Val and I have a golden opportunity to photograph a Shuttle Launch and don’t want to mess it up. Any advice appreciated!
We will be able to take photos of the launch of shuttle mission STS-118 from the causeway at about 7pm on August 7. We will be using D200 cameras and several different lenses. I plan to shoot the launch with my 400mm f2.8 AF-S and 2x TC from a Gitzo and Wimberley. She will likely have her 300mm f/2.8 AF-S and 2x TC on a similar tripod set-up. I think I also want to do a long exposure with a wide angle to capture the launch arc. I plan to set it up, trigger it and leave it alone for about 6 minutes while I run the big lens. I have a 4 stop ND I can use on the wide angle.
I found one site on the web with lots of info but want to get some from other sources. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing so it has to work first time out.
I shot a couple of launches of smaller (and much faster) rockets. You won't have to deal with the speed issue so much, at least initially, but once it gets off the pad things happen really fast. You simpy won't have time to do more than run the camera in your hands. You've taken care of some of that in your plans for the long exposure, but here's something additional that worked well for me.
I used a Bogen Super Clamp to mount a ball head to the top of one tripod leg while my Wimberly was mounted normally on the column. I put a second camera on the ball head and framed it to take in wider, stationary views while a second camera and long lens were on the Wimberly. I used a cable release on the stationary camera to fire shots along with the long lens until the rockets cleared the pad, then dropped the release and continued to follow the rocket and shoot with the long lens. The combo gave me great closeups and broad coverage simultaneously, which I couldn't have managed with a single camera and zoom lenses or lens changes.
Another very good tip is to be able to see the launch clock or tune into the coms channel if at all possible. It really helps to have audible or visual cues of when things are about to happen, rather than waiting for the action to start. With the fast rockets I shot, I started shooting the moment I saw flame, but without the prior warning I'm not sure I could have reacted fast enough for the dynamic early shots of flame and smoke before actual liftoff. You'll have more time with the shuttle, but not a heck of a lot.
Posted by Harold Ankney on July 23, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Hey Mike
I can't answer any of your questions or give any sage advice but I can point you to someone who can.
The young mans name is Ben Cooper and you can contact him through his site at.
http://www.launchphotography.com/
He has some amazing photos of launches that he has taken on his site.
Harold
I can't remember the name, but there's a really good barbecue restaurant on the causway where people gather before a launch. We ate there for the night launch just before the Columbia disaster. Of course their televisions are tuned in to the NASA channel. Be prepared to sit in some traffic.
The shuttle will be gone in a flash. The money shot occurs before the restraining bolts are blown. The engines are at full power, water is turning into steam at 1,000,000 gallons a minute to keep everything from melting... The next best shot is when the bird's nose is just about to clear the gantry. Get those and your done.
The crowd that gathers will have portable electronics that will tell you when the countdown is about to end.
The only other thing I would say is that 7:00 PM on August 7 in Florida is prime time for thunderstorms. I'd say there's a 50 percent chance of a scrub.
Hope to see you Kelly! I will be there on a bus carrying other Jacobs employees. We chosen for this trip as a company incentive so I actually get paid to be there! How sweet is that?. Being primarily a nature nut, I will be there with a 400mm f2.8 in full camo on a camo legged Gitzo and wimberley.
Posted by Don Bartram on July 24, 2007 at 12:37 PM
I was there for one and had a ball just remember that you will probably be in the middle of a very large crowd.
I agree with Hank and Kelly, You really want to get the early stuff, That part happens slowly so you should get several images. If you can do something like Hank suggested (second camera with a wider lens prefocused) you "might" be able to get some, almost simultaneously at lift off.
Don, you raise a good point about the crowds. In the excitement of the moment, folks can easily shuffle into your field of view, maybe even obscuring your shot.
My shooting is contract stuff and I'm separated from the crowd, but I'd be really concerned if I was further back in the viewing gallery.
Don't know if it's feasible for you, but a stepladder, even a short one with a long tripod might be invaluable. As a matter of course I keep an 8' ladder in my truck for use on the ground or lashed upright in the bed of the truck for even more height. Tripod heads are clamped to the top step using Bogen Super Clamps (My favorite accessory of all time. Don't know current price, but we paid less than $30 each for all of ours).
A fellow teacher goes up on a regular basis. He takes a step ladder Really.. he is short. But then has to watch out for people bumping him when on the ladder
Discussion
8 repliesWe will be able to take photos of the launch of shuttle mission STS-118 from the causeway at about 7pm on August 7. We will be using D200 cameras and several different lenses. I plan to shoot the launch with my 400mm f2.8 AF-S and 2x TC from a Gitzo and Wimberley. She will likely have her 300mm f/2.8 AF-S and 2x TC on a similar tripod set-up. I think I also want to do a long exposure with a wide angle to capture the launch arc. I plan to set it up, trigger it and leave it alone for about 6 minutes while I run the big lens. I have a 4 stop ND I can use on the wide angle.
I found one site on the web with lots of info but want to get some from other sources. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing so it has to work first time out.
Any help?
I used a Bogen Super Clamp to mount a ball head to the top of one tripod leg while my Wimberly was mounted normally on the column. I put a second camera on the ball head and framed it to take in wider, stationary views while a second camera and long lens were on the Wimberly. I used a cable release on the stationary camera to fire shots along with the long lens until the rockets cleared the pad, then dropped the release and continued to follow the rocket and shoot with the long lens. The combo gave me great closeups and broad coverage simultaneously, which I couldn't have managed with a single camera and zoom lenses or lens changes.
Another very good tip is to be able to see the launch clock or tune into the coms channel if at all possible. It really helps to have audible or visual cues of when things are about to happen, rather than waiting for the action to start. With the fast rockets I shot, I started shooting the moment I saw flame, but without the prior warning I'm not sure I could have reacted fast enough for the dynamic early shots of flame and smoke before actual liftoff. You'll have more time with the shuttle, but not a heck of a lot.
I can't answer any of your questions or give any sage advice but I can point you to someone who can.
The young mans name is Ben Cooper and you can contact him through his site at.
http://www.launchphotography.com/
He has some amazing photos of launches that he has taken on his site.
Harold
I can't remember the name, but there's a really good barbecue restaurant on the causway where people gather before a launch. We ate there for the night launch just before the Columbia disaster. Of course their televisions are tuned in to the NASA channel. Be prepared to sit in some traffic.
The shuttle will be gone in a flash. The money shot occurs before the restraining bolts are blown. The engines are at full power, water is turning into steam at 1,000,000 gallons a minute to keep everything from melting... The next best shot is when the bird's nose is just about to clear the gantry. Get those and your done.
The crowd that gathers will have portable electronics that will tell you when the countdown is about to end.
The only other thing I would say is that 7:00 PM on August 7 in Florida is prime time for thunderstorms. I'd say there's a 50 percent chance of a scrub.
I might actuall
I might actually join you. Look for the fat guy with barbecue stains on his shirt shooting a 500 f/4...
I agree with Hank and Kelly, You really want to get the early stuff, That part happens slowly so you should get several images. If you can do something like Hank suggested (second camera with a wider lens prefocused) you "might" be able to get some, almost simultaneously at lift off.
My shooting is contract stuff and I'm separated from the crowd, but I'd be really concerned if I was further back in the viewing gallery.
Don't know if it's feasible for you, but a stepladder, even a short one with a long tripod might be invaluable. As a matter of course I keep an 8' ladder in my truck for use on the ground or lashed upright in the bed of the truck for even more height. Tripod heads are clamped to the top step using Bogen Super Clamps (My favorite accessory of all time. Don't know current price, but we paid less than $30 each for all of ours).