Shooting a skydive

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Olix23

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Hi all, just wondering if anyone has shot a skydive from the ground as I won't be jumping with them. Them being some of my best mates who are jumping for charity. Just wondering if anyone has any tips and experience on shooting this sort of thing. I will most likely have them waiting to fly up and then coming down and then landing. Taking a sigma 50-500 on a 1d 3 and the a 7d with 18-135 or a 50mm 1.8. Just wondering what to expect from it on Saturday and any ideas on styles of shots?

Thanks
 
I've tried this before with very mixed results.

As the jumpers leave the aircraft they'll just be dots in the sky so I would advise waiting until they get closer to the ground and you can see some detail. Tracking and AF will get more difficult as they get closer to the ground. If they are jumping in quick succession then you're not going to get time to switch cameras so I would go for the Siggy 50-500.

Oh yes, if you're allowed anywhere near the DZ watch out for the "you've been framed" moment and make sure they don't land on you - the £250 you get for the shot won't compensate for the cost of a new camera or the pain involved :D
 
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You'll struggle, even at 500mm picking them up and framing them as they leave the aircraft. Don't forget they'll be 2 1/2 miles away vertically and moving at ca 120 MPH.

Assuming they're going to be jumping a tandem, they'll open their parachutes at around 5k feet, after which they'll be much easier to track - this may even be the first time you see them, although I think you'll still need the 50-500. Ask what colour the parachute is before as there will be lots of them in the sky and picking out the right one would be good.

Landing may present the best photo opportunity, but remember they will land into wind which may be away from you.

You won't be allowed onto the actual landing area, and the spectator area may be a good distance away.
 
This was taken at Biggin Hill air show at 100mm on a 1D3 and is uncropped....

20100626_114332_8804_LR.jpg


As well as wind direction you also need to consider the sun's position, assuming there is any. I'd rather have a sunlit subject than a shadowy figure and blown out background/sky. Of course these things might be beyond your control, but if you have options just give some thought to where you stand.
 
TBH, I'd be tempted to stick the tele on the crop body for the extra apparent reach. With a bit of luck (and a willing helper!) you could switch to a wider lens as they near the LZ. Good luck picking them out against the sky, probably easiest to start at about 150mm to catch them then zoom in to follow them down.

Enjoy!
 
Ok the 1d is. 1.3 crop were the 7d is a 1.7, correct me if I'm wrong. So if I put the sig on the 7 and can use my 70-300 also on my 1d so I change or use both or use the nifty fifty on the 1d. But hopefully I'll be in a good position and if the weather plays nice, I might just get some good shots. Any last resort tips not to get shadows on a blown out background ?
 
are they the first dropof the dayor will there be others jumping before them that you could practice on ?
 
Olix23 said:
Any last resort tips not to get shadows on a blown out background ?
Click to expand...

Pray for clear skies and the sun (and wind) at your back.

If you have overcast conditions, with the sky acting as a giant softbox (light source) my approach would be to shoot raw with manual exposure and spot meter the brightest part of the sky at +3 on the meter. That will place the highlights in the sky at the clipping point, allowing you to capture as much tonal detail as possible in your subject without turning the sky to pure white.

Then, in raw, you can lift shadows and tweak highlights as necessary to create your final piece of art.

This isn't a skydiver, obviously, but a similar lighting challenge was presented....

20130214_182734_.JPG
 
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