Could give me some advice on photographing propellerdriven aircraft? I have a Nikon D5100 with a 55-80mm lens. Chris Chapman, via email
Rod says… Chris, it is possible to freeze the motion of a propeller if you set a very high shutter speed, but this can result in the blades, and therefore your image, looking quite static. The best path is to opt for a shutter speed of around 1/125 to 1/250 sec, which will provide a degree of motion blur to the propellers without sacrificing sharpness. Then it’s just a question of opting for the best aperture to maintain a bright, balanced exposure. If you’re not quite aufait with manual mode on your D-SLR yet, the best path is to use shutter-priority mode and let the camera work out the aperture. It may also be worth switching to fewer focus points, such as just the centre one, so a passing obstruction won’t cause the autofocus system to become confused.