SAFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 11 May | June 2020 cameras and lenses many years ago. My camera of choice today is the Canon 5D Mark IV – a reasonably rugged and weather resistant camera with a 30 megapixel full-frame sensor capable of taking seven frames per second. The image file size is reasonably large allowing me to crop the images and retain acceptable detail. It also allows me to take a sequence of photographs in rapid succession that show the manoeuvre in detail. The lens, arguably, is the key to getting good SIV photographs. In Australia, we usually conduct SIV training over inland lakes or dams. Once a pilot has released from tow, they will be at a height of 700 to 1200m AGL and perhaps as much as one to 1.5km from launch, over the middle of the lake/dam. As they get lower, they usually get closer to launch, making life for the photographer a whole lot easier. I use the Canon 100 to 400mm telephoto zoom lens, coupled with a 1.4 extender which extends the lenses to 560mm. But even with that reach, I usually crop each photo to pull the subject in to discern detail. This is where a 30 megapixel camera gets the goods; 600mm or 800mm lenses would be fantastic, but these are way too expensive for my humble pocket. I rarely shoot without a tripod as I want the camera to be as steady as possible. Having said that, I often find myself on the ground, on my back with the camera pointing straight up. When this happens, I still use the tripod to steady the camera, albeit with one or two legs only firmly on the ground. Awkward, yes, but it works. Anticipating the subject Most SIV manoeuvres result in the paraglider and pilot behaving ‘erratically’ from a photographer’s perspective. I have been photographing SIV long enough now to appreciate how a paraglider is likely to react to any given SIV situation, which gives me some advantage. I also listen to the UHF as the instructor advises the pilot, so I know what to expect and this frees me up to focus on the camera. My main job is to get the pilot in focus. I shoot on Shutter Priority between 1000-1250th of a second to freeze the action and an aperture of f5.6 to f8 to give me good depth of field. I leave the ISO set on automatic. My other key settings are: ➲ ➲ Partial metering to assist in isolating the para- glider and pilot against the background sky. ➲ ➲ Servo mode which allows the lens to continually focus as I follow the paraglider/pilot. ➲ ➲ Most cameras have a bunch of selectable auto- focusing points. I usually select only a small number of these points to activate. I aim these points at the pilot through the viewfinder as I activate autofocus. As much as possible, I want the pilot to be in sharp focus rather than the wing. If I focus on the wing, I usually find the pilot is slightly out of focus. Deciding how many photos to take is very much up to you. If I set my camera on the maximum rate of seven frames per second, I can get a huge number of photographs very quickly. Now this is great if I want to see every subtle nuance of the manoeuvre. I generally prefer to shoot one frame on average All photos: Phil Kirkman