Thanks.
Northolt did seem to set the trend for nightshoots, and they work particularly well there due to the excellent lighting. The basic technique is surprisingly simple, so don't be put off attending a nightshoot when they resume. The most important thing is to use a tripod. Everything else is the same as shooting in daylight really, just with longer exposure times, hence the requirement for the tripod. A basic one costing £25 is fine, and you can progress to more expensive and stable options if you decide to attend more events. A remote release is very useful, so that you do not introduce vibrations by needing to press the shutter button on the camera itself. It's not essential though - you can use the countdown timer built in to the camera to add a delay between pressing the shutter button and the shutter opening to allow the vibrations to die down. The rest is the same as shooting during the day - compose and shoot. With digital you can of course see the results immediately and tweak and reshoot if required. Good starting settings would be ISO 200 and f/11 in aperture priority mode. ISO 200 means the exposures shouldn't be too long, and f/11 gives a good depth of field. Cameras are surprisingly good at getting a good exposure, so you often don't need any exposure compensation. Mirrorless/"live view" mode and touchscreens make things even easier in terms of focusing and checking exposure, if you have them.
Thanks.
I believe the chaps that organise the nightshoots essentially do the same! The Stn Cdr grants permission for the events to take place, and we are limited to photographing only the aircraft that have specifically been invited to the event. The organisers sometimes also ask the crews visiting on other business if they would allow their aircraft to be photographed, and sometimes they agree (I think the Fokker 70 above falls into that category).
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