Fill the skies

Capture aircraft at take-off and learn how to create an incredible composite. James Paterson turns plane-spotter for the day...

Create an incredible composite of aircraft taking off in a convoy, using Adobe Bridge

Plane-spotters may be the butt of jokes, but when you get up close to aircraft at the airport you can begin to see the appeal of the hobby. It’s genuinely thrilling to see these huge machines soaring upwards in a graceful, endless procession. What’s more, there’s a surprising amount of difference between planes. They come in all sizes, with varied markings, wings and noses. As such, they make the perfect subject for an epic composite image. With a tripod, a clear sky and a few hours to spare, anyone can do it.

So perhaps plane spotting isn’t as nerdy as some people think (and we photographers can get pretty nerdy about our gear too!). What’s more, at the ‘Googling stage’ of planning the shoot here we realised how most of the problems we might encounter had already been tackled many times over by these intrepid hobbyists. Airports the world over had been scouted out, the best locations marked down, security issues considered and sun positions charted. This led us to the roof terrace of London Heathrow’s Thistle Hotel, where we spent a few uninterrupted hours photographing planes (you need to take lots of shots for this project) before heading home to piece together our montage in Photoshop. Read on to find out how…