Airshow photography: choosing your spot, shutter speeds and display lines

You have been standing at the fence since seven in the morning, the weather is perfect, your camera is ready – and then the aerobatic team flies its best maneuver right in front of the sun. At an airshow you can’t influence the flight schedule, and you can’t influence the runway either. What you do control is your position. It determines which maneuvers you see head-on, whether the sun comes from the front or from behind, and whether there is blue sky or a parking lot behind the jet. And it determines which shutter speed you really need.

This guide complements our article on camera settings for airshows. That one covers exposure, autofocus and starting values for every aircraft type. This one is about the geometry of a show: how to read the display line, where to stand and how distance and direction of flight affect your choice of exposure time.

The geometry of an airshow: three terms you should know

Every major flying display follows a fixed layout that the organizers agree on with the responsible aviation authority. Three terms come up again and again:

• Crowd line: the front edge of the spectator area, usually a fence or barrier. This is where you stand if you manage to get a front-row spot.
• Display line: an imaginary line parallel to the crowd line that the pilots use for orientation. Displays are flown along this axis or on the side facing away from the crowd. Depending on the site, it can coincide with the runway axis or with a distinctive line in the terrain.
• Show center: the point on the display line opposite the middle of the spectator area. This is where the highlights of most performances take place, such as crossings of solo pairs or the break of a formation.

Between the display line and the crowd line there is a minimum distance prescribed by the authorities. It usually depends on the aircraft category, speed and type of display: slow, light aircraft may fly closer than fast jets, and a straight flypast closer than an aerobatic maneuver. In the UK, the CAA sets out these rules in its regulations for flying displays (CAP 403); other countries have their own requirements.

In Germany the rules have been especially strict since the Ramstein airshow disaster of 1988: maneuvers over the crowd or toward the spectators are prohibited. For you as a photographer that means mainly one thing: the aircraft stay at a distance, and you need more focal length than at some shows abroad.

Reading the display line in advance: planning at your desk

Because the display line is fixed, you can sort out almost everything at home. All you need is a map view with satellite imagery and the organizer’s site plan, which most big shows publish on their website.

Step 1: find the spectator area and viewing direction

Mark on the site plan where the spectator zones are and which direction you look toward the runway from there. If the crowd is south of an east–west runway, for example, you are looking north. That is the ideal case: the sun is behind you or to the side all day. If the spectator area is north of the runway instead, you look south and shoot into the sun at midday.

Step 2: check the sun position over the day

The viewing direction alone doesn’t tell you when the light flips. Work out for the show day when the sun is to the side and when it is behind you. How this works with azimuth and runway direction is explained in the guide planning with the sun position. You will find a selection of suitable tools in the comparison of sun position apps for photographers.

Step 3: overlay the flight program and the light windows

Many shows publish a schedule shortly beforehand. Put it next to your light calculation. If your favorite display falls into a backlight window, you know in time that you should change position for that item or deliberately go for silhouettes. You can read more about making something of backlight in the article on backlight in aircraft photography.

Choosing your spot at the fence: center, edge or outside?

Once you have sorted out the light side, the question remains where along the crowd line you stand. Every position has its own profile.

In the middle, opposite the show center

This is where most maneuvers come together right in front of you. Solo displays are aligned to this point, formations break here, crossings happen here. You get the classic side views with the full fuselage and maximum size in the frame.

The downside: the aircraft cross your field of view at short range and therefore very fast. This is the most demanding position for autofocus and panning. On top of that, the middle fills up earliest at big shows.

At the ends of the spectator area

At the edge you see the aircraft as they set up for a maneuver, turn or swing onto the display line. Those are the moments with bank angle, a visible upper surface and often the best light on the wings. Add to that takeoffs, landings and taxiing, which happen closer to the edge. For panning shots with propeller aircraft this is often the better choice, because the aircraft approach you at an angle and stay in the viewfinder longer.

The downside: at some displays you only get the highlight in the center from the side or very small.

Outside the grounds

At big shows many spotters stand on public paths around the field, for example in line with the runway. There you catch the participants’ arrivals and departures, often without crowds and with a clear background. The actual displays, on the other hand, you usually only see from behind or from a long distance.

Criterion	Middle of the crowd line	Edge of the spectator area	Outside the grounds
Typical subjects	Side views, crossings, formation breaks	Turns, bank angles, takeoffs, landings	Arrivals and departures, taxiing
Technical demands	high: fast crossing motion	medium: oblique approaches	medium to high: changing distances
Space and crowds	fills up early	usually more relaxed	depends heavily on the spot
Cost	admission	admission	often free, mind the travel
Risk	backlight on the wrong side	highlights possibly only from the side	exclusion zones, parking bans

If you have to shoot through the fence, the tricks in shooting through fences and glass will help. Whether you may bring a step or a small ladder is up to the organizer. You will find general advice in the article on ladders, steps and tripods at the airport fence.

Background, height and wind: the underrated factors

The background

A low pass in front of hangars, trees or hills looks much more alive than an aircraft against empty sky. Before the show, look at what lies behind the display line. A spot where low passes happen against a structured background is worth its weight in gold for panning shots. Conversely, tents, masts or advertising banners that stand in your field of view are a nuisance.

Your own height

Even half a meter of extra height changes a lot: you shoot over heads and caps, and during rolls you see more of the aircraft. Slight rises in the terrain, embankments or grandstands are therefore often worth more than the front row at the fence.

Wind, smoke and heat haze

The wind determines where the smoke of the aerobatic teams drifts. If it comes from the crowd’s side, the smoke trails move away from you and the formation stays against clean sky. If it blows toward the spectators, late maneuvers quickly end up in their own haze. So check the wind direction in the morning, for example with Windy and other weather maps.

On warm summer days there is also heat shimmer above the asphalt. It particularly affects taxiing and low passes at long range. You can find out more about when it occurs and how to work around it in the guide on avoiding heat shimmer.

Shutter speeds: why your position helps decide

Most airshow guides give shutter speeds by aircraft type: fast for jets, slower for propellers. That is correct but incomplete. What counts for sharpness is how fast the aircraft moves through your frame, and that depends on the angle between the direction of flight and your viewing direction.

• Crossing pass: When a jet flies past directly in front of you, parallel to the crowd line, its motion in the frame is greatest. Here you need the fastest speeds or very clean panning.
• Oblique approach: If the aircraft comes toward you at an acute angle, it moves through the frame more slowly. The same shutter speed gives sharper results, and with propellers you can expose longer.
• Head-on approach: If an aircraft flies straight toward you, it hardly moves in the frame, it just gets bigger. Here autofocus is the bigger challenge, not the exposure time.

Distance plays a part too: the farther away the display line, the more slowly an aircraft at the same speed moves through the viewfinder. In exchange you zoom in further, and every bit of shake in your hands is magnified along with it. In the end, the starting values by propulsion type remain a good baseline that you fine-tune for your position.

Subject	Starting value	At the edge or on an oblique approach	Goal
Jet on a crossing pass	1/1000 s and faster	slightly slower possible	freeze the aircraft sharp
Jet as a deliberate panning shot	1/250 to 1/125 s	easier, because it stays longer in the viewfinder	background blurred
Propeller aircraft	1/250 s	step by step to 1/160 s and slower	propeller visibly in motion
Helicopter	1/250 s	down to 1/125 s and slower	rotor blades blurred
Formation with smoke	1/1000 s	similar	all aircraft sharp, smoke structured

The background on propellers and rotors is explained in the guide photographing propellers: the right shutter speed. Which autofocus setting you need for fast crossing motion is covered in the article autofocus for aircraft.

Display lines for different performances

Not every performance uses the display line in the same way. If you know the pattern, you are standing in the right place for the right item on the program.

Solo jets

Modern fighter jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale or the Saab JAS 39 Gripen mostly fly their maneuvers symmetrically around the show center: entry from one side, maneuvers in front of the middle, turn at one end, return pass. The best profile pictures come from the middle, pictures with bank angle and clouds above the wings more at the turning points. How to capture condensation above the wings is shown in the article on vortices and condensation.

Aerobatic teams

Teams like the Red Arrows, the Patrouille de France or the Frecce Tricolori use the airspace in front of the crowd on a larger scale. Many maneuvers are flown in front of the middle, and formation breaks and crossings are also aligned to the center. Here a shorter focal length than for solo jets often pays off, so that the smoke and all the aircraft fit in the frame.

Warbirds and historic aircraft

Historic propeller aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire fly more slowly and often closer along the display line. They like to show wide arcs with a visible upper surface. Shows with many warbirds, such as the airshows at Duxford, are ideal practice grounds for slow shutter speeds. We also present Duxford airfield in detail as a spot.

Helicopters and transport aircraft

Helicopters often hover in one place for a while, usually in front of the center. Large transports fly wide turns and long straight legs. Both give you more time for composition, but with rotors and propellers they call for deliberately slower speeds.

Show-day routine: how to use the display line

What else you should have in your backpack that day is listed in the airshow day checklist. Think of your hearing too: at jet displays right at the fence, good protection is a must, with more in the article aircraft noise and your hearing.

Common mistakes when choosing a spot

• Front row at any price: If you take a spot at the fence in backlight, you shoot into the sun all day. The second or third row on the right side gets you more.
• Only looking at the middle: The best bank angles often happen at the turning points, not in front of the center.
• Ignoring the wind: Smoke drifting toward you ruins the late maneuvers of a team.
• One shutter speed for everything: An oblique approach at the edge allows different values than a crossing pass in the middle.
• Underestimating exclusion zones: Outside the grounds, separate rules often apply. If you ignore them, you risk being sent away.

Which shows are especially worthwhile in Europe is covered in the overview airshows in Europe for plane spotters. The article on airfield festivals in Germany presents smaller events, often with more relaxed access to the crowd line.

Conclusion

Good airshow photos don’t begin at the shutter button but with a look at the map. The display line determines where the flying happens, the crowd line where you stand, and the sun when it is worth it. If you know these three things beforehand, you choose your spot deliberately: the middle for profiles and crossings, the edge for turns, takeoffs and panning shots. You then match your shutter speed not just to the aircraft type but also to angle and distance. That way you get far more usable pictures out of a single show day.