An article I wrote for the Manfrotto School of Excellence has just been published about how to best shoot out of helicopters. Take a look if you have a head for heights...
Aerial Phototgraphy
Up In The Skies... /
Flying High Above Miami /
I won an incredible photography experience with NYonAir to shoot out a chopper high above Miami, a city which is experiencing an urban boom with real estate exploding, an ever expanding art scene and hordes of tourists flocking to its golden sand beaches...what better way then to document this awesome city than from high in the skies!
Flying in a helicopter without doors allows for completely clear and stunning views; it also means that you can shoot uninterrupted throughout the flight and often almost straight down if you wish.
What I really like about NYonAir which I will elaborate on in a further post from when I flew with them again in NYC, is that many of their pilots are also photographers. This means they have an understanding of how to maneuver the choppers to the best spots in order so that I could get the best shots.
I flew at sunset just as the light was fading which presented a challenge as you need to keep a high shutter speed when shooting out a helicopter both due to it's obvious movement (they can travel up to 120mph) and the vibrations caused by the rotars. Therefore, I was constantly compensating during the flight with various ISOs and apertures in order to mean I got the right exposure to capture the lights just as they came on over South Beach, Ocean Drive and the various hotels and condominiums packed along the South Florida coastline. Below are a few of my favourite shots.
