Bus Photography

[CL]

I was hoping we could use this thread to exchange tips and tricks for capturing the "money shot"; discussion of places for photography are also very welcome.

Not too long ago, I picked up a book online; Mark Lyon's 'Bus Photography for the Digital Age'. I'll admit that it's quite dated now, so I got it at a pretty price (around 84% off its RRP!). A lot of its content still seems very relevant, and has helped me a fair bit in improving my own skills - if I do say so myself. The book itself delves into discussing the ins and outs of bus photography, and even digital editing, for that more 'professional' finish. Though, I'm hardly a professional, am I?  :P Bus photography, like for many among us I suppose, is just a past-time/hobby. Having said that, I'll still encourage the discussion of technical jargon. I'm not a "professional" by any means, but I'm not completely without any idea of photography terminology at all...  :)

I'll also be interested to know what kind of setup we use; i.e. our camera of choice. Feel free to share at your own discretion. My iPhone served me well for a long while. However, in between quickly running out of memory, battery issues, and (rarely) overheating, I've now resorted to switch to using (or borrowing, rather) my sister's camera; a Canon EOS 200D. I still use my phone on the rare occasion in which my sister wants to use her own camera; well, I guess it's only fair.  ;)

[DJ]

I use a Samsung NX1000 compact system camera, which is a nice little camera that I can just about fit in my pocket. However, it can use interchangable lenses like a DSLR and it also has the same size sensor as most DSLRs too. I do also use my iPhone 5C if needed, which I did at Showbus since all my batteries had died. I've just picked up a monopod to use for video recording and it does a decent job of keeping it stable, although my footage from Derby yesterday was still a little shaky but that was mainly from the strong winds we had.

When taking photos, I usually shoot at a pretty wide angle so that I can always crop in later if needed. I also try to use a fairly quick shutter speed so that there's no motion blur in the image, although nowhere near what I use when I'm taking photos of trains.

[CL]

When taking photos, I usually shoot at a pretty wide angle so that I can always crop in later if needed. I also try to use a fairly quick shutter speed so that there's no motion blur in the image, although nowhere near what I use when I'm taking photos of trains.

Very interesting. Compared to my previous photos, I've toned down the shutter speed quite a lot now. I usually keep it around 1/250 and 1/640 (1/800 at max) - as I've found it picks up the LED displays much better. If the bus is moving at a steady pace, then I find motion blur (for me) is not much of an issue.

The Canon automatically shoots in a 3:2 format; I've recently found myself cropping the photos to 16:9 for, ironically, a wider field of context. I do try to keep the bus as the main focus of the photograph. There'll be some cases when I'll want more of the background, however. Take this photo of 4690 from today: https://flic.kr/p/2bXG7Fy

'Scenic' photos aren't exactly my forté. :P

[DJ]

Very interesting. Compared to my previous photos, I've toned down the shutter speed quite a lot now. I usually keep it around 1/250 and 1/640 (1/800 at max) - as I've found it picks up the LED displays much better. If the bus is moving at a steady pace, then I find motion blur (for me) is not much of an issue.

The Canon automatically shoots in a 3:2 format; I've recently found myself cropping the photos to 16:9 for, ironically, a wider field of context. I do try to keep the bus as the main focus of the photograph. There'll be some cases when I'll want more of the background, however. Take this photo of 4690 from today: https://flic.kr/p/2bXG7Fy

'Scenic' photos aren't exactly my forté. :P

I'll sometimes go even wider than 16:9, it all depends on the photo itself and what looks good. For example, I cropped this photo of DLA 23 at Luton pretty wide. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stourvalley/44116087205/

[CL]

I'll sometimes go even wider than 16:9, it all depends on the photo itself and what looks good. For example, I cropped this photo of DLA 23 at Luton pretty wide. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stourvalley/44116087205/

Looks good! A few of my recent uploads have been in 3:2. That's only due to the framing of the bus, which won't allow me to crop it to a different aspect ratio without cutting off a part of the bus itself.

Haven't tried much night photography. I'd really love to, though.

[DJ]

Looks good! A few of my recent uploads have been in 3:2. That's only due to the framing of the bus, which won't allow me to crop it to a different aspect ratio without cutting off a part of the bus itself.

Haven't tried much night photography. I'd really love to, though.

If you can get a static bus to photograph then night photography is great, just use a tripod or a flat surface and set a long exposure. Although that said, long exposures of moving stuff can look great too, take this shot I did just outside of Victoria for example: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stourvalley/30091259767/in/dateposted-public/

[DJ]

I thought I might as well update this, my previous camera, a Samsung NX1000, decided it wouldn't read SD cards anymore so it was returned. I'm now using a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm kit lens, which works great. It also has a nice adjustable screen which makes getting low angle shots a lot easier. I've also upgraded my phone to a Nexus 6P which can take some lovely shots when the lighting is right, which I've used on occasion when I haven't had my camera with me.