Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine December 2017 | Page 30

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Explore | Masterclass
Flying takes us effortlessly
over mountains, forests,
islands and sea, revealing
not only the incredible
natural beauty but
also the geography...
Air-to-air photography: capturing
aircraft from other flying aircraft.
It can be challenging to align two or
more aircraft against specific backgrounds
and with a variety of angles during one
flight. It’s also risky flying in formation,
especially during passing manoeuvres
in close proximity.
Why I choose aerial photography
Flying is the only way to explore and
document a lot of Indonesia. Even where
there’s land or water access, a lot of the
landscape is hidden behind vegetation
and terrain. Flying takes us effortlessly
over mountains, forests, islands and sea,
revealing not only the incredible natural
beauty but also the geography, our daily
activities, our human footprint and
industries. So aerials are vital to show
our planet’s environments that we
cannot see clearly from the ground.
Trike Approaching Mount Merapi, Central Java, Indonesia
My equipment
For hand-held aerials I use a Nikon DSLR,
often with a zoom lens in good light to speed
up composition or fixed lenses with wide
apertures when it’s dark. For remote-controlled
work with drones or kites I use lighter Sony
mirrorless cameras with Voigtländer lenses.
In helicopters I mount cameras on a gyro
stabiliser and use two or three if it’s for video.
All my lenses are fitted with polarising
filters and I only remove them to shoot
before sunrise, after sunset, indoors and
in aircraft. I also maintain several film
cameras and a darkroom.
For flying I use either helicopters, planes,
microlights, drones or kites. Each has its
own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s
best to have several options. I also try to
shoot aerials on every airline flight I take;
sometimes the results are great.