igure 4-27.—Air-to air photographs

camera angle looking down on the plane to be photographed. When shadows are not a problem and enough light is reflected on the fuselage of the aircraft being photographed, the plane with the photographer can fly under the other aircraft and take photographs while it is in straight and level flight. When shooting pictures of aircraft formations, you should be sure the spacing between them, as seen by the camera, is uniform. Navy pilots are among the best in the world. They can fly their aircraft in tight formations with near perfect spacing between them; however this may not be perfect as the camera "sees" it. Remember, what the camera "sees" is the way the picture will look (fig. 4-27). The pilots of the aircraft you are photographing will probably look at the camera while you are taking their picture. Go ahead and let them—for one shot. Then tell them, "I have your picture, and I’ll be sure you get a copy of it; but for the rest of the mission, please do not look at the camera." When the pilot is looking into the camera, it looks unnatural and distracts from the main subject—the aircraft. MARITIME SURVEILLANCE PHOTOGRAPHY Maritime surveillance data gathering for intelligence purposes is assisted by photographic methods; that is, high-quality pictures to provide permanent records so that detailed interpretation of the collected data can be made. A camera can record full details of the target instantly. Photographs should be made of all maritime targets worthy of observation including surface ships (war and cargo) and submarines. Air reconnaissance photographs of surface and subsurface targets made from fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters add greatly to the complete intelligence data on enemy or potential enemy shipping. It is often the duty of the Photographer's Mates to obtain this type of photography by using a hand-held camera. Figure 4-27.—Air-to air photographs. 4-33