’re moving with a digital camera with a aircraft or drone, you will need to regulate the shutter pace from . This can vary because of ground pace. It’s always good to take a few test photographs. For aperture, attempt hold it low at f/2.8 if possible as this enables extra mild to get through the lens.
Best Camera Setting for Aerial Videography
The beauty of utilizing a digicam such as the Canon EOS R5 is that it offers the choice to shoot high quality footage in 4K 120p which helps slow down videos post-production. My most popular aperture for aerial filming is between f/2.eight – f/4. For stabilisation and regular filming, I occasionally like to use a gimbal nevertheless, the Canon EOS R5 and Canon RF lenses have in-built image stabilisation which helps capture smooth footage when capturing handheld. One my favorite features on the Canon EOS R5 when it comes to videography is having the power to use the view finder to border my subject and record on the similar time.
Drone Photography and Videography
Drones are another approach to get amazing aerials pictures and offers you extra time and freedom to plan your body and angles, compared to a airplane the place there’s so many movement components.
Safety and Regulations
Keep in thoughts when shooting with a drone in Australia, you would possibly be required to follow all Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and local council guidelines and regulations. All rules may be discovered within the CASA website or by calling your local council the place you reside/plan to photograph/film. I also use an app known as Open Sky, when planning my locations.
Drone Pre-Flight Checklist
Always take time to do a pre-fight checklist which will assist you to avoid encountering issues during the flight. Consider the next;
* Check your drone propellers are securely hooked up
* Check if the propellers have any cracks or damages
* Check the compass calibration and calibrate if required (this will assist you could have management over the drone in flight)
* Check the battery is charged
* Ensure your SD card is formatted
* Do a take a look at picture or video to ensure there are not any errors
* It’s good practice to strive the drone a few meters excessive and check the controls first, earlier than sending it off.
Composing and Framing your Aerial Shot
Dividing Line and Unique Patterns: This is one of the only ways to create aerial art. Top down framing gives you extra flexibility to find the dividing strains which provides you with image distinction and sample. Look for lines, patterns and completely different colors and textures. Using the third grid overlay as a information for composition will allow you to get your desired shot.
Long Exposure/ ND Filters: When taking long publicity pictures, you have to keep the digicam as regular as attainable for the duration of the long publicity interval. This may be achieved with drones but, it’s finest to do that on days with minimal wind. I use excessive value ND filters such because the ND250, ND500 and ND1000. I love capturing long exposures of ocean waves. I advocate shooting an space where you have a gradual topic as properly a transferring subject to create a strong impact. For example, waves slamming onto rocks. With your shutter pace, play around with few settings in the publicity, aperture, and ISO until you get your desired result. In the under picture, I really have used ND500, 2 second exposure, f/2.8 with ISO 200.
Multiple Exposure AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing): Given the broad scope you’ll have the ability to capture in a single body, reaching the right exposure can typically be difficult with blown-out shiny or darkish areas. Relying on a single publicity setting can lead to loss of detail. I often like to make use of AEB with 5 totally different publicity settings. This captures a number of pictures concurrently at totally different exposure settings. The digicam retains the uncooked composition photographs giving you the chance to combine them in post-processing. Working with AEB gives me extra control over the process when I’m creating my ultimate High Dynamic Range picture.
Contrasting Colours: It’s easier to isolate colors and search for distinction with a top down shot. Take the image beneath for example, detailing ocean waves, sand, and rocks. Give each colour you see a possibility to be part of your last artwork. Try to fit everything into one frame and adjust the peak of the drone to isolate colors and create your required frame.
Shadows: Using shadows are one of my favourite methods to get creative with photography. Depending on the suns position, you would possibly have the ability to get the length of the shadows to match your planned shot. Remember to at all times be able to shoot, as shadows can change quite rapidly. I use the solar tracking app, Sun Seeker to determine the path of the sun to plan my shot.
Horizon and Photography/Videography in Low Height: I love framing the foreground and background because it really brings a shot to life. Try taking photos/video with the drone at a low top and steadily elevate the drone to seize your shot using the sky because the background. This helps show completely different perspectives and depth that you just might not see with a front-on picture. Keep in thoughts when you are flying in low altitude there’s a better probability of crashing your drone. It’s a good suggestion to have a spotter who can regulate the drone when you body your shot.
People: Having folks in photos/videos helps with scale and connecting a person and exercise. It creates the opportunity for the viewer to imagine themselves in that location or collaborating in the exercise. I often prefer to restrict this to 1-2 individuals. Take your time and attempt to place people where it will give you the best composition and scale. In the under picture, I even have positioned models in relation to the situation and to fill any negative house. There are rules around flying over and close to folks with drones. I strongly recommend doing further research earlier than incorporating individuals in your aerial photography/videography.
Regardless of whether or not you’re on a plane, using a drone, or taking pictures from lookouts and ranges, aerial pictures and videography is a great way get inventive and enhance your photographs.
Find out extra about Michael’s work on his Instagram and website.
