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Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:48 am
by agriffiths
I thought I'd share a sequence I captured at the end of a very long day.

We were out running joy flights at the Doveton show on Sunday. $35 for a ride in a Turbine Jetranger and we were completely run off our feet. I think the only pause we had the whole day was for refuelling & pizza... tip: eat pizza before handling Av Gas, not after!

Image

Cheers
Andrew

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:51 am
by Mal
I like it! the more I looked at it the more i wondered how you did it and the more interested in the shot i became. Well done for have the brain space at the end of a long day to come up with the idea for a creative shot.
Also thanks for the Pizza / Av Gas tip. Mine is never eat Pizza after using sheep dip, (mind you I have never had problems with worms or lice) :lol:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:27 pm
by biggerry
awesome shot, as previously mentioned, well done on the creative idea for it :up: :up: Not only that but executing it also!

tip: eat pizza before handling Av Gas, not after!


tip number 2: use avtur rather than avgas for the turbines, she'll run oh so much better :cough:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:37 pm
by agriffiths
HA, good point ;) We were running two choppers and had two refuelling stations. One AVTUR and the other AVGAS for the R44.

Here's the R44 (piston) sitting idol at the Tulip festival... appropriately dressed.

Image

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:29 pm
by biggerry
lol Andrew, and there I was thinking you had stepped up in the world of aviation - belting around in a B206, its almost half way to a real helicopter :twisted:, but then you posted the robbo... :roll:

I love those little shoes... makes that fugly number almost beautiful

sounds like a fun day...

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:37 pm
by agriffiths
Don't knock the 44, she's a workhorse! It's obvious, just look at those shoes.

One of these days we'll find a 500 with the Magnum PI colour scheme. You don't have to be an aviation freak to recognise TC's chopper. I spent countless hours as a kid mesmerised by that machine.

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:50 pm
by gstark
agriffiths wrote:One of these days we'll find a 500 with the Magnum PI colour scheme.


You take the chopper. I bags the car! :)

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:06 pm
by Mal
gstark wrote:
agriffiths wrote:One of these days we'll find a 500 with the Magnum PI colour scheme.


You take the chopper. I bags the car! :)


Then that just leaves the shirts and the moustache :lol:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:18 pm
by agriffiths
Then that just leaves the shirts and the moustache


Surely it's a legal requirement to have both whilst flying the chopper or driving the car.

I think I might have to get myself a snorkel too ;) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CquMO3vJvo&feature=fvst

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:49 pm
by chrisk
thats brilliantly down mate. how long would that take you to do in photoshop ?
what lens is that shot with by btw ? looks like a keeper. lol :lol:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:00 pm
by agriffiths
Thanks fo the kind words Rooz. It probably took about an hour in photoshop as I had to decide which images to keep and which areas to mask. The trick was timing beginning of the sequence since the helicopter was obviously moving much slower and took up a greater portion of the frame than it does as it flys past the tree and out of frame. Too many images at the start and you have a hell of a mess.

The sequence was shot with the 14-24. Nice chunk of glass that :).

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:20 pm
by gstark
Mal wrote:
gstark wrote:
agriffiths wrote:One of these days we'll find a 500 with the Magnum PI colour scheme.


You take the chopper. I bags the car! :)


Then that just leaves the shirts and the moustache :lol:


I actually already have the shirt. :)

Seriously, the shirt is so important that it has been enshrined in the Smithsonian, and one can buy them at some stores in Honolulu, which I have done.

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:35 pm
by biggerry
Don't knock the 44, she's a workhorse!


cause shes cheap to run :wink:

find a 500 with the Magnum PI colour scheme


at least it has a real pony in it.. :wink:

14-24. Nice chunk of glass that


*drools*

did you do this on a tripod? or just handheld?

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:09 pm
by agriffiths
 LOL, you almost made me spill my coffee!

cause shes cheap to run


Correct... at least in aviation terms!

The entire sequence was shot on a tripod with wired remote trigger :) . I used the tripod primarily to make the sequence easy to put together... but also because I just didn't have the energy to hold the camera up by that stage ;) .

Actually the biggest difficulty in capturing this sequence was communicating with the pilot to plan the flight path and have him fly slow enough at the start for the fuselage to remain sharp. Because I wasn't panning with the helicopter it was important to set the shutter speed fast enough to freeze the fuselage but slow enough to blur the rotor blades in order to provide a sense of motion.

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:20 am
by Killakoala
Cool. I've seen this style of photo with motorbikes but yours is quite innovative and well executed. Great work.

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:47 am
by agriffiths
Thanks Steve :)

We're heading out to the Tulip festival again today but there appear to be gusty 50knot westerly winds screaming their way across the mountain. I might try another sequence later on as the winds will make for an interesting flight path through frame ;) .

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:43 am
by aim54x
Nice shots, I really like the look of your rides there!! When will you be coming to town with this flying circus? :cheers:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 2:12 pm
by Willy wombat
I was going to head to the tulip show yesterday and today but the weather has put me off.

What are the flowers looking like? If you have any pics please let me know

Steve

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:47 pm
by Matt. K
Can the Robbo get off the ground with those little shoes on??? :D :D :D I once did an aerial photo shoot from a Robinson 22 and we hit a head wind. By the time we were half way to our destination the lease time was up and it was time to return to the airport. I'm sure we were being controlled by someone on the ground with a remote. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:21 pm
by biggerry
Thanks for the shot setup explanation Andrew.

Can the Robbo get off the ground with those little shoes on??? controlled by someone on the ground with a remote.


:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:38 pm
by agriffiths
What are the flowers looking like? If you have any pics please let me know


No photos from today since it was so windy and miserable. I'll get some more this coming weekend as the owner has asked for specific aerial shots. Flowers still look great :) .

Nice shots, I really like the look of your rides there!! When will you be coming to town with this flying circus?


I was up your way a few months back. Not sure when we'll be returning but I'll let you know :) .

Can the Robbo get off the ground with those little shoes on???


Short answer... no. We would have to take the doors off, pull the seats out and shed every ounce of weight we could.. including the pilot ;) .

Re: Helicopter sequence

PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:38 pm
by biggerry
including the pilot

:biglaugh:

just wait until we figure out how to remove the pilot from the equation.....

pilots (note the plural) have a lot to answer for...B-1B Lancer (86132) Wheels up and the C-17 Wheels up just as quick examples of career limiting moves by pilots.

:ot: