Freeze the Helicopter

[davespics]

Hi,

I was at a local event this weekend where they brought in a helicopter. I had a 2.8 lens for the day and had no idea I would end up stopping the blades of the copter.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2960174564_6d5e4ff64c_b.jpg

[pyry]

The blades are actually going round much slower than people tend to think. Bright glass in daylight will stop them easily, as you found out :D

As for the picture, crop a slice off the left and top to put the helo off center and it'll look very nice :thumb

[digismile]

This was a chopper flying overhead during a 4th of July parade. The blades are nearly stopped at 1/1500 of second. Your photo was 1/6400! No wonder it's sharp!

http://www.digismile.ca/photos/5800635_NzLee-M.jpg

[Nikolai]

With almost any propeller-driven flying machine you must have your shutter speed in the vicinity of 1/80..1/125 of a second to get the prop blur. This usually works more or less ok for choppers and acrobatic planes, almost all biplanes and other slow flying crafts. Unfortunately it's a tough call for something like P-51 "Mustang" going full speed, since you'll get inevitable motion blur on the plane itself (try 1/250..1/400 in this case).

[moose135]

It's a series of compromises to shoot prop aircraft or helicopters, trying to get acceptable prop blur while avoiding aircraft blur...that said, I don't generally go as slow as Nikolai suggested. I don't really want the props to disappear, but to have just enough blur to allow you to see the motion.

1/100 (Yes, it's on the ground, but it was right at start up, with the prop turning very slowly)
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/289881262_GRptB-L-2.jpg

1/250
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/303140501_PpnrU-L-1.jpg

1/320
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/369854989_t9dRW-L.jpg

1/400
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/302541291_Pqes4-L-1.jpg

[Nikolai]

... I don't generally go as slow as Nikolai suggested...
...yet your images prove my point to a a "tee" :lol3
slow on civic planes and choppers, faster on fighters

[TexPhotog]

I knew that if I searched about this the awesome DGrinners would show me the light... I'll be posting some Helicopter pics soon... although, they are static because I was shooting with a fast shutter...

[Zanotti]

Is this one frozen enough? :rofl



http://zanotti.smugmug.com/photos/176751129_Le6VS-XL-1.jpg

Z

[Nikolai]

Is this one frozen enough? :rofl
Z
Is that how you roll? R35p3ct! :thumb :wink :rofl

[Darren Troy C]

Awesome image, Zanotti! :thumb

[Ed911]

Z

That is a very nice shot...worthy of publication. I could see that in one of the photo mags.

Thanks for sharing.

[moose135]

That's a super shot, Zanotti! :thumb

[DJ-S1]

Moose, that is one sweet Mustang shot!:clap

[pathfinder]

Doesn't look like Florida to me, George!

[TexPhotog]

Well... it's no "frozen" shot like above - AWESOME SHOT btw - but here are some shots of helicopters that I shot while on my way to the Grand Canyon

Please tell me what you guys think... thank you!

http://www.pmaphotovideo.com/gallery/6534242_5UHiz/6/429518473_QtpRm#P-7-15

ps - sorry for the link, but for some reason, I'm unable to post the pics directly from this computer... I'll try to do that when I get home to make it easier :D

[scottV]

1/640
http://scottvickers.smugmug.com/photos/418017014_fLnR6-M.jpg
1/1250
http://scottvickers.smugmug.com/photos/418026701_RFRDY-M.jpg

[xtnomad]

You can pratice this at home with a box blade fan with the gaurd off( try this at your own risk). I learned this in a high school photo class to help with motion and time compared to shutter speed. If you want to take it to that level, number the blades with a markes alot and switch on high. Then for a given light start with a slow shutter speed and slowly increase the shutter speed to stop the action or to control the blur effect. I only wish that digital was around then so I did not have to wait for developing and prints. OOps i just dated my self! :huh

[Pindy]

Most light aircraft propellers cap out around 2300 RPM before red-lining. I believe helos are more like 1400-1500 RPM.

[Balloonatic]

Hey, I caught big brother! 1/640 :D
http://0ayuag.bay.livefilestore.com/y1piV0N6aRn_tMSHxNBGLFk8NXrgQXe6ezJNCYvDO8dEVNcQd7 IEiZPWGWkEboYwlZgCQ6WD9gCzhkllsd7pFSn4g/DSC_0166.JPG
1/800
http://0ayuag.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p_AUWzMVWZGjioAJui0wPthmmMNhRJTkThC3Un651TORQUz6 Ds6i_I0hP6gxPLixLuw2KEhy5bJY34OzyGY1OuQ/DSC_0172.JPG
Just noticed, I thought this was the same Heli but look at the N number
http://0ayuag.bay.livefilestore.com/y1po1c4iUy4E__8GBnwczXM--yNae9yKcpQq-c_oSdAL3sdFk9Tdj3RLe5iMSF-TsWpTP3vBOF4xho/image0010.jpg
This one I stopped the rotors and put them back in the box!:rofl
http://0ayuag.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJ5lX_gAJBdLXsfoMrppmzVdHcU9484z0O8s92B6z2p7dEcD 9lvTZWXU0ukxg7fY4cd_ZHLi95Ro/DSC_0489.JPG

[moose135]

A couple of recent ones, shot in the aftermath of the US Airways crash, both at 1/250:
http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/456659016_sMeL4-L.jpg

http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/459810622_cWthv-L.jpg