brettrisen
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jarrodunruh
December 15, 2014
Amazing capture we live 30 minutes from Pensacola so we get to see the Blues all the time and it's always an amazing show.
Dallas_Wolas_Photography
December 15, 2014
Great Capture! Must've been nice to see them in person, and really loud.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
NAS Jacksonville, FL 2014.Time
Mid afternoon approx 3:30pm.The Blue Angels typically begin their demonstration at 3pm. Clear blue sky - it does not get any better than that.Lighting
Lighting was natural sunlight.Equipment
Nikon D800 with a Sigma 50mm to 500mm zoom lens. The Sigma is the only option for an airshow - it has the broadest range of any zoom lens made and is ideal for airshows.It can zoom in to 500mm to capture a shot like this, the formation was over 1 mile in altitude, and pull back enough to capture the entire formation when doing a flyby 500 feet away. Fixed focal length lenses simply do not have the versatility needed for an airshow - the subject may be 500 feet away one minute and 5000 feet away the next. No tripod - handheld only. Tripods are too restrictive and do not allow the freedom of camera movement required.With good sunlight and the optical stabilization of modern lenses you will have no problem shooting at good depth of field and high shutter speeds to freeze the motion of fast jets. How far we have come from the mid 80's when i thought my Nikon FE2 and a Vivitar Series 1 70mm to 210mm was as good as it could ever get.Inspiration
I like the action and the challenge of airshows.Landscapes and modeling photography on a tripod is one thing-I have done my share of that but shooting F 18's and F 16's moving at over 400 miles an hour handheld is a real test of skill. Also, I love the action and the sound of afterburners in the afternoon- the most fun I have had since I saw Led Zeppelin.Editing
Yes -this image was heavily cropped - it is a small section of the original image. Even with a 500mm zoom the formation was over 1 mile in altitude.I cropped and rotated the image to get the best action and composition.I used Picasa to edit- nothing more was required for this shot.In my camera bag
Nikon D800, Sigma 50mm to 500mm zoom and an 18mm to 50mm zoom. This keeps the camera bag small and light and covers a broad range.Feedback
You will need a Sigma 50 to 500mm zoom or the new Sigma 100mm to 600mm zoom. A 400mm fixed lens would work for this specific shot but would be too limited for the rest of the airshow. I have photographed the Blue Angels over 40 times and have the advantage of being familiar with their show. This shot was taken as the formation climbs to approx 1 mile and then all 6 aircraft break in different directions. Follow them up and wait for the break.You need to be set at continuous frames low at least -if not continuous high. As they break fire a short burst of frames and hope for the best and a good focus lock.They will only be in the viewfinder for a few seconds.