Flying and taking photographs (though not at the same time) has always appealed to me.
I had flown once before in a light aircraft (what a strange name to describe a plane, I wonder if they actually have heavy aircraft?) but it was many, many years ago. So, I was particularly pleased when Sue contacted me to see if I could write an article for Francoflyers about my perspective on taking photographs from the air. Not only did I get to go up in a light aircraft again but this would be my first chance to try some aerial photography.
As the plane was a four-seater, Sue kindly said that there was room for my 9 year old son Daniel. My wife Sarah was quite disappointed at not getting the chance to go up in the plane. I tried to explain the fun she would be having running up and down the garden with Ellie, our 3 year old daughter, waving up at us as we flew overhead. That didn’t go down too well but at least I tried. This was to be Dan’s first time in a light aircraft and he went to bed the night before the flight in a very excited state.
Whilst Dan was tucked up in bed dreaming of looping the loop and defying the ground, I surfed the Internet to learn the technical secrets of aerial photography. From what I could glean in the short time available to me, it basically consisted of a fast shutter speed and to make sure that my lens had image stabilisation to combat any vibration going on up there.
We arrived at Bellegarde in good time before Sue had arrived. A very kind gentleman from the flying club let us in and said it was OK to have a look around and take some photos of the many aircraft in the hangar. On Sue’s arrival we were introduced to Esteban, our pilot for the day. Esteban had just purchased a piece of land to build a house on near the new airstrip in Gajoubert. In the future he would be able to fly his plane around the beautiful Limousin countryside, land and park the plane at Gajoubert and then stroll across to his house to spend a relaxed evening before the next days flying.
Whilst Esteban performed all of the pre-flight checks on the club's blue Robin Dauphin 4, myself and Dan were each handed a small black bag. I explained to Dan that these were parachutes for us “just in case” we needed them. As Dan was just going off the idea of flying, I let him in on the secret that the bags only contained our radio headsets for the flight. We climbed aboard into the rear of the plane and fixed ourselves up with radio headsets and for me, the camera.
After the obligatory chat with Bellegarde airport concerning things I really didn’t understand, we were at the end of the runway waiting under a very blue, very clear Limousin sky for clearance to take off. Esteban had obviously done this before, much to my relief, as we left the ground and headed off towards Gajoubert. Dan showed no signs of nerves and was just enjoying himself looking around at the most magnificent views of rural France down below.
Not wanting to miss any potential photo opportunities, I was busy in the back taking photos of the inside of the plane, the wings, the ground, the wings, Sue and Esteban, the wings, Dan, the wings, the planes controls…… I only had a relatively small view from the rear of the plane where there were no obstructions (wings, window frames, wings etc) to frame the shots. The other factor to be taken into consideration was the midday sun. It produced some dramatic high contrast shots of the inside of the plane but I had to be careful for the aerial shots as the light would produce quite hazy looking photographs.
We flew over Oradour sur Glane, the burnt out village from the second world war, and click went the camera again as Esteban lowered the wing and suddenly provided me with a large obstruction free area to compose my photos in. The views were fantastic although I did find it difficult to get a bearing from landmarks I knew and then relate them to where we were heading. I suppose that is something one would get more accustomed to the more time spent suspended in the air.
We flew to the Gajoubert airstrip and click went the camera again. Sue and Esteban were explaining where Esteban’s newly acquired plot of land was… the field “down there” surrounded by trees they said (that narrowed it down to only about 30 that I could see), just on the tip of wing “there”, just next to the “green” field, “there” on the left…. I had no idea where it was so I went with the instruction of “on the left” and clicked away hoping that I would at least get one decent snap of at least a bit of Esteban’s newly acquired plot of land.
Next on the agenda was flying over our own home. This was embarrassingly even harder for me to find. Sue asked me where my house was. I wanted to reply that I had absolutely no idea but was saved when I noticed the large Barn on our neighbour’s farm. So, I retaliated with my instructions of where it was located to Sue and Esteban. It’s down there I said “next to the barn”…… “on the tip of the wing”, “near the green field”, “by the sheep”….. Joking aside, we did locate it and flew around the property a few times whilst I snapped away and tried to find Sarah and Ellie who promised they would be in the garden waving.
It was quite strange photographing our home from this different perspective. We obviously knew that we were surrounded by fields and farmland but, when viewed from up above you can really appreciate how unspoilt and uncluttered the Limousin area is.
We headed back to Bellegarde via St Junien and the River Vienne. For some reason it was a bit easier to get my bearings around the larger town of St Junien and pick out the restaurants we have eaten at, the swimming pool we go to and of course the golf club. Bellegarde runway brought an end to our little trip and I imagine it won’t be long before the small airstrip at Gajoubert is a regular stop off for many pilots of the aero-club Limousin. We said goodbye and thank you to our hosts Sue and Esteban as they were spending more time later in the afternoon up in the blue once again.
With regards the photography, it was a fantastic opportunity and I was quite pleased with the photographs for a first time attempt at aerial photos. From a personal perspective it was nice to have photos of our own home complete with my waving Sarah and Ellie. The midday sun did indeed produce some quite hazy photographs but at least I now know more about what I should be doing when taking aerial photographs. It was great fun for me and Dan up there in the seat with a view and maybe, just maybe I might one day get another invite in the not too distant future. I hope.
Footnote: David Page is a professional photographer working and living in the Limousin region and is available for weddings, portraits and commercial work. For further information please visit www.davidpagephotography.com
NB Click on pictures for larger image
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