Comments on: Go Take A Photo Of An Airliner Landing

By: mehul

mehul — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:27:37 +0000

today at heathrow ariport terminal 1 , i found a place from where i can take a side shot of landing aircraft ,

Just when i was setting up my tripod and camera , 2 police van came in asked for my intention .

the point to be noted is that i am in a village, almost 2 mile away of the main terminal building and almost 200 meters away from the runway fence.

These 2 vans were full of police and they one by one got off and cordoned me just because i am taking a picture , it took me half an hour to make them understand that i am a photographer and not a terrorist.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:02:33 +0000

It’s all fun and games till one of us gets busted and then you will wish you brought extra cigs and soap on a rope. It will happen sooner than you think!

By: Rachelle

Rachelle — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:42:19 +0000

I have great photographs of jets in flight and some take offs but none of landings:( Ill work on that hopefully this weekend.
Phoenix airport has great places to get some photo ops in but im hoping a lil more adventure on this one.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:30:02 +0000

Brent Says:
July 31st, 2009 at 8:43 am
Take all the pictures of airplanes at the airports that you like. There is not law against it. Don’t give into Bush’s fearmongering about terrorists lurking around every corner.

You were making a great point, right up until you had to throw in the Bush-bash. That ship has sailed. It’s time to move on…

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:24:33 +0000

Interestingly John, I shot the DC Metro at multiple stations, both in the train and waiting for the train to approach. As I stated in an earlier post, I shoot with a 5DMkII so it’s not like I’m being inconspicuous. Either you simply got a guy having a bad day or there was something else that triggered them to react like that.

I’ve pretty much shot what I’ve wanted, where I’ve wanted, whenever I’ve wanted. I’ve always obeyed posted signs regarding photography and by doing so (and applying loads of common sense), I’ve never once been approached or asked to stop. I’ve shot in London, Paris, Hong Kong as well as Chicago, NYC, Washington DC among other places. This is all post-911 as well.

Just my .02 worth.

By: Suresh

Suresh — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:42:03 +0000

You can get fairly good shots of planes approaching for landing at San Fransisco airport from Coyote Point, which is a public recreation area across the narrow bay. Entry is from 101N, first or second exit from San Mateo Bridge. There is a $5 entry fee to the park. As a bonus, you can get some nice shots of the yachts at the Marina and if lucky, some good wind surfing action too. Please feel free to check out few shots from this place using the link below, taken with a 70-300 Zoom lens on my Canon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sknair.213/AirplanesLandingSFO?authkey=Gv1sRgCJLMqMi_97T8pwE#

By: Bekki

Bekki — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:28:41 +0000

First of all these photos are great and I will defiantly be trying this.

Secondly, How daft!! I think it’s mad that people are so scared to do something that is completely legal and not at all threatening. If you are approached be polite and if they insist on moving you on…. go. Alternatively if you really don’t want to have to explain your innocent actions then don’t do it, it will be your loss. Common sense guys!

Thanks DPS for another unusual idea to widen our portfolios

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:09:52 +0000

You forgot one thing – bail money! Maybe where you are it’s o.k. to shoot planes taking off/landing, but some places get real tense when you do that! Be careful and bring extra cigs and candy and DON’T drop your soap! Patrick

By: JHB

JHB — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:53:46 +0000

There are more concerns than just terrorism here folks. As an example, one thing that has become “popular” in the U.S. is to sit at the approach or departure end of a runway and point a laser pointer into the cockpit of an airliner at these critical phases of flight. As a joke, it’s meant to scare the crew into thinking they have a weapon pointed at them. On the serious end, it can cause serious distraction to the crew (at the very least) or even injury.

As a pilot, I can assure you this is no joke. That being said, taking pictures of airliners on approach is something I’ve enjoyed doing for years for obvious reasons. There needs to be common sense on both sides. Yes, it’s true that terrorists exist and have a history of targeting airliners in many fashions. To dismiss this is silly. But a photographer is no threat to an airliner and as long as no trespassing laws are being violated, a simple approach by security (who is in charge of making sure there isn’t an incident) and verifying there isn’t a threat is all that’s needed in most incidents.

I’ve been approached many times. All that is needed is a friendly “how’s it going officer” and a quick discussion of what you are doing and they continue on with their job.

By: Mandi

Mandi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:33:43 +0000

Some really great images you have there.