Advanced Photography Course

others in the sequence. In other words, you cannot have
any "holidays" or missed areas within the strip.

You may have some control over what time of day

to fly the mission. If so, use the sun to best advantage
for the most desirable lighting. When the sun is at an
angle that causes shadows to fall across the subject and
obscure some important detail, you may ask to fly the
mission at a different time of day or even on an overcast
day. Whenever possible, shoot obliques with the sun
falling on the scene from about a 45 degree angle. This
provides proper shadows and creates a feeling of depth.
With the sun directly in back of the camera, the picture
appears flat. With the sun directly in front of the
camera, the shadows may obscure detail and lens flare
can result. Shadows play an important role in picture
balance by creating an illusion of depth; they also aid
in determining the physical characteristics of ground
areas. The size of objects in a photograph can be
determined by the length and width of their shadows.
You can obtain the desired shadow effect by ensuring
the pilot places the aircraft properly in relation to the
target. Teamwork between the pilot and the
photographer is another contributing factor to good
aerial composition. Remember, both the photographer
and pilot are "handling" the camera, but you are
responsible for getting the images.

A minimum image size may be required to locate

or identify large objects in a photograph. Small objects

and great detail require a large image size. You can

obtain the proper image size in your photographs by
selecting the proper altitude of the aircraft and the lens
focal length of the camera.

Subject placement within the image area is also an

important consideration. Because you are in the air and
have a "bird's eye" view of the subject does not mean
you have a good camera viewpoint. Is a tall building or
grove of trees hiding some important subject detail? If
so, direct the pilot to move the aircraft into position for
a better viewpoint. A good rule for composing low

obliques is to divide the camera viewfinder into three
sections: the first section at the bottom of the
viewfinder is foreground, the center third of the picture
is target area, and the top third is background. For high
obliques, divide the camera viewfinder into four
sections: the bottom section of the viewfinder is filed
with foreground, the next section above it is target area,
the third section is background, and the last quarter is
sky. Subject balance should also be considered while
keeping in mind the three or four primary divisions or
areas of low and high obliques, respectively. Study the
view during your approach to the target.

The horizon is another factor for consideration in

oblique work The horizon or, in the case of a low
oblique, the imaginary horizon should be straight in
your pictures. A real horizon that is crooked, even in a
high-oblique picture, does not appear natural; it is
distracting and does not reflect the work expected of a
professional aerial photographer. When making
obliques, you should hold the camera so the horizon is
straight. This is easy to do in a high oblique because
the horizon is included in the picture and can be seen
while the picture is taken. When making a low oblique,
hold the camera as though a high oblique was being
made, straighten the horizon, then lower the camera
carefully to the correct angle for the low oblique.
A horizon that is crooked is often the result when a
photographer concentrates on the subject alone and

does not compose the image in the viewfinder.

The camera may be tilted in some instances; for

example, when two points of interest must be included
in one exposure. If you cannot do this by holding the
camera level, then turn the camera slightly at an angle;
the two points can sometimes be included in the
diagonal of the picture area (fig. 4-24).

Figure 4-24.--Tilting the camera to include subject area.

4-29

contents

Advanced Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> others in the sequence. In other words, you cannot have any "holidays" or missed areas within the strip. You may have some control over what time of day to fly the mission. If so, use the sun to best advantage for the most desirable lighting. When the sun is at an angle that causes shadows to fall across the subject and obscure some important detail, you may ask to fly the mission at a different time of day or even on an overcast day. Whenever possible, shoot obliques with the sun falling on the scene from about a 45 degree angle. This provides proper shadows and creates a feeling of depth. With the sun directly in back of the camera, the picture appears flat. With the sun directly in front of the camera, the shadows may obscure detail and lens flare can result. Shadows play an important role in picture balance by creating an illusion of depth; they also aid in determining the physical characteristics of ground areas. The size of objects in a photograph can be determined by the length and width of their shadows. You can obtain the desired shadow effect by ensuring the pilot places the aircraft properly in relation to the target. Teamwork between the pilot and the photographer is another contributing factor to good aerial composition. Remember, both the photographer and pilot are "handling" the camera, but you are responsible for getting the images. A minimum image size may be required to locate or identify large objects in a photograph. Small objects and great detail require a large image size. You can obtain the proper image size in your photographs by selecting the proper altitude of the aircraft and the lens focal length of the camera. Subject placement within the image area is also an important consideration. Because you are in the air and have a "bird's eye" view of the subject does not mean you have a good camera viewpoint. Is a tall building or grove of trees hiding some important subject detail? If so, direct the pilot to move the aircraft into position for a better viewpoint. A good rule for composing low obliques is to divide the camera viewfinder into three sections: the first section at the bottom of the viewfinder is foreground, the center third of the picture is target area, and the top third is background. For high obliques, divide the camera viewfinder into four sections: the bottom section of the viewfinder is filed with foreground, the next section above it is target area, the third section is background, and the last quarter is sky. Subject balance should also be considered while keeping in mind the three or four primary divisions or areas of low and high obliques, respectively. Study the view during your approach to the target. The horizon is another factor for consideration in oblique work The horizon or, in the case of a low oblique, the imaginary horizon should be straight in your pictures. A real horizon that is crooked, even in a high-oblique picture, does not appear natural; it is distracting and does not reflect the work expected of a professional aerial photographer. When making obliques, you should hold the camera so the horizon is straight. This is easy to do in a high oblique because the horizon is included in the picture and can be seen while the picture is taken. When making a low oblique, hold the camera as though a high oblique was being made, straighten the horizon, then lower the camera carefully to the correct angle for the low oblique. A horizon that is crooked is often the result when a photographer concentrates on the subject alone and does not compose the image in the viewfinder. The camera may be tilted in some instances; for example, when two points of interest must be included in one exposure. If you cannot do this by holding the camera level, then turn the camera slightly at an angle; the two points can sometimes be included in the diagonal of the picture area (fig. 4-24). Figure 4-24.--Tilting the camera to include subject area. 4-29 contents Advanced Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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