Re: Aerial hyperstereos and other sky phenomena

[P3D <PTWW@xxxxxxx>]

>Thanks to Paul for the detailed information on hyperstereos from an
airplane.

Ah, Dr. T, ever the gentleman.  First he shows great restraint after being
the victim of Gabriel's hoax.  Now he kindly describes my post as  "detailed"
information" instead of "outrageously lengthy" as many others probably
would have!  Thanks Dr. T for your diplomacy!

> Unfortunately, I do not get the chance to fly often and when I do, I
> usually find myself over clouds with not enough opportunity to record
> surface details.

Yes, I bet flying over the Atlantic on the way to Greece would not be the
best time to try aerial hypers!  Fly west, Dr. T!  :)  What connections do
you make on your way to Greece?  Would a different route perhaps provide
more opportunities?  There are many beautiful mountains in Europe that
would surely look fantastic in aerial stereo shots.

> Getting good hyperstereos from an airplane is, to a large degree, a
> matter of luck.

The old better to be lucky than good theory, eh?  

>  A combination of sitting at the right seat at  the right time.  Problems
> include being too close to the wing, in the wrong side of the plane,
> dirty windows, etc.

Call early for seat selection and you can request a window seat away from
the wing on the side of the plane you want (helps to look at a map first
to guess which side of the plane will be better.  Or just make sure you
are on the same side both directions so you get to see two different views.)
As mentioned in the FAQ (which I discovered too late to help), bring along
something to clean the window with (you can only clean one of the four
surfaces, though.)  On one leg, the inside window was especially dirty.
I happened to have a napkin or tissue to wipe it, which helped.

Travelling the right time of year also helps.  In North America, clear
skies over mountains are far more common in the fall than in spring or
summer.

>Most shots from the plane to the ground are too blue due to atmospheric
>haze.  It is a good idea to use an orange filter to eliminate part of the
>excess blue.

But you can still enjoy your shots even if they don't meet Dr. T's
rigourous standards for perfection! :)

>I would also recommend experimenting with color balance
>conversion filters that can make the scene look like sunset.

And if you fly west in the evening, the real sunset lasts a *long time!*

> Be careful with polarizing filters and the interactions with the plane's
> windows.

What is the concern with polarizing filters in this case?  I don't think
I used mine on these shots.

> Northern lights?  Not many people have seen those. I have only seen them
> from the ground one time, while vacationing in Northern Minnesota.  I took
> a bunch of Realist stereos.  I found the experience very exciting and
> stayed up most of the night to watch the show (better than TV, IMO!)

I was immensely disappointed not to see them at all in Alaska in October!
Several days had bad weather (overcast, drizzle).  Our first day there
it was beautiful and clear, and we got to see the top of Mt. McKinley
perfectly (also a rare sight, I'm told).  But the hotel property had
their grounds lit up like a baseball field and there was no way to
even see a star in the sky!  And by that time I was too tired from a
busy day to bundle up and try to drive somewhere to look for them, not
knowing whether they would even be visible that night.

Paul Talbot


------------------------------