When it comes to capturing images of rarely seen vehicles, it can take a little bit of planning

When it comes to capturing images of rarely seen vehicles, it can take a little bit of planning. In this case it was research into the typical flight schedules for this aircraft, being a private airline the flight schedule is not published so it took some guestimating and a lot of patience to make sure I was there at just the right time.

No visit to an airfield would be complete without first drooling over an executive jet.

No visit to an airfield would be complete without first drooling over an executive jet.

This shot was taken from the plane spotters cafe on the edge of the airfield through a wire mesh security fence, just enough angle to be able to fit the whole wingspan into the frame. The blue sky and airfield buildings in the background add context to this shot for me.

The tricky thing about this one is that it's not a flight plan you can see days or even hours in advance

Getting the timing right can be more of a waiting game when it comes to capturing that particular image that you are hoping for. In this case I was looking to capture a picture of the Airbus Beluga aircraft. The tricky thing about this one is that it's not a flight plan you can see days or even hours in advance as the flight plans are only published as the aircraft is about to taxi to the runway.

So, based on local knowledge of how often this aircraft shows at one of the local airfields, I packed up my camera, booked a local camp site and bedded in for a day of waiting.

Seeing the flight appear on my 'FlightRadar' app on my phone

Seeing the flight appear on my 'FlightRadar' app on my phone heading towards the airfield from France meant that I now had a chance of seeing the aircraft come in to land, though not having seen it come in to land here I had no idea where it would come in from or how far along the runway it would touch down.

Working out which end of the runway would give the best view in advance would have been a good idea and had there been another flight, I would have positioned myself at the end of the runway to see it touch down. As it was, this was a reasonable angle to capture the aircraft with its gear down.

Back to my challenge of not knowing when the aircraft would take off..

Back to my challenge of not knowing when the aircraft would take off.. I had found a nice new spot at the end of the runway (After talking to a lovely lady in the planes potters cafe) and was happily standing watching when I felt the need to get some refreshments. Surely the aircraft would not be taking off too soon after landing. So I set off to the shop. Needless to say all of a sudden the flight was on my app and I had to hot tail it back to my new viewing spot.

I had cut this so fine, I made it to the top of the mound that I was viewing from just as the aircraft was turning onto the runway.

When it comes to capturing images of rarely seen vehicles, it can take a little bit of planning

But perseverance and a little bit of luck meant that I was able to capture some great shots of this unusual aircraft.

This shot was taken with my 70-200 mm lens with a 2x telephoto extension tube making it effectively 400mm, the shot was taken at 1/800 second at F5.6 and an ISO of 110 and meant that I was able to capture the full wingspan of the aircraft while also capturing the heat waves from the jets behind the aircraft.

And so I said goodbye to this incredible aircraft.

And so I said goodbye to this incredible aircraft. Alas no more signs of the aircraft for the rest of the day and being a small airfield there were very few other interesting planes to spot, so I was very lucky indeed.

My friend who had accompanied me had a Canon DSLR with a kit lens, and while her results were clearly less zoomed in, they were still great images and really captured the enormity of the aircraft. I'm sure you will agree, she managed to capture a great image of the Beluga and this just goes to show that you don't need expensive equipment to capture some really great images.

A good value DSLR with a standard kit lens and a bit of patience and practice is all it takes to capture some great results.

A few more shots from the shoot

A perfect blend of still and motion

For many years, ever since watching Back to the Future and seeing Michael J Fox with his black Toyota Hilux truck, I have wanted my own truck, but it had to be the right truck, so when I was introduced to the Dreanged conversion of the Ford Ranger, I was in love!

After getting my truck, I was desperate to find a setting that would show off the truck in an environment that was sympathetic to its rugged yet refined look, to show it off in a setting that wasn't just the usual tarmac or concrete that most vehicles spend most of their time sitting on.

Nature and machinery in perfect harmony

This shot was taken at a local country park. The entrance fee for the park is usually around £10 but once I explained that i only wanted to take a photo of my truck in its natural habitat, the kind gate person, after drooling a little, kindly waved me through without having to pay.

Taking a slightly longer exposure from a tripod created the turbulent sky which adds mood to what is otherwise a bright blue sky day.

The setting can make a huge difference to the image

This shot, taken from the rear of the truck and capturing the reflections in the bodywork, while sat in rough grass and with the tree filling the left corner of the frame, for me, really balances the image and draws out the elegance of the truck.

From here I decided to go to another country park setting to see if I can create an image that gives a feel of exploration..

Emerging from within the woodland

Lights on and a slightly darker scene, this shot gives a feel of emerging from a secluded woodland track, not sure the gravel path gives quite the rugged feel but I do like the overall feel of the image.

Finally, I wanted to capture the truck in a more typical setting and as it was starting to get dark, I decided to see if I could get a shot with the truck surrounded by light trails.

Capturing the truck with light trails

The final shot was taken on a motorway bridge, with light trails in front and behind the truck, though the front trails are less obvious. A learning point for next time.

A perfect blend of still and motion

All in all it was a good photo session, here are a few more images to peruse.

A few more shots from the shoot