aviation

Plane spotting

/ mikeosbornphoto / 7 Comments

It’s the first day of 2013 and I experience something new, thanks to Dermot who is very interested in aviation. It becomes a photography expedition, so I’m happy to visit a small street called Myrtle Avenue. It’s close to the runway of London’s Heathrow Airport, a popular spot for plane spotters to gather for amazing, close-up views of aircraft in flight.

You would imagine that taking shots of aeroplanes as they land is an easy task. They’re at close quarters and are pretty big. But I soon realised this was far from the truth. Planes travel very fast, even when they’re about to land. I’m used to largely still subjects and can spend a considerably long time framing and focusing before releasing the shutter – better known as slow photography.

This was hard, frustrating work. I completely missed a bunch of arrivals, had a host of blurred shots and didn’t quite hit the mark – see the shot of a British Airways airliner perched in a tree. But in the end I managed to pull off a few exposures and would quite like to return for more – perhaps when it’s a little warmer.

Click on first image to launch gallery

Late winter light

I couldn’t help turning my camera to this sumptuously backlit winter sky while waiting for the aircraft. It could be a countryside scene, only to the right of the shot is one of the busiest airports in the world…

Metal bird

/ mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Metal bird

It’s like a little sparrow roosting high in a tree.

Of course it’s a partial view of a British Airways passenger jet, preparing to land at London’s Heathrow Airport. To mark a new year in photography, I was taken to see planes at close quarters near the runway by Dermot, who is an aviation enthusiast.

Capturing these huge, fast-moving beasts passing over your head is no easy task. I’ll tell you more about this and share further shots with you soon.

Flight path

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

I spotted an impressive evening sky from my west London window, with clouds catching the sun’s rays just before it began to slip away. The bonus was an aircraft crossing the frame on its way to Heathrow Airport.

The cloud has a delightful pink tinge and the sky above is bright and pure cyan. The bottom of the cloud looks moody, but a simple switch to monochrome alters the story dramatically. The plane suddenly looks like it is escaping from peril.

The use of monochrome can have such power in a photograph. It can soften the mood, make the story more wistful. And yet it can inject a sense of danger and moodiness when it wasn’t there. The same photo can tell two different stories…

See also: Sumptuous sunset