Dorje-Lapka

When you are in a plane of a light plane flying near a mountain range, it is quite tempting to shoot a few landscape photos; But the conditions will stay very difficult for the photographer. There are many traps and the results may loose a lot of quality compared to what you expected.

For example, problems could be:

1. The presence of visible obstacles
2. The atmospheric turbulence
3. The atmospheric veil
4. The vibrations of the plane
5. The optical limitations of the cabin window

First, you must be seated near a window (and on the right side) and you must avoid the presence of the wing and/or an engine which could reduce the view. Choose your seat wisely at check-in time or politely negotiate with the passenger better seated.

The engines of the plane produce a lot of air turbulence that is very perceptible just behind them. Seat sufficiently in front (unfortunately, the more expensive seat are often in the front of the plane).

Air moisture and dust are less problematic at high altitude than at ground level, but you will probably shoot your landscapes from very far. Only when the sky is very clear can you try a flight. Then you would limit the atmospheric veil to its minimum. It’s even better to fly early in the morning (the light is nicer and the air moisture is still mostly on the ground). Chance must fly with you (or you will have to compensate with perseverance).

Melungtse - with a polarizing filtrer and some Photoshop correction

Melungtse - without a polarizing filter, but shaded by the window

Then, a plane shakes a lot. Even more when it’s a small plane. Not as much as a helicopter, but it is definitely not stable! So, choose a fast shutter speed. Worse: Those vibration frequencies are not well compensated by the image stabilizer of your camera or lens; They are targeting the smoother moves of the photographer. For an 80mm lens, I would advise faster than 1/200 s; For a 35mm, faster than 1/100 s. You may have to crank your ISO up a little for that.

But the biggest interference will probably be the window itself. Nothing much you can do: It is not a neutral photo filter. It will darken irregularly the image. It is not really compatible with polarizing filters (color shift and forced shading in the sky part of the image). It usually has a lot of scratches and stains (those inside may be cleaned, but going outside is tougher…)

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If you shoot high resolution digital photos, it is nearly impossible to present them to the visitors of your web site in a manageable way: Who would want to download a multi-megabyte file to be forced in using an external application software to watch the details.

Closr solves this conundrum by providing you a way to upload your image to their web site. In return, you get a ready-to-install widget for your web site and all your friends will be able to zoom in or zoom out their hearts out.

Test the service with this panorama image I shot in the Masai Mara National Park in Southern Kenya in October 2008. You will have no difficulty finding the gnus (wildebeests) assembling themselves in a huge collection in preparation of the Great Migration crossing of the Mara river.

By the way: The Closr web site does not currently work with Opera v10, but Firefox is OK.

Photographic panoramas are certainly, with HDR images (high dynamic range), photographiques, avec les images HDR (à haute dynamique), one of the photo techniques that most profited for the arrival of electronic imagery. What seemed reserved to the owners of luxuriously priced and specialized equipment now appears simply an idea to bring variety to your photographic experience.
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