SHOOTING FROM A HELICOPTER… (In the Entertainment industry. 10 Tips for Shooting from a Helicopter)

Fly Over London / Photo Credit: YouTube

SHOOTING FROM A HELICOPTER… (In the Entertainment industry. 10 Tips for Shooting from a Helicopter)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com

Shooting from a Helicopter

Aerial videography has exploded in the last couple of years largely because of drones. But did you know that aerial photography has been around for decades with the use of planes and helicopters? As great as drones are, there are a lot of benefits to shooting aerials from a helicopter over a drone, too.

Getting a bird’s eye view for your productions can increase production value and audience engagement immensely. It’s a perspective that will never get old and sometimes entire videos are shot with just drones.

You all know we’re big fans of drones. Drones are popping up everywhere- military, toys, surveillance, racing and photography/videography drones.

Drones are not without their flaws and limitations, though. The largest drawback to drones is the lens options available and flight time. The most popular drones are quadcopters, meaning they have 4 rotors, and can only carry a very light payload or camera. Thus, the GoPro is most popular camera for drones today.

Despite the fantastic image quality of Go Pros they are severely limited in the lens choice available. In fact, you only have one choice of lens with any GoPro camera.

You do, however, have a few different shooting options ranging from Super Wide, Wide, Medium and Narrow- but these options simply crop in on the same lens.

There are times when you want to use to better optics for aerial photography because your project demands it. You can use a larger drone, such as a hexacopter or octocopter, which have six and eight rotors respectively, which can carry larger cameras with interchangeable lenses.

Drone batteries currently last about 20 minutes in the best case scenario. Best practices suggest that you always land your drone with you have 15% battery left. A drone that runs out of batteries mid-flight can be very dangerous and land on innocent bystanders or damage property.

Shooting with a helicopter means you can go higher and cover larger areas in a quick amount of time. You’ll be under strict FAA regulations but if you have an experienced pilot you can get away with a lot.

Helicopters are great for aerials and allow you to do so much. Here are the best benefits of shooting from a helicopter: 

• Camera and lens options available are nearly endless…
• Time in air is very, very long. You can easily spend hours in a helicopter…
• Area coverage is vast…
• Height and speed are much less limited vs a drone… 

Top 5 Tips for Shooting from a Helicopter:

1. Book with the right operation. Go with a well-recommended outfit. An operation that has pilots who understand photographer/filming needs is essential. Photographers and filming have unique time pressures around light and weather considerations – it works out better when your pilot and ground-team understand this.

This may seem obvious, but it is crucial to consider the results you will achieve based on the time of day that you book your flight. Sunset flights are always in high demand, but perhaps a daytime flight with particular weather suits your needs best, or an epic sunrise flight. Know what you want based on the weather and the location you are photographing for a better flight.

2. Doors Off, Please… If at all possible, fly with the doors off. Make sure that the doors can come off for photography and filming. And then make sure they are off when you arrive. Depending on your situation, you may be able to request this (assignment) or not (vacation helicopter ride). Always ask. But also realize that it can get cold with the doors off, so be prepared for the temperatures.

Shooting through any glass affects the resulting image and that is why it is ideal to have no barrier between you and your subject. Liability reasons often prevent, or dissuade, certain operators from removing doors while others tout it as a perk, such as volcano tours in Hawaii who boast that you can ‘feel the heat’ (in a safe way).

You will likely be buckled in with a four or five point harness. This means a strap over each shoulder and then a lap belt as in a car. It will limit your movement more than your car seatbelt will, but with some wiggling, you will find you can still turn sideways out the door to get your shot.

Also, if you are lucky enough to get a ride with the doors off, realize it is harder to change lenses. Not only that, you will need to secure your equipment and there may be controls in the way if you are sitting up front.

To help with all of this, simplify and be safe. I have used some clips normally used from rock climbing to help secure my camera around my belt or the safety harness in the helicopter. Some type of tether is good piece of mind as you will be in a new environment and one slip will mean a lost camera.

A tether for your bag is also a good idea, but if you’re simplifying, you will leave the bag behind. A photographer’s vest, with pockets for filters and the like, can be very handy to keep things secure and close.

3. Dress warmly.

No matter what time of year it is. The rotors make it chilly. This one may seem obvious, but is so essential if you want to focus on taking good pictures. For your flight (especially if your helicopter is open door), you will want fitted clothing that won’t fly away, with more warmth than you may need at ground level since it gets windy and cold when you’re up there.

Gloves are essential in any cold climate flight as they help keep your hands focused on taking pictures and not losing feeling, all of which will contribute to a happier and more successful first flight.

4. Use a safety harness.

Attach yourself to copter at two points (e.g.: the frame and floor) plus your seatbelt. If you do not have a harness – tape the seatbelt clasp liberally with gaffers tape. Ideally you can move about freely. Note: a regular climbing harness and carabiner will work in a pinch but the full-body roofer harness is preferred.

5. Use camera exposures of higher than 1/1250s. Ideally 1/1600s or greater. This will insure that your shots are free of motion blur. There is lots of motion see inside a copter that you can see and not see (both high and low frequency). Adjust the rest of your settings (ISO/Aperture) to get the proper exposure around that shutter speed.

6. Watch the Blades and Skids

Be aware of the helicopter rotor blades and skids (the ‘feet’ the helicopter stands on while on the ground) not only for your safety, but also for framing your shot. Before the helicopter takes off, judge your widest focal length before the blades or skids start to show. Once airborne, check again with some test shots.

The thing with the blades is, they can be finicky. If you are taking a shot and need the vertical elements in it, and know the blades will interfere, you can still shoot a high-speed series of images and it is likely that one will not have a blade in it. It’s a timing issue and while the blades are turning thousands of times a minute, it can be done. From my own experience, I have found one in eight shots was clean of any blades.

Knowing your limits will save you time and frustration in post-processing later.

7. Bring Two Cameras if You Can

Changing lenses without introducing dust inside the camera while the wind whirls around is impossible. Not only that, you stand a decent chance of dropping gear and never seeing it again. For these two reasons, it is a good idea to bring two cameras with two different lenses; a telephoto zoom and a wide angle zoom. I suggest a zoom for the wide angle because you won’t know in advance the maximum angle you can achieve before rotor blades and skids begin to appear.

Having a couple of lenses with varying focal lengths is handy when shooting from a helicopter. You will not always be able to get closer to a subject physically, but a telephoto zoom can.

8. Communicate

We all know communication is important and that goes doubly when photographing from a helicopter. Chances are you will have a headset during your flight which allows for muting the sound of the engine and rotor and also for talking with others onboard, including the pilot. Some units are voice activated, some require pressing a switch which can cause frustration when you realize you’re telling the pilot to hold steady and he or she can’t hear you.

Before take-off, before the blades start churning, talk with the pilot about what you want to accomplish on the flight. Let them know what’s important to you and where you might want to spend some time loitering.

Your job was made easier by communicating what you want to shoot. If you are on a sightseeing trip with others, your options may be limited, but it is still important to let the pilot know what is important for you to clearly photograph, which is different than just ‘seeing’ it.

9. Stay Inside

While it is hip and cool to imagine yourself hanging from the side of a helicopter to get that once in a lifetime shot, chances are your experience won't be as spell binding. The guys that get those assignments (and pay the insurance premiums) aren't reading this right now unless they are thinking of ways to correct me.

And that's you should stay in the helicopter. The moment you lean outside the protection that the shell of the craft affords, the downdraft can be punishing and knock you seven ways to Sunday. The same goes for poking your lens out a window.

And it will be useful, but the moment a long lens gets too far outside, the rush of air will cause a lot of vibration. Try to keep the end of lenses out of the airstream for sharper images.

10. Increase Your ISO and Shutter Speed

Lastly, helicopters vibrate. Some a little. Some a lot. And they can be bouncy or smooth. My suggestion is to increase your ISO toward the high end of what you find is tolerable. Along with that change, as most of your subjects will be far away from the camera, choosing a wider aperture in Aperture Priority mode will help speed up your shutter speed. All of this is in effort to reduce camera shake. Certainly bring your image stabilizing lenses or camera bodies, which will help.

Most of all, don't forget to lower your camera from your eye from time to time and simply enjoy the fact that you're flying! Shooting from a helicopter can be a great experience and I hope you make the most of your time in the sky.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Entertainment Careers, Adhere Creative, In Deed, Glass Door, Pay Scale, Merriam-Webster, Job Monkey, Studio Binder, The Collective, Production Hub, The Producer's Business Handbook by John J. Lee Jr., Film Finance Inc., Chase Jarvis, Tuts Plus, Envato Tuts, Peter West Carey, Tar Productions

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