Kira_Majeric
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I am trying to get good photographs of launches. Does anyone have tips? Or it is just trial and error?
I am trying to get good photographs of launches. Does anyone have tips? Or it is just trial and error?
Unless you have the right equipment, getting photographs of lift-offs can be quite challenging. Even with a better camera, it takes practice.
Most cameras have a delay after you press the shutter before the photo is actually taken. In that time, the rocket may already be high in the air.
So, if your camera can take multiple photos when you press the shutter release button, use that feature. Press the shutter-release just as the countdown reaches zero.
If you zoom in too close, it's harder to catch the lift-off. So, at least at first, take wider angle shots.
Slower shutter speeds cause blurring, so set a high shutter speed. You're outdoors and it's usually sunny when launching, so the automatic mode will probably select a good speed, but you can manually set a higher speed or choose the "Sports Mode" to make sure.
Don't always try to get a close-up of the lift-off. Mix in some wide-angle photos that include people. These types of photos are easier to capture and are often more interesting. For example, position yourself on the other side of the launch pad so that you get a photo of the launch as well as the person pushing the button and the others watching.
-- Roger
What are the specs of you camera? Is it a DSLR, point & shoot or the one on your cell phone? What rockets are you attempting to shoot; LP, MP, or HP?
You need a decent shutter speed > 1/800 & a fair amount of light to get good shots. I usually use an ISO of 200 to 400. If your camera has digital zoom; turn it off because it will only make you photos worse.
JD
I have a Point & Shoot Kodak Z1015 as well as a SLR Nikon D50. I took the Kodak last year to Black Rock. I just got the Nikon, and will be taking both this year.
Working with a Nikon DSLR comes with a couple of special hints:
1. Forget about using RAW - it takes too much time to write the image to the memory, compared to FINE JPG, almost twice as long IIRC. Even if you're not shooting in continuous mode, you want to be able to fire off a shot quickly again, and again, and if the D50's stuck writing to a full buffer, you'll find yourself waiting. Rockets and race cars are the only time I use JPG, but then I shoot a D100 and it's slower than molasses, sometimes.
2. Learn to use the D50 with autofocus OFF, especially useful when you're shooting the rocket in the sky with a longish lens - that way, your camera doesn't spend precious time seeking a focus point. Set it to manual focus, focus on infinity or near infinity, tape the focus ring down with a bit of gaffer's tape (won't leave a residue on the lens body).
The other folks have given you some great tips, as well!
Get the longest lens you can for the Nikon, forget the point and shoot. I just upgraded to my Canon 7D in September,, I got a Sigma 150-500mm APO
https://www.sigmaphoto.com/shop/150-500mm-f5-63-apo-dg-os-hsm-sigma
I got it from Abes of Maine and didn't pay anywhere close to the MSRP. I have a 32g card, shoot at 8fps, and start the burst at ZERO, ther will always be a short delay for HPR, for small BP motors, start burst just before ZERO.
Another thing you can do,,, I have one built but haven't used it yet,, is build a sound actuated shutter release. I got a kit from a local electronics store (Baynesville electronics in Towson MD) This SHOULD trigger the shutter right when the motor comes up to pressure.
Tom
And here's the real secret to great rocketry photographs ... great photographs in general ... take a lot of photographs, but only show off a few of them.
-- Roger
Having done some pro photography myself, I can only add two things to the great advice already given.
Rule of thirds: Frame your subject so as to occupy 1/3 or 2/3 of the viewing area. A bit elementary but given the speed with which you need to shoot, simple is good.
Tracking: Multiple frame sequencing is a great way to go but Tracking can give a cool efect as well. The idea being you can use a slightly slower shutter speed then track the movement of the flight while keeping the subject realatively in the same place in the view field. Don't stop moveing when you hit the shutter. follow through on the motion. Admitedly it takes a little practice but what you get is a fairly sharp image of the rocket with motion blur on the background and surroundings. I've done a lot of airshow shoots using this method and it looks way cool. give it a shot.
And here's the real secret to great rocketry photographs ... great photographs in general ... take a lot of photographs, but only show off a few of them.
-- Roger
Those shots are nice. ^_^ I will have to look into a sound actuated shutter release. That sound very interesting. Thank you.
I am far from being as good as the folk you have already heard from, but another option that is sometimes used (at the expense of pixel density) is to use the video selection on your camera. I can rarely click fast enough to get the rocket in the frame and my camera doesn't have a burst mode nor can I afford one that does. I will occasionally take short videos of launches and then capture the frames that I like. Not great quality, but at least I can get some shots.
Working with a Nikon DSLR comes with a couple of special hints:
1. Forget about using RAW - it takes too much time to write the image to the memory, compared to FINE JPG, almost twice as long IIRC. Even if you're not shooting in continuous mode, you want to be able to fire off a shot quickly again, and again, and if the D50's stuck writing to a full buffer, you'll find yourself waiting. Rockets and race cars are the only time I use JPG, but then I shoot a D100 and it's slower than molasses, sometimes.
2. Learn to use the D50 with autofocus OFF, especially useful when you're shooting the rocket in the sky with a longish lens - that way, your camera doesn't spend precious time seeking a focus point. Set it to manual focus, focus on infinity or near infinity, tape the focus ring down with a bit of gaffer's tape (won't leave a residue on the lens body).
The other folks have given you some great tips, as well!
Thanks,, They are nice,,, but not great.
I still have a lot of learning with that long lens, before the big Sigma,, I was shooting 300mm. BUT with the APS-c sensor in the 7D, that effectively makes that lens a 750mm, and tough to handle. It takes FANTASIC photos of still objects, but getting used to moving subjects, off hand,, is a little tougher.
I played with the sound actuated shutter with a fly swatter,, it shot the image while the swatter was still in contact with the table. I need to do one of two things,, a long mic lead to camera,, or put the camera closer to the pad,, maybe in a steel tube - barrel and leave it unmanned. YEA that's not gonna happen with the MDRA crew. It would have to be a fire proof bunker for that. I get good enough results by pressing the shutter by hand,, the sound actuated release was put on the back burner. 8fps is pretty quick.
Tom
Something similar ... My Casio EX-F1 takes up to 60 fps at full resolution. And it has an option where it queues up images while you hold the shutter release half-way then, when you press the button all the way, it saves some of the previous frames as well as ones take while you're holding down the button. So, you just press the button when you see the rocket moving and you always get a shot of the lift-off - even when Darrell Mobley flies his Estes Honest John on a J900 or whatever.
The EX-F1 sells for around $1000. But, Casio also offers some less expensive high-speed cameras. They offer higher resolution than the EX-F1, but have smaller lenses and sensors.
These cameras won't allow you to capture a magazine-quality close-up of a lift-off like a true SLR will, but they make it almost guarenteed that you'll capture a good photo of every lift-off.
-- Roger
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