Well, I just got back from my first assignment, I
can't call it a pro job because I'm only being
compensated for film and processing costs, but it was
fun and I learned a lot from it.
It was the 2002 NATS competition held at the Academy
of Model Aeronautics Headquarters in Muncie, IN. For
about 2 months during every summer, the place is
filled with competitions. Each week is something
different, aerobatic helicopters, scale airplanes,
free flight, control-line, and many others. check out
http://www.modelaircraft.org if you're interested.
I learned that it is one thing to be casually snapping
pictures in my back yard, and an entirely different
experience to be in a professional photography
environment! I made a few mistakes. One, I didn't
get my model release forms right off the bat. It was
difficult to try and remember which models/pilots I
had taken pictures of, and which I still needed to get
a form for.
There was also some confusion regarding print vs slide
film. It was my understanding that they wanted
slides, so that it was what I brought lots of. But
the reporter that I was working for (Helicopter
contest director) said that I should use "positives"
instead of slides. That confused me, because I
thought that positives WERE slides, right? But he
insisted that I shoot the 400 print that he had
brought for me. So I that's what I did.
Another thing that I probably shouldn't have done, was
use some untested equipment. Having just aquired a
300 f/4.5 zuiko, I hadn't gotten my test shots back,
but used it anyway, because my only other lens was a
135 f/3.5 and I NEEDED the longer reach. I think that
will be ok, though.
I noticed with a mild panicky feeling that my OM-2n
was reading a full 2 stops higher then my PC, with the
same lens, f stop, and both set for 400 speed film.
The PC agreed with the sunny 16, (f/16, 1/500), while
the 2n wanted f/32 to get a 1/500 shutter speed. I
set it to f/16 with the auto indicating in the red
zone, thinking that with 1/1000, if the camera 2n was
right, then the print could easily handle 1 stop over
exposure. But I hope that it is just the indicator
that is off, not the whole auto exposure system. In
that case, I would have actually shot at 1/500, which
would have been perfect.
I also really realized how limiting the 1/60 sync is.
The awards were held under a shaded tent, about 4-5
stops darker then the surrounding area. The
contestants were all back lit and I wanted to use fill
flash to keep them from being silouhettes. However,
at f/16 and 1/60, I had to get within 3 meters of
them, from where it was difficult to include everyone.
I found that I only used 3 lenses, my 300mm for
in-flight shots on a tripod, a 100mm f/2.8 on a body
with a winder for action/take-off/landing/close
hovering shots, and a 35-70 f/3.5-4.5 for people shots
and close ups of the exquisite scale detail.
I got a lot of sun from spending two consecutive days
outdoors staring up at the sky, but over all, it was a
great experience. It was pretty cool to have a press
pass with an "OFFICIAL" hat and badge and be able to
stand on the "other" side of the fence for a change,
right in the middle of the action. The best part was
that I got to combine my two favorites hobbies,
photograpy and model aviation!
Marten
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