Light Work

[Colin Southern]

Also born this evening. 1/20s @ f/1.2 @ ISO3200 @ 85.0mm (Click to view full size)

[FrankMi]

Another fresh approach to 'seeing' airport activity! Great shot and again excellent planning to capture a unique perspective on a common subject! Looks like you've been successfully doing the 'what-if' thing!

I've always been amazed at your portraiture but your recent airport work hints at just how multi-talented you are. Thank you for sharing these great images and fascinating shooting ideas Colin!

[Polar01]

Colin: What can you say? There are no words coming out of my fingers or mouth. How about simply beautiful.

Cheers:

Allan

[Steve S]

That's a great shot colin. I would have thought more blur at 1/20s.

[Mike Buckley]

Superb at the small size. Even better at the larger size.

[Colin Southern]

Another fresh approach to 'seeing' airport activity! Great shot and again excellent planning to capture a unique perspective on a common subject! Looks like you've been successfully doing the 'what-if' thing!

I've always been amazed at your portraiture but your recent airport work hints at just how multi-talented you are. Thank you for sharing these great images and fascinating shooting ideas Colin!

Thanks Frank,

I'm primarily a low-light shooter "at heart" (not sure if you've seen my landscape gallery at www.pbase.com/cjsouthern). The planning was actually a stroke of "luck"; I don't normally use my 85/1.2, but my 70-200/2.8L II is on the blink (2nd copy, sigh) - so the 85/1.2 was pressed into service (where the F1.2 made the shot possible) (was already at max ISO, and shutterspeed was getting questionable for a fast-moving object).

[Colin Southern]

Colin: What can you say? There are no words coming out of my fingers or mouth. How about simply beautiful.

Cheers:

Allan

Thanks Allan

Kids are never lost for words though: "cool shot Dad - can we go out and buy some lunch now"!

[Colin Southern]

That's a great shot colin. I would have thought more blur at 1/20s.

Thanks Steve,

I was panning the camera, but 1/20th was getting marginal. Than again, no choice really; aperture was maxed out at 1.2 and the ISO was maxed out at 3200 - so not much left to play with, although I did subsequently setup for a 1/20th / 1/40th / 1/80th bracket, but that turned out to be the last aircraft for the night.

[Colin Southern]

Superb at the small size. Even better at the larger size.

Thanks Mike

[Sahil]

Love the idea of showing a moving object (the plane) still, & other still objects (background lights) to be moving/panned.
Very interesting shot, Colin.

[Donald]

As the man has said before - you don't need to worry about noise if you use a high ISO ... if you get the exposure right. I submit the above as evidence m'lud.

Superb bit of work, Mr S.

[Sunray]

That was the last plane? You were really lucky. Everything is great in this shot. Excellent picture.

Robert

[Donald]

but my 70-200/2.8L II is on the blink (2nd copy, sigh)

What's with this? Is there an issue with the lens generally?

[Colin Southern]

Love the idea of showing a moving object (the plane) still, & other still objects (background lights) to be moving/panned.
Very interesting shot, Colin.

Thanks Sahil - I preferred it to a blurry plane.

[Colin Southern]

As the man has said before - you don't need to worry about noise if you use a high ISO ... if you get the exposure right. I submit the above as evidence m'lud.

Superb bit of work, Mr S.

Thanks Donald. I'm looking forward to my 1Dx arriving (could be next week) - the higher ISO modes should allow me to get shutter speeds in the order of 1/120th for shots like this (or higher).

[Colin Southern]

That was the last plane? You were really lucky. Everything is great in this shot. Excellent picture.

Robert

Thanks Robert,

I thought there would be more aircraft, but a quick check of my trusty iPhone revealed that that was it for the night (what kept me hopeful was the fact that the runway lights were still on -- they normally turn them off after the last flight).

[Colin Southern]

What's with this? Is there an issue with the lens generally?

I'm beginning to wonder ...

- First copy developed "mad IS syndrome" where the IS unit would fully deflect the lens and go bang bang bang bang against the stops.

- Second copy has an AF issue. When I first turn it on it won't hunt & then focus until I've manually focused it a few times (almost like sticky USM). Then last weekend I had the model holding a pose for about 5 seconds and just couldn't get it to lock on -- swapped lenses and the 135/F2 locked on easily and instantly for 200+ frames. So it's away with Canon at the moment (fingers crossed).

I've done a bit of "Googling" and there are quite a number of problems reported, but then again, that can give a distorted view of things because the 99.99% who have no problems don't post about that fact on internet forums.

[gcowan]

Colin,

Wonderful picture. I have been thinking about locations around our airport ever since I saw your first one. This one gives me an idea. You have inspired me to have a go at the set up and see what I can catch. It is a totally different problem though, we have about 40 an hour and a lot more ambient light.

Graham

[Dave Humphries]

What makes this for me is the way the prop discs are lit - is that normal?

Perhaps something unusual that model of plane, it seems to be the landing (or taxi) lights outboard the nacelles from the shadows formed.

Great shot,

[Colin Southern]

What makes this for me is the way the prop discs are lit - is that normal?

Perhaps something unusual that model of plane, it seems to be the landing (or taxi) lights outboard the nacelles from the shadows formed.

Great shot,

Hi Dave,

Thanks Dave,

The air was almost foggy, which may have enhanced the effect, but apart from that, that's pretty much what the Dash 8 is like