UKH

How could I improve on images of Air Shows?

What should I try to capture or look out for to get good compositions.

I went to the Blackpool Show last weekend and took 5k images and so far have whittled it down to 56.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/53119515657/in/dateposted/

That's a pretty good shot TBF, i would be chuffed with that, i went to RAF Cosford airshow a while back, took around 500 shots, about 10 keepers, but the light was right behind the display area all day so it was never going to be great

My conclusion was FF and a £4k piece of glass is what was required, not a M4/3 setup...

I'm guessing that you are pleasantly surprised with my Micro Four Thirds setup, and how it can compete with a FF camera?

You will have to forgive me with one of the Red Arrows being blurry. I can only pan in one direction.😁

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/53120877370/in/dateposted/

I'm quite pleased with these two as well

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/53120958358/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/53120672679/in/photostream/

Some good pics in your feed there, sir.

I think the aircraft one, is spot on. Sharp, well lit, all there. You have the jaunty angle, going diagonally across the frame. It kinds highlights that this aircraft is doing something special, rather than just jogging by. Wisps of cloud(?) coming off the canopy and wings, showing speed. I really like the heat haze from the engines. That's not something you usually see, as people may crop and / or straighten the image. It adds to the effect that this is really going all out, 'kin fast. (To use the correct technical term.)

'kin fast was correct as it was the final maneuver when it pointed its nose straight up and got the flock out of there like a rocket.

BTW

All the images were hand-held. No tripods or gimbals. There was a bloke next to me with a gimbal, Canon and a 300mm lens plus 2x converter.

I doubt he could keep up with its speed at the end.

I was shooting M4/3 too, what I meant was 99% of the guys were FF and huge lenses so you would think that would be better, I was there with a friend he had FF setup and had minimal keepers too, I’m more than happy with what a G9 and PL 100-400 can get in good light, crap light is crap light whether on FF or M4/3

I also have the 100-400mm lens which I use with my G9 and GH6. The G9 takes far better images than my GH6, especially in low or poor lighting. And I can't wait for more rumors of an updated G9 to pop up.

However I have a new love, and its a "second hand" Prime 200mm. I thought my 100-400mm was pin-sharp until I bought the Prime lens. Its like Night and Day between the two lenses and the difference is staggering.

This was taken last year at Southport with my 100-400mm lens. I'm very happy with it, and the extra reach is very useful. But its just not as sharp. Maybe I'm asking too much from the lens?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/52209248740/in/dateposted/

Great plane photos, well done! The other 3 in your 1st post - at first I thought: wow, he´s gone too far with the colour saturation (tip of the hat to Martin Parr? ). But after several viewings I´ve come to like it; it would be horrible with a mountain landscape, but here it seems fitting for its very garish subject. And I really love the shot of the Country + Western guys. Keep at it!

Those Country and Western boys have a YouTube channel of 600k. Not my cup of tea. I was drooling over the camera used to film them.

As for saturation. I did not push the sliders too much however I did tinker with the dehaze feature that made a punch to the images

Very good. I went to one in 2018 with no idea what I was doing and armed with a franky grotty Sigma 55-200mm lens I'd bought in a charity shop for £20, mounted onto an APS-C dSLR (Canon)

My favourite in-flight ones were

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/41613875890/in/album-721576691...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/42705324194/in/album-721576691...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/29551313968/in/album-721576691...

Flat colours even after trying to boost a little in post, and all a bit soft, but to be expected. I was happy enough as a humble snapshotter on a day out to enjoy the show and just here and there try to get a few nice shots (my ground shots were more pleasing for me). Good work on yours.

Take it from me as someone who worked with photographers at RAE Farnborough, I don't think you need to improve. Your shots are already great.

That is very decent of you to say. 
The only thing I can think of to improve my images would be to include buildings or landscapes to give a location or sense of scale. It’s a bit of a problem when I’m at sea level. But I’m guessing, unless I’m at eye level with the jets will be problematic at best.

I think you should try and photo that jet passing in front of a super blue harvest moon. There’s a challenge !  

Have you considered a drone?  Hmmm, maybe not ….,,,,,