Just curious now as a former flight instructor and former aerial photographer. What phase of flight were you in at the time the image was captured. Hover was never good because of the vibration involved and even with the Ken Lab, its going to be tough.
I flew many different airplanes, but took only one 10 min helicopter flight. That was about 9 mins too much in an R22 (the 2 seat version.) Did not like it at all. That isn't rare with fixed wing guys and the reverse is true with rotor heads. Maybe it was because the insurance agent I knew pretty well said he never wrote a policy on a helicopter he didn't have to buy. Maybe its because all the critical parts of a helicopter are always moving. There is a part in a helicopter known as the Jesus bolt. Why? If it breaks you will be talking to him up close and personal.
As far as the image you asked a lot of your equipment. Taking it more or less into the sun (I am guessing somewhere around 10 oclock) made it difficult in a lot of ways. I see why you did it. The composition of the mines works well and unlike the studio you can not just move the light. The only thing you can do is do it at a different time of day which isn't always an option. Some of what I see too could be based on a low res image and lack of ability to transmit the best quality via the net without an hour and risk of losing control of the image.
Obliges are really tough to get sharp, especially with such a big depth of field. Instead of F7 ish, I probably would have gone to the sweet spot of the lens, mine tend to run somewhere around F11 to F16, and then if need be compensate with a higher ISO With at 70, you probably would have been just fine, particularly with a Ken Lab at 1/250ish Everyone seems to find their own compromises that work best for them. Really all of this may be moot. The real file could very well be tack sharp.
This might be an image you want to experiment with a bit. I have adjusted an image one way for say highlights, another for the shadow detail I want, and maybe for color and saturation. The take the 3 to 5 saved files and them combine them as an HDR file. Sometimes it can do wonders. Other times it makes everything look flat. A little extra saturation might help as well too.
If you made others from different angles, I for one would be interested in seeing them. I would be interested to see how the lighting and composition trade offs worked as you photographed the location.
Mark
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Members photographs on 11 FEB 2012
From: Robert Earnest <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, February 14, 2012 12:08 pm
To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students
<photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On 2/13/12 8:03 PM, Gregory Fraser wrote:
Would it have killed you to put that in the title of the photo? By the way was the chopper the Raven I or Raven II?
Greg
Raven II. It was my first time in one. I’ve flown in Bell Jet Rangers many times but this was a first for me. It was brand new and it was lovely. I suppose it wasn’t as fast as the BJR but it didn’t matter because we had one door off anyway and couldn’t fly very fast. It was also a bit windy but the pilot was pretty good. Some chopper pilots are better than others for knowing how to fly a photographer. My favorite is the guy I use in New Zealand. Flying with him is like having the camera mounted to a crane. He is smooth and has a great sense of what I am seeing. He gets involved and has great ideas for camera moves as well. I like that.
R
