Taking pictures in a flying helicopter...?

haringharing Registered Users Posts: 281 Major grins
edited December 24, 2010 in Technique
Do you know how to take pictures of people in a flying helicopter? Have you ever done it?
I am thinking about putting my camera on the helicopter's cockpit and I would like to trigger it via a remote. This way I would be able to take take the photos while the pilot is flying the chopper.
The question is how to set up the camera so it is stable on the cockpit...?
I was thinking about using a powerful suction cup camera mount. Something like this: http://www.filmtools.com/grip32manwoo.html
Any thoughts? Have you ever done something similar?

Thanks!
Miami Wedding Photographers

Comments

  • haringharing Registered Users Posts: 281 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2010
    To make it clear, it will be a wedding. The groom will be flying to the wedding venue in a helicopter and I want him to sit next to the pilot. I want to capture the moment when we take off and the groom and all the groomsmen are scared a little bit...

    So far I have found out that vibration will be a problem....
    Miami Wedding Photographers
  • OsteoOsteo Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited December 9, 2010
    Cockpit images
    haring wrote: »
    To make it clear, it will be a wedding. The groom will be flying to the wedding venue in a helicopter and I want him to sit next to the pilot. I want to capture the moment when we take off and the groom and all the groomsmen are scared a little bit...

    So far I have found out that vibration will be a problem....

    I have done this quite a bit. I found if I exposed for the light outside the cockpit and used a flash to fill the cockpit I would get some pretty good images. I also found it handy to hold the camera upside down so the flash was pointed into the cockpit. Or I use an off shoe cable and hand-hold the strobe where I needed it. Lighting conditions change with every turn so you can be making changes on the fly. :}
    Never did I take a shot and have the proper setting. It takes a lot of test shots to get the lighting equal inside and out. Vibration shouldn't be a problem if you shoot for the outside lighting. I wore gloves when flying and it seemed to absorb vibrations some. Good luck.

    www.willyg.smugmug.com
    Examples:
    http://willyg.smugmug.com/Military/Coast-Guard-Aviation/7066114_a88vv#452748658_ZMR5Q
    http://willyg.smugmug.com/Military/Coast-Guard-Aviation/7066114_a88vv#452749312_XRVjm
  • PixxByTangoPixxByTango Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited December 12, 2010
    Buy a GoPro HD camera and set it to stills or just shoot video. You can stick it with a suction cup anywhere and the images are quite nice.
  • ThatCanonGuyThatCanonGuy Registered Users Posts: 1,778 Major grins
    edited December 22, 2010
    I've wondered about those... I'm sure they're tuff, but what about their IQ? Equivalent to a higher-end P&S?
  • RacinRandyRacinRandy Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
    edited December 24, 2010
    ThatCanonGuy wrote: »
    I've wondered about those... I'm sure they're tuff, but what about their IQ? Equivalent to a higher-end P&S?

    Judge it for yourself, I have worked with a company in making a DVD set. LOTS of footage with the go-pro's mounted incar and under car, Great quality. Here a link to the DVD Preview page.....

    http://www.comomodseries.com/2010comodvd/

    I'm Kind of excited by it as I got a Gallery of some of my Photos in DVD2 and many of the Menu screens are Pics I shot.
    Randy

    EOS Rebel XS Digital/ EOS 7D/ EOS 6D
    50mm f1.8/ Tamron 70-200 f2.8 is/ 24-105 f4L
    Canon speedlights and Alien Bees
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