Launch Photography

[Tucker5246]

Does any one have any techniques or idieas on taking launch photos?

Keith

 

[wwattles]

Basics: Good camera with a manually adjustable zoom/shutter speed control. Good zoom strength (HPR's look tiny through many cameras because of the safety distance)

A tip from a somewhat well-known rocketry photographer: pile up some loose dirt directly underneath your launch pad - it makes for a nice effect when the exhaust hits it and blows it up into a dirt cloud. Note that this isn't exactly a sanctioned activity and may raise some "concerns" with the range safety folks.

WW

 

[Reed Goodwin]

Well, if you go digital, get a camera with a good amount of zoom (>3x), highish MP, manual shutter speed adjustment, capability of greater than 1/2000 of a second shutter speed, burst mode preferable. I felt that the Nikon Coolpix 8700 filled those requirements and so it is on my wishlist. It also has 640x480 resolution 30fps movie capabilities, great for lots of launch images though a loss of quality.
Reed

 

[dr wogz]

Also alow for reaction time. That is, have sufficinet space (in the frame) above the lauch rod, as to not 'cut off' the rocket as it zooms skyward. This takes practice & knowing your camera.

Have the launcher be someone you trust, and can work with. Someone predictable. Someone who will "3..2..1..hit teh button" so you can time it . Watch for that little 'puff' at ignition, and snap then (sometimes works, sometimes not..)

Lay on the ground and take your shot (looking 'somewhat' up')

Check your back gound (trees, building, power lines / poles, etc..) that can obscure / distract from the shot.

Make sure the sun is behind you!

Expect a few to be blurry! Adjust shutter speed before aperture.

 

[adrian]

Lock the focus in advance. In almost every digital camera I've used so far, that means press the shutter button half way. This sets focus and exposure. Pressing the button the rest of the way will take the photo. With the focus and exposure pre-set, there will be much less delay between the button being pressed and the photo being taken.

 

[Bobrogg]

You mean like this one?

 

[Neil]

Well, I use a Fujifilm S5000 camera for most of my liftoff pictures. Its not the optimal camera, but it gets the job done. I set the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second. It has this little feature where you get to pick the area of the screen that it focuses in on. I set this to the very bottom, so the camera automatically focuses on your rocket, with plenty of sky for background, and only 1/4-1/8th of the frame is ground, generally the opposite of what you would normally do. I generally wait untill I see the distinct flame of the motor, or, on low&slow flights, first movement. The flame method works well for distinctive propellant types (Redline, Red Rhino, Green Gorrila, Skidmark, Blue Thunder, Black Jack, Smokey Sam or similar), because you can easily tell the difference between the igniter burning and the motor igniting. For less-distinctive propellants (white smoke, flame. White Wolf, White Lighting, Standard, etc), first movement is what your looking for.

If you know your camera, you will be able to get perfect photos 75% of the time. That means rocket just clearing the tower, burning at full, flame framed by the rail's support tower. Or, for shorter rods/rails, several feet above the rod. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to do this with great accuracy.

Heres an example of a perfectly executed shot (had to adjust it to low-res for the boards, though). My PML Tethys leaping off the pad on an H123-10W:

 

[Reed Goodwin]

Neil, you forgot to attach the pic.
Reed

 

[Tucker5246]

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I will try both my Sony Digital and Nikon SLR....will post the results once we launch again
.

 

[gerbs4me]

when I take launch photos I either get it still sitting on the pad, or a smoke trail.

 

[BlueNinja]

I use a Canon S1 IS, which is nice but on auto might over/underexpose parts that you really need, but that only happens when you take a picture of a dark object on a bright background, otherwise it's a very nice camera. I use it for all my pictures, every one in the AIRfest thread was taken by it.

I usually just set it to "auto" and let it do its stuff, as before a launch I have no time to mess around with the exposure and aperture. I also use the burst mode, so it takes a pic every half-second or so. When I hear the LCO start the countdown, I lock the focus, then right after 2 start taking pictures and hope I get a good shot. Works great.

 

[Initiator001]

Getting a good liftoff picture with a digital camera is more difficult than with a film camera.

My first digital camera was a Kodak DC120. When I bought it back in 1995 it was one of the first 'megapixel' cameras (1.2 megapixels, to be exact). It required that the camera be pre-focused by pointing the camera at the subject and half-depressing the shutter button. This would activate the auto-focus and set the final focus for the camera. I would then continue to fully depress the shutter button. One-to-two seconds later the shutter would trigger and take the picture. It was more 'magic' than 'science' in order to get a good liftoff picture with this camera.

Today, ten years later, technology has made it possible to get the features and shutter speed of a film SLR camera into a digital camera.

I had been planning to get a new camera for several years. The location of this year's NSL less than two hours from my home made me decide to get a new digital camera but not just any camera.

I read camera reviews on-line and in magazines. I finally decided on a Canon EOS 20D. It's an SLR digital camera with 8.2 megapixel resolution. A maximum shutter speed of 1/8000th/second with a continuous shooting rate of 5 pictures/sec. Oh, yeah!

I'm still figuring out how to use all the features of this camera.

So, those of you flying minimum-diameter, K1100 powered rockets at the NSL, I may get a liftoff shot of your rocket!

 

[Rocketman248]

I recently bought the EOS 20d. I love it. With a good lens with an Ultrasonic motor, you can get some excellent pictures. It really does do at least 5 frames a second. I love it!

 

[troj]

Originally posted by Rocketman248
I recently bought the EOS 20d. I love it. With a good lens with an Ultrasonic motor, you can get some excellent pictures. It really does do at least 5 frames a second. I love it!

I have a 20D, also; we have two in the club, and are likely to have a third soon. The Canon digital SLRs are incredible for launch photography, with their fast focus and high frame rates.

Point and shoot digitals can be used, but it's more of a crapshoot as to whether or not you'll get the rocket while it's moving. You have to learn your shutter lag, the cadence of the LCO, as well as guessing when the rocket will start moving.

The advantage a digital SLR has is the fast frame rate, where you can press in the shutter as soon as the LCO hits the end of the countdown and hold it down until you know the rocket has moved. Then delete the unwanted frames.

-Kevin

 

[cjl]

My dad uses a 20D. He gets SPECTACULAR lift off shots with it and either a 70-200L Image Stabilized lens, or a 300L IS. Here is a sample (not cropped) of a perfect shot of a rocket on an M2200.

Hint - frame rate is more important than resolution.

 

[cjl]

Another thing - it does not have to be a shot immediately following lift off to be good - sometimes a shot when the rocket is 100 feet up can be just as spectacular. Example of a shot where the rocket (a different rocket than the last pic, but still on an M2200) is about 100 feet up:

 

[troj]

Originally posted by cjl
My dad uses a 20D. He gets SPECTACULAR lift off shots with it and either a 70-200L Image Stabilized lens, or a 300L IS. Here is a sample (not cropped) of a perfect shot of a rocket on an M2200.

Hint - frame rate is more important than resolution.

The IS lenses are really nice, but pricey. A monopod or tripod will allow you to use less expensive lenses and get some great shots -- I borrowed a Sigman 170-500mm lense for a launch and got some really great photos with a tripod.

The 300/f4 is the next lense on my list; I wish they made a 300/f2.8 that was affordable....

As far as frame rate versus resolution, it depends on what you want to do with them. Frame rate lets you be a little more sloppy on pressing the shutter at the right instant, but resolution has its benefits for allowing you to crop and use it in a wider variety of media.

-Kevin

 

[troj]

Originally posted by cjl
Another thing - it does not have to be a shot immediately following lift off to be good - sometimes a shot when the rocket is 100 feet up can be just as spectacular. Example of a shot where the rocket (a different rocket than the last pic, but still on an M2200) is about 100 feet up:

Agreed, although tracking a moving rocket takes a lot more practice. My wife is much better at it than I.

Sparky and high-smoke motors are really cool in the air.

-Kevin

 

[gerbs4me]

Thats a cool shot of the M2200, taking pics with the 35mm camera is easier, but I like the quality of a didgital picture

 

[Reed Goodwin]

Originally posted by troj
Agreed, although tracking a moving rocket takes a lot more practice.

That's actually opposite for me. I seem to get the leared shots when the rockets are in the sky and the blurry ones when it is flying. Here's an example of a shot taken just leaving the pad: https://community.webshots.com/photo/283375704/330292350lakqVO and here's a shot right after it where its going through the sky: https://community.webshots.com/photo/330292685/330292685UaKOqO I seem to be able to track them about 0.5 seconds after ignition. It might also help to get a camera that faster shutter speeds and to use it on a sunny day, but still.
Reed