Helicopter Shooting in Kauai , Hawaiian Islands.....Need Suggestions

[Shrev94412]

Headed to the Hawaiian islands next week. I am planning to take a Helicopter tour on the island of Kauai. I have never shot from a helicopter. Can anyone suggest minimum shutter speeds and any other techniques that will help as well as what I should tell the pilot. Also, please suggest a helicopter tour company that worked for you. I was looking at Blue Hawaiian. Also, as to doors on, do you typically shoot through a port hole or what?

On this trip I will be taking a Nikon D810 and D800E as well as Nikon, 20mm 1.8, Nikon 14-24, Nikon 70-200, Nikon 24-70 and 1.4 Teleconverter. I have longer lenses but was not planning on taking them on this trip.

If there are articles on this site about this or forum answers please send link.

Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated.

[dwswager]

Headed to the Hawaiian islands next week. I am planning to take a Helicopter tour on the island of Kauai. I have never shot from a helicopter. Can anyone suggest minimum shutter speeds and any other techniques that will help as well as what I should tell the pilot. Also, please suggest a helicopter tour company that worked for you. I was looking at Blue Hawaiian. Also, as to doors on, do you typically shoot through a port hole or what?

On this trip I will be taking a Nikon D810 and D800E as well as Nikon, 20mm 1.8, Nikon 14-24, Nikon 70-200, Nikon 24-70 and 1.4 Teleconverter. I have longer lenses but was not planning on taking them on this trip.

If there are articles on this site about this or forum answers please send link.

Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated.

1. Two cameras good idea...1 long, 1 wide.  changing lenses in flight will introduce dust.
2. Communicate your goals to the pilot.  Get him on your page if possible, but at least get on the same page.  Find out how high you will be flying to judge by what you are shooting the focal lengths.
3. Find a charter that will fly doors off.  Will be much better than shooting through little cut outs.
4. Watch for air flow around the helicopter.  Keep longer lenses inside and out of this wicked source of vibration.
5. Active VR might help, might not.
6. Watch for blades and skids in the images.  It is real easy to block these out when shooting only to be disappointed later.
7. keep everything secured, obviously, especially if doors off.
8. Figure out what the ISO limit you are willing to accept ahead of time.
9. There is great variablity in the vibration and shake of different helicopters so hard to give a definitive on shutter speeds. Might discuss with pilot based on airspeed and his experience.

[Colorado David]

I have shot from Robinson R22 and from Jet Rangers.  The Jet Ranger is easier to shoot from and smoother.  They are also a lot more expensive to operate.  You get in a Jet Ranger, but you feel more like you've strapped a helicopter to your ass in an R22.  There may be a limit to how much equipment weight you can bring in an R22.  In either case you are better with the doors off.  You will wear a headset in order to have intercom communications with your pilot and to keep from going deaf.  You should consider being fit for your own mountaineering harness.  I've had a problem with a seat belt failure once in a Jet Ranger and centrifugal force kept me from falling out.  If you fly with a pilot who has done a lot of photo mission flying you'll be much happier than with a pilot who mostly does air tours.  Clear communication with your pilot is key to success.

[Peter McLennan]

All of the above, plus at least 1/1000th shutter speed.  Try and relax.  It's stressful.

[Shrev94412]

Thanks so much for all your comments. It looks like we are going to be hiring a Robinson 44 from Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours in Kauai. They are considerably lower priced and ranked #3 on Trip Advisor. Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours as well as Sunshine Helicopters quoted me $ 2,650.00 for a "Doors Off" one hour charter for two people. Mauna Loa Helicopters is $660.00 for a one hour "doors off" charter total for two people and they will fly where ever we tell them to fly. We will have the Helicopter to ourselves!

Here is their website for future reference http://www.maunaloahelicoptertours.com/contact-kauai-helicopter-tours.htm. I will follow up on this post AFTER we get back on the 22nd of January 2015.

Please advise if there is anything else I need to know and thank again for your suggestions!

[dwswager]

BTW, I shot the Nepali Coast both from ship and from the top of the canyon.  Relatively inexpensive and some wonderful images.

[Shrev94412]

What time of day do you think is best for  Na Pali Coast? We booked a 1:30 pm charter hoping to get good light in the canyon, waterfalls and lastly the Na Pali Coast.....

[dwswager]

What time of day do you think is best for  Na Pali Coast? We booked a 1:30 pm charter hoping to get good light in the canyon, waterfalls and lastly the Na Pali Coast.....

I couldn't begin to tell you with any certainty cause I only shot it once in late morning sun and late spring/early summer.  Get on Sun Surveyor or other and see where the sun is going to be when you are there.  Also, Kaui  (mountain side) get about the most rain of any place on earth if I remember, something like 300 inches so it depends time of year.  Add to that moving platforms and the angles between the camera/landscape/sun is continuously changing. 

[E.J. Peiker]

I wrote an article on this several years ago.  While it says 2010, that is actually a revision from 2005 but much of it still holds true.  Hope it helps:
http://www.naturescapes.net/articles/techniques/helicopter-photography-primer/

[figure1a]

Doors off if you can.

No need for two lenses. The helicopter IS your zoom. I use a 24-70 and we pull back when I want wider and dive in when I want closer.

Use/rent a gyro if you can. You can shoot at 1/250 all day long with no vibration blur. If you are shooting sunrise/sunset this will be a factor. Pushing your ISO too high to get your 1/1000 shutter speed might get you more noise in your images especially at those low light times.

Take your lens shade off. The wind will continually grab it and move your camera around.

Put in a large memory card. You don't really want to change cards up there. One little fumble and...