Afterburner photography tips?

[CosmonautX]

My D7100 is off and away to Nikon for a service so I thought I'd take the time to work on planning for future shoots and doing some of the more theoretical prep (well, it's that or standing in the street looking at passing planes wishing I had my camera!)

With that in mind, do any of the regulars have any tips for getting good afterburner/reheat shots? I've had a few chances to experiment at Lossiemouth - my local - with Typhoons on QRA callouts, or the Tonka squadron heading off for a sortie, but (D7100 focus issues aside!) I've not been entirely satisfied with my shots so far. I suspect part of it is where I'm setting up - I'm usually behind and to the side a little (but at least not doing the "YouTube Special" and standing right on the flightpath!) - so I end up with a lot of heat distortion and jetwash when the engines are run up. Although you can get some interesting shots with those effects on show, it tends to obscure the exhausts, break up the glow and I'd like to try and get something a little clearer.

I'm planning to try shooting from a different point on the next visit to try and get a more 3/4 angle of the aircraft as I think it will help to isolate the jetwash in the image and leave most of the aircraft crisp and unaffected by the distortion and capture more of the light of the exhaust that gets lost in the 'wash, but are there are any other things worth trying? I'd wondered about trying a slower shutter speed (I usually shoot at 1/500 and up) with the camera tripod-mounted (rather than monopod or handheld, as I normally work) too, but any other tips or tricks would be welcome!

[slogen51]

I have seen some nice early evening shots on here. The shock diamonds are clearly visible.

Not tried myself as primarily I number crunch and then take souvenir shots and it's to dark for that!

[Miramar]

Burners always look better in dull light, or against a dark background. This shot was taken in very murky conditions, but the burners become the focus of the shot and turn what would otherwise be an ok shot in to something more.

F15C 493rd FS, RAF Lakenheath by Dave Griffiths, on Flickr

[CosmonautX]

I have seen some nice early evening shots on here. The shock diamonds are clearly visible.

Not tried myself as primarily I number crunch and then take souvenir shots and it's to dark for that!

Yeah, early evening/night shots look cracking - low light gives you more of the diamond and the "tail". Worth thinking about, though it would definitely need to be a longer exposure or a slightly higher ISO with my setup as it's not the best in low-light.

Burners always look better in dull light, or against a dark background. This shot was taken in very murky conditions, but the burners become the focus of the shot and turn what would otherwise be an ok shot in to something more.

F15C 493rd FS, RAF Lakenheath by Dave Griffiths, on Flickr

Wow! Yes, getting the right conditions definitely made that shot. That's also more of the angle I was thinking of trying to catch too, as you (I assume the photo is yours?) managed to get the burners lit and clear, plenty of 'wash and still had the aircraft well-defined and sharp. Thanks for sharing!

[Miramar]

Here's the unedited RAW image converted straight to JPG. Some tweaking in Lightroom helps with the burners.

F15C 493rd Lakenheath by Dave Griffiths, on Flickr

[Nick Thompson]

I'd wondered about trying a slower shutter speed (I usually shoot at 1/500 and up) with the camera tripod-mounted (rather than monopod or handheld, as I normally work) too, but any other tips or tricks would be welcome!

Personally I believe that a faster shutter speed is more likely to capture the afterburner phenomena you're looking for. such as shock diamonds. A longer exposure will result in blurring of these effects into light streaks rather than defined phenomena.

[Miramar]

I agree, faster the better. This shot was at 1/1250 f6.3 ISO 320, Canon 7DII, 100-400 II @ 321mm.

[CosmonautX]

Thanks, guys. Thinking about it again and looking at the photo above and others, you're both entirely right - I'd end up losing what I'm wanting to capture with a slow shutter speed. So, low light and fast shutter speeds - Scottish weather can oblige with the former, and I should be able to manage the latter!