Battle of Britain Air-to-Air Photo Shoot 2024
In October 2024, Lerro Photography sponsored two Battle of Britain-themed air-to-air photo shoots featuring the Supermarine Spitfire and a Messerschmitt Bf 109. The warbirds are part of the massive historic collection of aircraft at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, VA.
For our two sunrise photo shoots, we chartered a modern cargo/parachute aircraft called a Sharpa from ARNE Aviation to serve as our photo platform. Air-to-air photography requires a lot of planning and preparation. Safety is the highest priority when multiple aircraft are flying in formation. We needed to plan out all of the movements and shot angles to get all the photos we wanted. Detailed briefings with the pilots were held to ensure everyone understood the plan. With the extreme costs and the short time allotted, there is no time for do-overs.
Other preparations, such as the safety briefing and walkthrough with the photographers, had to happen with the Sherpa. Not only were we going to shoot out the back door, we were going to shoot out the side door. The safety lanyards had to be pre-set, and the movements with the photographers had to be practiced from one door to the other to maximize our time. Any delays in moving around in the plane result in a shooting time loss.
The weather is a significant factor not just in the air but also on the ground. The museum has a grass runway so that any recent rain can delay takeoff. Heavy winds from the north could also push the planes into trees south of the runway. Luckily, the weather forecast cooperated, and we were set for two fabulous photo shoots.
We all geared up at 5:30 am, and at 6:00 am, the pilots gave the final go-ahead. Since we had two sunrise flights scheduled, the group that was not flying was invited to photograph takeoff and landing at the museum. They even photographed us flying over the museum in formation.
At 6:35 am, the Sherpa took off and proceeded east to meet up with the warbirds at 7000ft at 6:50 am. Just as we met up, the sun rose above the horizon. To say we were lucky is an understatement. We had a perfect blend of low-lying clouds and clear skies to create absolute photography conditions. Our first shot was with one of the warbirds with the sun directly behind it. We then took a few shots with the 2nd warbird in the frame with the sun. Then came the dogfight sequences. We first had the spitfire in the foreground with the 109 chasing behind it. Both planes were positioned within a specific viewing space through the back door, and we had them tilt their wings back and forth opposite each other to replicate a dogfight. We also had them keep formation for several orbits. After we got those shots, we had the planes swap positions so the 109 would be chased by the spitfire in the dogfight.
Once we finished with the dogfight photos, we closed the back door of the Sherpa, changed lanyard positions, and then opened the side door to get ¾ angle shots of both planes. With all safety checks complete, we opened the side door and positioned the 109 into position. After a few ¾ angel shots, we had the 109 perform a “break away,” in which the plane banks 90 degrees and dramatically flies away. We then moved the spitfire into the same position to capture the same type of photos. With only 3 minutes to spare, we moved both planes into view of the side window to capture a formation photo.
After the side door was closed, there were only smiles and high-fives among the photographers, as we all knew we had captured some amazing photos.
To cap it all off, we scheduled these air-to-airs to coincide with the museum’s annual airshow, so all the photographers had two more days of aviation photography fun. Several WWII-era planes performed demonstration flybys and formations for the crowd during the airshow. Reenactors also set up tents and displays for the public to enjoy.
We thank the Military Aviation Museum and ARNE Aviation for their hospitality and allowing us to conduct these air-to-air photo shoots.
Keep an eye out for 2025 air-to-air photo opportunities.
