Shooting Duxford - advice, tips, info!

jonathan_ed

jonathan_ed

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,110
Name
Jonathan
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All

Hope everyone is well.

I am planning to do some more airshow togging this year and with the season coming up soon i thought i would ask around.

I am planning a trip to the 'Flying Legends' in July and maybe some others (i.e. spring, autumn etc).

I am looking for some information on best ways to tackle the day.

Now, i have heard that the positioning is really bad for taking photos. Is the light usually that bad? I have read the best location (inside) is the 'Tank Bank', which i beleive to be position 'H' on the map. Am I correct?

Also, with regards to attending the site, i have been told that it gets busy quickly, so i would be aiming for the 8am gates open. But whats the ettiquete regarding putting some chairs and a blanket down early then having a walk round the museum etc? Is anyone likely to P*&&$d off and move them / pack them up etc?

Also, i am contemplating viewing from the outside, parking at the school and walking down. Are the fields still accessible? And which is the best spot, my first instinct would be facing the end of the run way accross from the M11. Any good? Viable? And if i was to photograph from the outside, what time do i need to arrive for good spots?

Long post I know, lots of questions I know - i'm a sucker for the details.

Looking for as much advice and feedback that can be thrown at me.

And in case anyone needs to know lens length, I'll be looking to use 150-500 so i should be ale to reach!

Thanks in advance guys and girls! :)
 
The only thing I can help you with is parking, or lack of it outside, the police patrol a lot on show days but the school in Duxford village opens for parking (a small payment is required) then you can walk back up the road and stand in the fields.
You can also drive past the entrance (just off the M11) then continue about a mile and turn left, parking is possible along this road as the grass verve is big but you have to have no wheels on the road otherwise the police can move you on, to get anything good here you'll need at least 500mm but the good thing is its on a direct line into Duxford so a lot flies directly overhead, be it pretty quickly!
 
I went to Duxford last September and chose the Tank Bank as the best of a bad lot. I was very close to what appeared to be a cordoned off "Press" area, so I thought I was in about the right spot. I was wrong. It was dreadful. I was hugely jealous of the people shooting from the field, all of whom had the light in their favour. I was getting mostly backlit shots or dots in the sky.

Some Tank Bank examples here -

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=434524&highlight=duxford

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=433657&highlight=duxford
 
If it helps here's one taken from the place where you park on the grass verge, taken with the fairly basic 55-250 lens.


IMG_2446 by martyndt, on Flickr
 
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/spotting/duxford.php

Any more help?

Duxford is a fantastic place to visit, you could spend more than a day there and not see everything, rather oddly for a photography forum my advice would be to forget worrying about photographing the air display, and just enjoy the day out.

David
 
Last edited:
never been to duxford air show but will be going to RIAT in july and RAF Cosford in june i never really fancied duxford but i know RIAT is a good day out as long as the weather is good unlike last year :(

farnborough is another good day out but thats not until next year

you obviously know about the local southport and blackpool airshows which last year was both a bit of a flop
blackpool didn't have a lot going on due to the olympics ending ceremony meaning air displays like the red arrows had higher priorities amongst others and southport was bloody packed it took me over 4 hours to get from bolton to southport beach i ended up missing half the show
 
I did southport last year. Got there for 11 ish and claimed a spot at the front. Weather was poor but still a good show. took 4 hours to get back in the eve with traffic (Bolton-ish too)
Never bother with blackpool as there is never that much on.

Just fancy flying legends because of what's flying there, hence the questions. Think all the better obese are down south making it a long journey whichever i choose :-(
 
Cool, first off, get there early. Either go in and right over to the tank bank, where you can dump your chairs against the crowd railings or, go in and go far left, in the little corner over by the hangars. Again, just put your chairs against the railings. Everyone does it, then go for a wander around the museums. The advantage of being far left or far right is you will get topside shots as the planes turn in or out of the display line.
Yes the naughty field is better for light, but IMHO its a bit wrong, and puts people at risk if there was an emergency.
As the air show starts quite late in the day, the sun is usually quite far right anyway, so this is another reason to go to the left hand side of the display line, as the light will be on the planes as they turn in. Great for taxi shots from there too as the planes head onto the runway from static display there.
Take sun screen, obvious I know, but you will sting otherwise.
Hope this helps.
Dean.
 
The tank bank puts you closer to the planes, you need to go almost past the tank bank, so it is behind you. There is a hump on the flight line where PLANES TV normally film the show from. The planes pass low over your head. But, that's where the sun will be, so metering can be difficult. If you go far left, almost in front of the AIRSPACE MUSEUM , the planes are a little further away, but much better light.
They normally take off from left to right (but not always) so you won't get as many pictures of take-off at the left hand side.
When push comes to shove, I'd personally go left, but you will need to get there very early as it will get packed quickly.
Dean.
 
Im sure i head there are toilets over by the tank bank as well.

Im still none the wiser. I may try the fields for one then go inside foe fling legends.
 
I generally have shot back a bit - by the hanger with the Blackbird in which I think is halfway ish.

A great airshow is the Old Warden one too, if you like older planes.
 
Ha ha. Toilets in the land warfare museum (tank bank), American air museum (blackbird), WW2 hangars and Airspace museum so where ever you are you're not far from one. Unless, your in the naughty field, then it's back to nature ;0)
If you decide to go in the field, pay to go in the air show and have a look around museums, then head to the field just before the air show. Without the money generated the airshow will have trouble continuing. As I posted before, this field is an escape route for planes in trouble, if, god forbid, a plane gets in trouble (again) it only has 3 place to go to avoid the crowd. If there are people in the field it only leaves a narrow strip for the pilot. I don't wish to turn this thread into a debate about it, but that's my opinion.
Dean.
 
I have no problem with paying, mt issue or concern would be to cone away with decent photos, hence weighing up all the options.

With regards to the fields, do the fill ip early on, or can you turn up a little later and still get a good viewing spot?
 
I wasn't criticising the photo anyway, i was just saying there are people in front. Might hinder some of my shots id like.

Hmmm yeah, after peoples comments id looking at far left i think. Might try snoring show as s dummy run
 
jonathan_ed said:
I wasn't criticising the photo anyway, i was just saying there are people in front. Might hinder some of my shots id like.

Hmmm yeah, after peoples comments id looking at far left i think. Might try snoring show as s dummy run
Click to expand...

No problem, I know it's not great technically.

I'll hopefully be at the spring airshow as long as the weather is reasonable :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top