Sean Tucker in the Oracle Challenger Bi-plane

Sean Tucker rolls the one-of-a-kind Oracle Challenger Bi-plane high up into the sky.
 
Air show photography tip: Getting the right exposure for air show pictures is tough.
 
The primary subject can be black, white or any other color. And show aircraft are typically shiny. The sky can be deep blue, dark gray or bright white - and can be several of these or anything in between at the same time. And the aircraft can fly from sun to shade in a fraction of a second. The size of your subject in the frame can also change rapidly. These brightness variations can send auto exposures all over the place.
 
If the lighting conditions are constant, determine the correct exposure variables and lock these into a manual exposure setting. Then monitor the histogram to insure your setting holds throughout the event.
 
If lighting conditions are varying, you are going to want Av or Tv modes. Since the sky is likely a big influence on your exposure, some +EV correction will likely need to be dialed in. Again, monitor your results in the histogram and adjust your parameters for the next flight pass.