Hans Strand II

In this second and final installment, nature and landscape photographer, Hans Strand gives FotoTV viewers abundant memorable tips and tricks for shooting aerial nature photography and talks about the technique behind his work.

Having graduated as an engineer, Strand pays attention to fine details and the high resolution of his images reflect that fact. It is the fine details of an impeccable technique that connects the viewer to his work. Strand rarely crops his images once the composition has been set and the picture taken. Light and shutter speed are two techniques that are equally important in order not to risk the loss technical quality, therefore Strand recommends shooting aerial photography at about 1000-sec and let the camera select the correct aperture. An ISO of 200 is also advised.

Strand chooses to shoot out of a Cessna airplane window because of the plane's high wings. It allows him to shoot under the wing as opposed to over the wing and capture clear and unobstructed images of the wild beauty below him. Strand explains that shooting out of a helicopter, ideally one with sliding doors and harnesses, is the ultimate way to photograph aerial nature and landscapes, he imaginatively compares it to having a flying tripod. Though the cost of using a helicopter is much too expensive for an average photographer's budget.

Strand's abstract and poetic images are perfect examples of aerial photography at its best and with his many interesting and informative tips, photographers will be able to go out and look at nature photography from a whole other perspective.