Instruction manual

38
3.1 Isolate the Focal Point
The focal point is the main subject of a photo, such as a downed aircraft
in a field or a breach in a levy. It is the main point that the viewer’s eye will be
drawn to when looking at the picture.
This is why it is so important to know exactly what the customer wants to
see in the photos you will be taking on a particular sortie. If you don’t know what
you are supposed to be taking a picture of, it will be difficult or impossible to
emphasize the right element in your photos. This can lead to a disappointed
customer, and that customer may decide CAP doesn’t know what they’re doing.
As a general rule you only want a single focal point in an image. But
sometimes the image will be required to show multiple focus points. For example,
the customer may want to know the condition of two roads leading into a
damaged power plant. In this case, you must compose the picture so that each
road can be clearly seen.
A useful rule to use in this case is the “Rule of Thirds,” where you
mentally draw two horizontal and two vertical lines through your viewfinder so that
you have divided the scene into thirds. This breaks up your image into nine
zones, with four interior corners where the lines intersect:
These four corners constitute the “sweet spots” in your picture. If you
place a subject in any of these intersections, you’ll usually end up with a
satisfactory photo. This holds true for a single focal point or with multiple focal
points, as in our example above.
In the case of a single focal point, such as the downed aircraft, placing the
aircraft at any of these spots (or dead center) will result in a satisfactorily
composed image.
3.2 Framing
You should always minimize the amount of dead (non-mission related)
space in an image. Once you have decided on the focal point, don’t relegate it to
a small portion of the picture. In aerial photography, this is most easily
accomplished with a combination of proper aircraft positioning, framing and use of
the zoom lens.