Tag: aviation photography

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Aviation photography

Covid-19 : The Antonov 225 lands in Mirabel, Québec.

On Friday May 1st 2020, Quebec received a shipment of medical equipment destined to the people fighting COVID-19. An Antonov 225 was carrying the goods. The flight was organized thanks to a joint collaboration between Nolinor, Momentum Solutions and Antonov Airlines.

Departing from Tianjin, China, the plane made a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, before continuing its flight over Canada towards the province of Quebec.

The Antonov 225 carrying medical supplies for Canada makes a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Antonov 225 carrying medical supplies for Canada makes a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.

The arrival of the Antonov 225 in Anchorage was announced in advance by the media, which allowed a large crowd to stand near the airport and monitor the approach of the aircraft. The following link allows you to view the approach and arrival: KTUU Video Antonov 225

At 5:35 on the KTUU video, we can see a Fedex MD-11F. It is worth mentioning, because this was a very impressive plane at the time of its conception, but companies are progressively getting rid of it due to the age and fuel costs associated with its operation.  Today, the aircraft is only used for the transport of goods. The production of aircrafts of this size, with three engines, was stopped years ago. There is a good chance that the Antonov 225 will continue to fly long after the MD-11F has made its last flight. (Edit: The Russians destroyed the Antonov 225 during the invasion of Ukraine)

After taking off from Anchorage in the morning of May 1st, the Antonov 225 arrived in Mirabel, Quebec, in the evening of the same day at around 8:22 p.m. The aircraft’s flight path (ADB3381) could be followed on Flightradar24 at the time of its approach for Mirabel (CYMX).

The Antonov 225 ADB3381 on final for Mirabel airport in Canada on May 1st 2020.
The Antonov 225 ADB3381 on final for Mirabel airport in Canada on May 1st 2020.

We can see on the Flightradar24 screen capture that a helicopter (C-GSTV) is positioned to film the arrival of the world’s biggest aircraft. It is an AS 350 BA from TVA, a French-language news media in Quebec.

The Québec TVA news helicopter C-GSTV.
The Québec TVA news helicopter C-GSTV.

Source : FlightAware.

The Antonov 225 arrives in Mirabel from Anchorage on May 1st 2020.
The Antonov 225 arrives in Mirabel from Anchorage on May 1st 2020.

Photo taken by Martin Chevalier. 

YQBspotting has posted a very interesting video of the Antonov 225 arriving with its cargo of medical equipment in Mirabel, Quebec.

Andy St-André, from TVA, posted a video of the unloading of medical equipment on his Twitter account. 

The photo below shows the unloading operation. The employees wore protective equipment against the coronavirus.

Unloading the Antonov 225 at Mirabel airport in Québec during the COVID-19 crisis.
Unloading the Antonov 225 at Mirabel airport in Québec during the COVID-19 crisis.

Photo : Joël Lemay/Agence QMI.

Several challenges were encountered for this flight to be a success: the language barrier, the verification of equipment quality (contaminated material is not of a big help), the airport operation’s requirements from China, customs limited hours of operation, maximum daily time in service for the Antonov 225 crew, international competition for slot times and orders, initiatives from some countries to acquire shipments not intended for them, etc. But finally, after hard work, Quebec finally received the precious cargo.

The last video from YQBspotting shows the Antonov 225’s departure. 

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Aviation photography

A Boeing 737 800 on final for the Toronto international airport.

A Boeing 737-800 is on final for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport.
A Boeing 737-800 is on final for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport.

The picture above shows a Boeing 737 800 on approach for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport. I used the precision approach equipment at the threshold of runway 05 to frame the aircraft on approach. A few trials were required to ensure that an aircraft of that size would not seem to be touching the antennas with its wings. At the same time, the rapidly moving Boeing had to stay in focus.

The picture was taken in February by -20C. The ambiant light is always softer at this time of the year. For this hand held photo, I used a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens.

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Aviation photography

Japan Air Force One at the G7 summit in Quebec City

The Government of Japan's Boeing 747-400, with the Japanese Prime Minister on board, leaves Quebec City after the G7 summit in 2018.
The Government of Japan’s Boeing 747-400, with the Japanese Prime Minister on board, leaves Quebec City after the G7 summit in 2018.

The picture above shows the Japan Air Force Boeing 747-400 (B744) leaving Quebec City after the G7 2018 summit.

Below is a video of the training made by the pilots to get accustomed to the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport.The runways at the CYQB airport are only 150 feet wide.

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Street photography

Two pilots who will not give way to the other one

Two Porter Airlines Bombardier Q-400 on the Toronto Billy Bishop airport
Two Porter Airlines Bombardier Q-400 on the Toronto Billy Bishop airport

That is what happens when there is only one taxiway and both pilots refuse to give way…

You have certainly realized that there are no conflict here and that, a fraction of a second later, both Porter Airlines Bombardier Q-400 aircrafts continued taxiing, one towards the ramp and the other one towards one of the runways of the Toronto Billy Bishop airport in Ontario.

Few seconds before, I was watching both aircrafts getting closer with each other. Being of the same format, it was possible to get a special effect. Every fraction of a second counts when doing street photography so I took several shots and chosed the one that allowed the minimal space between the two aircrafts.

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Street photography

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Street photography

A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 cargo and the London Eye

A Cathay Pacific Cargo Boeing 747 and the London Eye in London (2015)
A Cathay Pacific Cargo Boeing 747 and the London Eye in London (2015)

The photo above requires a very quick moment of reflection before being correctly interpreted. Most of the people who have seen the picture for the first time immediately had the feeling that the aircraft was heading toward one of the London Eye’s capsules.

The viewers referred to images that they had already seen during the 9/11 attacks, images that were printed in their memory.

The Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 cargo was inbound for the London Heathrow international airport while my family and I were waiting in line to live the London Eye experience, the Ferris wheel installed in the center of London, United Kingdom.

Instead of capturing a large scene, which would have given a far better idea of the scale of objects and eliminated any confusion, I opted for a close-up plan, leaving the viewer with the work of interpreting the photo correctly.

One of the pleasures of street photography is to find a second interpretation to what would normally be an ordinary scene.

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Street photography

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: the Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane

An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver
An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver

The photo above portrays a Beaver floatplane belonging to Harbour Air. It is seen here a few minutes after its take-off from the Vancouver Harbour floatplane base in British Columbia. The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens.

The aircraft, quite small in the photo, could have been enlarged using the Canon 5DSR’ s 50 megapixel full-frame sensor. The image would still have been of excellent quality but I would have lost the effect I was initially looking for.

As opposed to what seems obvious at first sight, the scenery was not captured sitting in another plane but from the ground, while I was standing near the Harbour Air seaplane base. The morning’s constant precipitation saturated the air with moisture and helped create a low level cloud base.

An image editing software was then used to crop the scene. I used a non standard photo format to show the kind of flight the pilot was dealing with, between two cloud layers and with a mountain range on his right. It seems to me that a photographer does not have to feel obliged to follow an arbitrary format if the latter has a negative impact on the intended result.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: the sunset colors on a Bombardier Q-400

Sunset colors reflecting on an Air Canada Bombardier Q-400 in Toronto
Sunset colors reflecting on an Air Canada Bombardier Q-400 in Toronto

The Air Canada Terminal installations at the Toronto Lester B. Pearson international airport are such that a voyager intending to do a flight from Toronto to Quebec has to walk outside the building to catch his plane. This has some advantages, especially when it is an evening flight and there is, at the time of boarding, a superb sunset.

But to directly photograph the sunset colors without any filter or tripod, while hand holding the camera, is a recipe for disaster. And a photographer cannot stay immobile for very long in that restricted area where security agents and passengers walking towards the DHC-8-400 demand that everyone move with the flow.

A practical method that offers very good results is to indirectly photograph the beautiful sunset colors by using the aircraft as a reflector.

First, it is better to use a camera lens that requires very little light. This will limit the grain size while allowing a shutter speed that is high enough to avoid a blurred picture. The scenery was thus captured with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens.

Secondly, the photographer must crop the photography using an image editing software so that all useless details are absent from the final shot. There are two objectives: 1) it is obviously necessary to keep the aircraft parts that will best show the sunset colors and 2) do the best possible use of the elements presenting graphic interests for the viewer.

If I had kept only several oversized windows in order to show the superb sunset colours, there would have been only clear bright colours, without contrasts. That would have given an uninteresting photo. The advantages of protecting the shadowy top of the aircraft are that it adds a strong luminosity contrast, allows the inclusion of the Q-400 diagonal lines (1-2-3-4-5) and a reflection of the reflections themselves (6) under the aircraft’s wing. All this is highlighted in the photo below.

Photography theory: diagonal lines on a Bombardier Q-400 photo
Photography theory: diagonal lines on a Bombardier Q-400 photo

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: sunset on Vancouver Harbour

Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH in the sunset in the Port of Vancouver during summer 2016
Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH in the sunset in the Port of Vancouver during summer 2016

The picture above has been taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera in the Port of Vancouver, in British Columbia, during summer 2016. Following a very busy day of take-offs and landings, everything is now peaceful. The Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH are now parked for the night.

Pictures taken at dusk or dawn benefit from a unique light. Nonetheless, taking pictures of aircrafts against the light, with the last sunrays still visible, requires a special attention with regards to blown out highlights.

When contrasts are too important, it is possible to correct the situation by taking several pictures with different exposures and merging them using an image editing software like Photomatix (HDR photography). This is done in a few minutes only. Nonetheless, with floatplane aircrafts that are still slightly moving even when tied for the night, there is an increased risk of a blurred picture. The best way to proceed is to use a ND grad filter and to place it exactly where the light is the strongest. Naturally, there will still be some blown out highlights.

This being said, you still have a good margin of manoeuver, since there is no problem in showing a limited amount of over-exposed highlights in the brighter part of the sunrays, as there is not much details to lose there anyway. While purists would argue otherwise and spend hours in front of their computer trying to correct everything, you are making the best of another day of photographic exploration.

If the picture was taken using RAW files (or RAW with JPEG), it is possible to improve the scene even more by correcting some aspects like the contrasts, the brightness, the colours, the saturation and ambient light, etc. This also requires very limited time in front of the computer once you understand the basic principles of an image editing software.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: when rain helps the photographer

Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN on final for Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.
Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN on final for Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.

It looked like it would be an average day for a photography session at the Vancouver Harbour. The sky was quite ordinary, which means totally cloudless. But around noon, a new and more humid air mass made its way in British Columbia and rapidly the blue sky was replaced by clouds and precipitations. At the same time, the high intensity light that was prevailing around noon suddenly took more acceptable levels for photography.

Pilots of different bush floatplanes like the Twin Otter (DHC-6), Turbo Otter (DHC-3T) and Beaver (DHC-2) had to deal with the sudden weather deterioration in order to complete the daily planned flights. But one man’s loss is another man’s gain. For aviation photography, low clouds and light intensity meant that the pictures would be more interesting.

The photo above was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame DSLR camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. In order to capture the moving propellers, I had to set a low shutter speed. The scene was then cropped to avoid visual distractions. The 50.6 megapixels full-frame sensor of the Canon 5DSR facilitates cropping when it is required.

In the foreground, there is a Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane (C-GQKN) approaching to land in the Vancouver Harbour. In the background, far away and in the superior right corner of the photo, the pilot of a Turbo Otter floatplane also deals with worsening weather while ensuring that he maintains a visual contact with high ground obstacles surrounding the harbour.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: a Twin Otter floatplane lands in Vancouver Harbour

Westcoast Air Twin Otter floatplane C-FGQH arriving in Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. The photo was taken with a Canon 5DSR camera.
Westcoast Air Twin Otter floatplane C-FGQH arriving in Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. The photo was taken with a Canon 5DSR camera.

The picture above was taken in British Columbia, during summer 2016, with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens.

A Westcoast Air (C-FGQH) Twin Otter floatplane (DHC-6) was about to land in the Vancouver Harbour. It is obvious that adjusting the shutter speed to 1/1200 would have given enough speed to obtain a clear image. But this would have taken away any movement sensation by freezing the propellers and background.

The shutter speed had to be slow enough to allow the rotation of propellers. It is clear that an aircraft’s propeller rotates more slowly on final for landing than during take-off. So the camera had to be adjusted for a shutter speed varying between 1/40 and 1/125.

A slower shutter speed increases the risk of getting a blurred photo, especially when the photograph must move with the camera to obtain the desired effect of movement. The fact that a telephoto lens is used also increases the possibility of a blurred picture. It is thus imperative to activate the stabilizer and horizontal panning function of the telephoto lens.

To obtain a background without any precise details, the camera is panning and follows exactly the aircraft’s movement. This requires a progressive acceleration of the panning, according to the aircraft’s position from the photographer.

When the Twin Otter gets closer, things get a bit more complicated as everything speeds up. It is necessary to already have positioned the feet in the appropriate direction in order to avoid a major switch in the body’s posture. The slightest useless or brisk movement would immediately be visible on the photo.

With a bit of practice, a photographer will achieve success by respecting the following elements: a shutter speed between 1/40 and 1/125, an appropriate position of the feet, no brisk movement while pivoting and a progressive acceleration of the body’s rotation aligned with the aircraft’s speed. A slower shutter speed will enhance the aircraft movement. But expect more blurred pictures when working with speeds between 1/40 and 1/60.

A last detail: as soon as the aircraft’s floats touch the water, the deceleration starts. The photographer’s pivoting speed must immediately slow down otherwise the photo will be blurred.

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