Taking Photos From A Helicopter – Tips and Tricks

Taking Photos from a Helicopter is fun, and our clients love to take pictures of the sights they see, so here are some simple tips and tricks.

Fast Shutter Speed

When you are shooting from a Helicopter, having a fast shutter speed is essential since everything is moving. Most photographers will tell you shooting 1/500 or 1/400 are a minimum.

Get Close to The Glass

This is especially true if you are shooting with an Iphone. In an ideal world if you were a professional photographer, you would have to doors removed from the helicopter, but on our tours, we won’t be doing that, so you will need to contend with the glass. One way to do that is to get your lens as close to the glass as possible. This will help reduce glare, and will also allow the most amount of light through the glass.

Shoot in Burst Mode

Not Beast Mode! – Burst mode. One thing you can count on is that when you are shooting from a moving an object (or trying to capture a moving object), you are going to have some blurry shots no matter what. So shoot in burst mode. This will statistically give you a better chance that one or two of the images you capture are worthy.

Image Stabilization

The newer Iphones all have built in image stabilization, which is great. Otherwise, if you are shooting video, you might consider getting a hand held gymbal to help with image stabilization given that the helicopter is moving during your Moab Helicopter Tour, and there can be bumps in the air, and small vibrations from the engine, blades, Etc.

Think About The Lighting and Shadows

The fact is that when it comes to tips for shooting photos from a helicopter, as with any photo, light matters. If you truly want great photos, and you aren’t controlling the light, and if you are outside, you aren’t, then next best thing is to shoot at sunrise or sunset. The soft light of morning and evening offer the best natural light of the day. Also – think about where the sun is as you are in the air. You want the sun behind you and pointing at whatever you are taking a picture of. This is the same on the ground as it is in the air. Unless you want the glare of the sun in the photo for some kind of effect or impact, make sure you are between the sun and whatever you are trying to capture. Just this will make your photography much better.

If you’d like some tips on taking photos from a helicopter from the pro’s – please visit this video

Take Lots of Photos

One thing you will hear a lot of you study photography is to take lots of photos. If you have taken lots of photos, you will realize that we are all going to take LOTS of BAD photos in our lives. That’s just the way it is. By taking many photos, you increase the odds that you will capture one that you like. This is one of our biggest tips for taking photos from a helicopter. Take lots of them!

Helicopter Tours Moab – Moab Heli-X

We encourage our customers to take photos on the ground, and from the air. We know you want to capture the “flight of your life” and we make sure you have the opportunity to do so.

Helicopter Charters for Professional Photographers in Moab

Are you a professional photographer who needs aerial photos in Moab or near Moab? Talk to us about chartering a helicopter for professional photography in Moab. We know the area and our pilots are highly skilled. Talk to us today about chartering a helicopter to take photos for magazines, newspapers, businesses, weddings, and more. We will help you get on top of the shot you are looking for! Call us and tell us about your photo shoot: Contact Moab Heli – X

About Moab Heli X

Moab Heli X offers helicopter tours Moab Utah, and helicopter charters Moab Utah.

Please Email or Call Us to book a tour or discuss chartering a private helicopter:

Email: info@moabhelix.com