Taking perfect photos on an airplane is not easy, you need to shoot at the right time and use the right tools for the situation
Everybody will have happened at least once to see a breathtaking landscape or a sunset from an airplane window. Many try to immortalize that moment with a photo, but taking good pictures from inside an aircraft is not as easy as it seems.
The first step is also the most obvious one, but also fundamental: choosing the right place on the plane. If we are photography lovers and we know we are going to take a flight to enchanted areas or wonderful cities, then the first goal is to buy a ticket on the window side. Being in front of the glass isn't everything though. If we take a seat above the wing our view will be limited, while a seat in the back will result in glare photos because of the vehicle's engine. Then the perfect place is on the side of the window, but in the first rows. Finding a seat in this area is not always easy, some airlines reserve them for first class or business flights.
Keep everything under control
With the high speeds at which an airplane travels, every moment is crucial. The beauty of the photo will depend on the readiness. Therefore, the advice is to always keep your camera or smartphone handy. Often without thinking too much about it we leave the devices on the hat rack and in the time it takes to retrieve them the plane has changed angle and we have missed the perfect shot. Not to mention the unnecessary disturbance caused to the passengers sitting next to us. It is also advisable to warn the passengers next to us that we are going to take photos so that their sudden movements do not spoil the shot.
Center the view
The advice is not to take photos from a high angle of the window. Avoid taking the photo from a distance, if you can see a part of the inside of the plane the photo will be bad and the play of light will make the landscape outside dark. Same thing if we take the photo from the bottom or the top of the window. So let's center the camera or the phone on the window and try to frame exactly the scene we see outside the plane. Avoid touching the window and shoot only when there is no turbulence, as vibrations will ruin your shots.
No flash
As mentioned, alertness is everything, so to take a good picture from the plane we only have a few seconds because then everything can change. In order to avoid wasting time we take off the flash from the very beginning, as it can disturb those who are resting beside or in front of you.
Use of filters and lenses
If we use a camera, the advice is to use a standard lens, or a zoom lens (35mm or 105mm). Finally, we avoid using polarization filters that would create strange effects with the plastic coating of the window. If we want to reduce the light just use a dark coat and turn off the courtesy lights close to us. Also here, in order not to create embarrassment and fear, it is always better to warn other passengers that you are covering your head and car with a coat just to take a picture.