For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to another helicopter photo tour around NYC. I had been on a few (3) helicopter tours before, and though it was an amazing experience, I was disappointed with my photos from prior experiences. However, the photos finally came out how I wanted this time! So I wanted to share what I’ve learned from my various shooting experiences from a helicopter so that you will be able to enjoy the tour and get the images you want! Most of the tips after deciding on tour, images, and camera section relate more to doors-off helicopter flights as there are more things to consider for those flights, so here goes!
Decide what kind of tour you want
How do I decide what kind of tour or flight experience is right for me?
There are basically two different kinds of tours, with minor variations in between. The first (and most common tour) is the doors on a helicopter tour. This is where you will go up in the helicopter in a closed-door helicopter and the pilot will talk you through what sights you are seeing. The tours take place throughout the day and in NYC and often depart from Manhattan. The second type of tour is a doors-off helicopter tour (I did my doors off tour with flynyon). This is exactly as it sounds, there are no doors on the helicopter and when the pilot says it’s ok too, you can put your feet out of the helicopter and shoot photos without reflections from glass or dirty helicopter windows.
There are tours of different durations, designed to fly by different buildings or locations of interest. If there is a specific shot or location you want; ensure you call the company to ask if they will cover that during the flight or make a recommendation of the specific tour you should book. The longer the flight, the higher the likelihood is that you’ll be able to hover over the point of interest for your shot for more than a second, and the more likely you are to get “the perfect shot” that you want. However, the longer the tour, the more expensive it is!
The key deciding factors are – how comfortable with heights are you and what kind of images do you want? If you’re serious about getting good photos, I believe that a doors off tour is the way to go, I say this because with a doors off flight, you reduce the amount of potential things that can mess up your image, namely the reflection from the glass and the glass being dirty, it is definitely my personal flight of choice. However, if you are visiting a city during a very cold time of year, or if you are scared of heights, you may want to choose the doors-on option, as there will be the added safety of the doors on and it’s warmer. With doors off, it is open to the elements, so if it is cold, you will need to wear appropriately warm clothing.
What images do you want?
Consider timing and weather conditions
Before you book your tour, consider what kind of images you want. While you cannot guarantee weather conditions will cooperate, you can at least consider whether you would like the tour to be during the day, so that you can see everything better and it’s more convenient for your schedule. Or if you want to take the tour during the sunrise/sunset hours, to get the beautiful changing colors. However, the colors are changing.. so you will be challenged with adjusting your shooting to the changing light. The sunrise/sunset tours are usually in high demand and are therefore a bit more expensive. Also, if you want to shoot a specific building/monument, you’ll need to consider, what lighting is best for that monument (This is not the case for NYC, where the main locations get great light during most of the day), For example, if you wanted to get the front of the building that faces west, taking a sunrise flight will mean the front of the building is likely to be in shade, but if you do the flight during the day or at sunset you’ll likely have good light for the facade of the building.. make sense?
There are several types of images you can take from a helicopter and it’s helpful to keep those shots in mind before you go up, what kind of images you want to create? Some options include:
What camera or lenses should I bring?
As you decide, remember, you will not be allowed to change lenses during the flight, so you need to have a lens that will be able to get the types of images that you want. Some companies do offer camera rental for the flight as well, but unless it’s a camera you are already used to using, it might be more trouble than it’s worth as you will need to get to know the camera before going up to get the images you want. If you want to do more panoramic shots and for those shoe-selfies aka. shoe-fie, then go with a 12-24mm lens for example. More detail below depending on what is available to you.
For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to another helicopter photo tour around NYC. I had been on a few (3) helicopter tours before, and though it was an amazing experience, I was disappointed with my photos from prior experiences. However, the photos finally came out how I wanted this time! So I wanted to share what I’ve learned from my various shooting experiences from a helicopter so that you will be able to enjoy the tour and get the images you want! Most of the tips after deciding on tour, images, and camera section relate more to doors-off helicopter flights as there are more things to consider for those flights, so here goes!
Decide what kind of tour you want
There are basically two different kinds of tours, with minor variations in between. The first (and most common tour) is the doors on a helicopter tour. This is where you will go up in the helicopter in a closed-door helicopter and the pilot will talk you through what sights you are seeing. The tours take place throughout the day and in NYC and often depart from Manhattan. The second type of tour is a doors-off helicopter tour (I did my doors off tour with flynyon). This is exactly as it sounds, there are no doors on the helicopter and when the pilot says it’s ok too, you can put your feet out of the helicopter and shoot photos without reflections from glass or dirty helicopter windows.
There are tours of different durations, designed to fly by different buildings or locations of interest. If there is a specific shot or location you want; ensure you call the company to ask if they will cover that during the flight or make a recommendation of the specific tour you should book. The longer the flight, the higher the likelihood is that you’ll be able to hover over the point of interest for your shot for more than a second, and the more likely you are to get “the perfect shot” that you want. However, the longer the tour, the more expensive it is!
How do I decide what kind of tour or flight experience is right for me?
The key deciding factors are – how comfortable with heights are you and what kind of images do you want? If you’re serious about getting good photos, I believe that a doors off tour is the way to go, I say this because with a doors off flight, you reduce the amount of potential things that can mess up your image, namely the reflection from the glass and the glass being dirty, it is definitely my personal flight of choice. However, if you are visiting a city during a very cold time of year, or if you are scared of heights, you may want to choose the doors-on option, as there will be the added safety of the doors on and it’s warmer. With doors off, it is open to the elements, so if it is cold, you will need to wear appropriately warm clothing.
What images do you want?
Consider timing and weather conditions
Before you book your tour, consider what kind of images you want. While you cannot guarantee weather conditions will cooperate, you can at least consider whether you would like the tour to be during the day, so that you can see everything better and it’s more convenient for your schedule. Or if you want to take the tour during the sunrise/sunset hours, to get the beautiful changing colours. However, the colours are changing.. so you will be challenged with adjusting your shooting to the changing light. The sunrise/sunset tours are usually in high demand and are therefore a bit more expensive. Also, if you want to shoot a specific building/monument, you’ll need to consider, what lighting is best for that monument (This is not the case for NYC, where the main locations get great light during most of the day), For example, if you wanted to get the front of the building that faces west, taking a sunrise flight will mean the front of the building is likely to be in shade, but if you do the flight during the day or at sunset you’ll likely have good light for the facade of the building.. make sense?
There are several types of images you can take from a helicopter and it’s helpful to keep those shots in mind before you go up, what kind of images you want to create? Some options include:
What camera or lenses should I bring?
As you decide, remember, you will not be allowed to change lenses during the flight, so you need to have a lens that will be able to get the types of images that you want. Some companies do offer camera rental for the flight as well, but unless it’s a camera you are already used to using, it might be more trouble than it’s worth as you will need to get to know the camera before going up to get the images you want. If you want to do more panoramic shots and for those shoe-selfies aka. shoe-fie, then go with a 12-24mm lens for example. More detail below depending on what is available to you.
Phone only: if you have a phone only – consider investing in a quality lens attachment that will stay on securely during the flight, you will want to get a wide-angle lens attachment to ensure you are able to capture as much of the city as possible. I personally use the 18mm moment lens attachment and have found that it helps make the image crisper as well as expand the field of view for more dramatic photos and videos. Remember to fully charge your phone and clean your lens before the flight! I used my phone for video and used my DSLR for the photos, this worked well for me.
Point & Shoot: Remember to zoom in for your detailed shots during your flight. You can also consider using it to get video recordings as you fly around the city. Consider if you need a gimbal to stabilize if you like videos.
DSLR: I shoot on a Sony alpha A7III, and I took my 24-70mm lens with me on my first flight. I found this gave me enough to work with to get the landscape view and few more detailed shots. In my ideal world, I would bring two cameras with one ultra-wide lens (e.g. 12-24) to capture those epic sweeping city views and a telephoto lens (like a 70-200mm) to get more detailed shots of the Empire State and Chrysler building. My 24-70mm, couldn’t capture the super detailed, close-up shots I was hoping for, but did a good job at the cityscapes and is great for those shoe-fies, in fact, it’s almost impossible for a good selfie without the wide-angle lens, unless you are flying with a companion. If you want close-up of buildings, you will need a telephoto lens, at least 100mm to get the best-detailed shots, I personally want to bring a 200mm + lens next time. Make sure you load an empty SD card that can save images fast and set your camera on drive mode (capture lots of images fast) – as you will fly by some places very quickly and you don’t want to miss that shot. Though most pilots are good at hovering for a while at the “main attractions” like the World Trade Center and Statue of Liberty, why leave it to chance? For me, the one thing to ensure is actually the (empty) high-speed memory card, because you are moving so fast, you DO NOT want to wait those extra milliseconds for photos to store. Do not bring your lens caps, or lens hoods up (the staff should tell you to leave them behind), other than the risk of losing it, it gets in the way.
What happens before I get in the helicopter?
When you arrive, you will be asked your weight. Be honest! It’s important information as the helicopter needs to be balanced when it takes off. You are then allocated seats based on your weight, to ensure the helicopter is balanced weight-wise for taking off. Do not swap seats with your bestie or anyone, unless your pilot says it’s ok to do so, or it is unsafe. You can request to be on the outside seat for better pictures etc., but your request is fulfilled depends on the weight of everyone on the aircraft.
Next, your pilot or staff from the helicopter company will brief you on safety considerations, how to do up your seatbelt, how to release, etc., and tell you the dos and don’ts – don’t smoke, don’t do stupid stuff…. They will also ask you to put your phones in a holder that attaches to you so that you don’t accidentally lose your phone mid-flight and ensure you have a neck strap or other method of securing your DSLR to keep your camera with you during the flight.
What should I wear?
Ensure that you dress for the weather, even if it is hot on the ground, during a doors-off flight, it will be cool with the wind. It goes without saying, in winter, dress warmly! It will be cold up there and I suggest wearing fingerless gloves to operate your DSLR/Camera properly. I wear contact lenses and find that sunglasses help my eyes stay moist on the doors-off flight, and even if you don’t wear contacts, I strongly suggest sunglasses to prevent your eyes from watering due to wind. Ensure your sunglasses are well adjusted and won’t slide during the flight.
For guys – make sure your shoes are clean if you are going to do a shoe selfie. clean your shoes the night before! Otherwise, almost anything goes for guys. though I do think that white shoes show up better in photos.
For ladies – if you have long hair, tie it back, it will just whip in your face and be uncomfortable otherwise. Also, skirts will leave you prone to a Marilyn Monroe moment and will be annoying to arrange. Wear well-fitted pants, as I wore more drapey pants on my flight and was annoyed at having to arrange the trouser legs during the flight. I opted to wear grey Aquazurra booties on my flight, as they are pretty at ground level and it’s summer. I regret my choice. The grey easily blends into cityscapes and I felt the shoes distract from the cityscape. on my next flight, I wore a pair of white boots to ensure the color stands out (see below?). Whatever shoes you choose, ensure that they have straps or laces to keep them on your feet. If you will be doing an open-door flight with a shoe selfie, you do not want to worry about your loafer or whatever falling off your foot.
Disclaimer:
I was not paid for this post, all opinions are my own and I am not affiliated with, nor have I received sponsorships or any gifted products from any of the companies or products mentioned above.
