The Arrival
A shot of the famed Boeing B747-400 landing.
A shot of the famed Boeing B747-400 landing.
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Apr, 2020Views
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Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Summer Views Award
Flawless Summer Award
Achievement in Originality
Top Pick Award
Staff Favorite
Halfway22 Award
Curator's Selection
Spring 21 Award
Judge Favorite
2020 Choice Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a set that I constructed on a tabletop. This is a shot of a model airplane shot up close with a macro lens.Time
I set up the shot in the morning and it took a few different angles before I settled on this one. The trick is to keep this model in the selected position completely steady so that I can take multiple shots. Since this is a small 1:500 scale model being shot so close to the lens, the depth of field is very shallow, as in it is impossible to get the whole plane in focus at the same time. With a full-sized aircraft, this shallow DOF would not be an issue. To get around it I shoot multiple images of the model moving the focus on each image so that the whole aircraft is in focus albeit strewn across multiple images. Then using a focus stacking technique, I blend the images to achieve the final aircraft in focus from end to end.Lighting
I knew this image was going to have a background composited into it. I had an image of the sky in my library from one of my trips to Hong Kong a few years back. I had the image open on the computer to make sure that I lit the model from the same side and consistently to match the lighting in the sky. For this shot, I used one main light to the front and left of the model, a beauty dish with a grid for contrasty light. You see the reflection of this light in the nose of the aircraft. I also wanted to add some interest to the airplane itself, so I rigged some led strip lights (the kind you use for under cabinet lighting) on either side of the aircraft. This gives us the row of lights on the right of the image. The strip on the left is not visible, but can be seen as reflections on the left side of the aircraft.Equipment
This image was shot with a Nikon D800 with a 105mm Macro lens. Lighting was achieved using one Einstein 640WS light with a gridded beauty dish. In addition to this, the camera was mounted to a focus rail on a tripod to keep everything completely movement free.Inspiration
Since we are on lockdown and I was at home, I decided to spend some time shooting this image.Editing
This is a composite image where the background was swapped out in post-production. The final aircraft is a result of focus stacking a series of seven images to achieve an aircraft that is in focus from end to end. Once the aircraft was stacked, the background was added, and the lights in the cabin were added. Smaller effects, like shadows, the smoke around the landing gear, the navigation lights on both the port and starboard sides as well as their reflections on the runway were added in post-production. I use Lightroom to process the raw files and do the rest of the editing in Photoshop.In my camera bag
I always have my D800 body with a few lenses. I usually have a 105mm, a 70-200mm and a 50mm. But the one lens I absolutely love using is my 14-24mm ultra-wide. I also always have an ND filter and a polarizing filter.Feedback
The image is not difficult to create. It is actually a very simple image. The thing I enjoy the most is the process of arriving at the final image. Each image is different and the planning is crucial. Once you have an overall vision for what the image should look like, the rest is easy.
