How to get the perfect wing view photo

The essential Instagram post for any holidaymaker is the wing view photo! It lets all of your followers know you are on holiday, and that they should definitely be jealous! It's a guilty pleasure that no one should feel guilty about! Throughout the year, my Instagram news-feed has been packed with some good, and some not so good, wing view photos.

I'll openly admit that some of my photos are a bit iffy and a bit too generic. But I've done my research, had my practice, and now I'm ready to bring you my top 5 tips on how to get that perfect wing view photo.

1. Make it colourful

Colour attracts people to look at your photo (and inevitably like it). Any colourless, cloudy photo will suffer unless you spice it up with a sarcastic comment about the weather. My best advice into getting a colourful photo is to get it as you're taking off. This could mean focusing on the colour of the ground below plus the colour of the sky!

I've used an example of a wing view photo I took when flying over Istanbul, Turkey. The architecture and colours are very different to the UK, which is what I was focusing on, rather than the somewhat cloudy sky above, but still managing to get a decent amount of blue sky in the photo, even if the rest of the sky in the picture is a bit cloudy. The colour of the wing tip stands out too which is the highlight of the photo (thank you Turkish Airlines)!

It is important to avoid using flash at all costs! Trust me, using flash doesn't make your photos any better, in fact, it can make them worse due to the reflection created by the flash. It is also inconsiderate to others as a sudden flash from near the window can be a worrying sight, especially for new time flyers...

2. Too much wing can be too much

Unless you're flying on some sort of extravagant plane, chances are, the wings will be a boring, grey colour. Having too much of the wing makes the colour look dull, even if the rest of the scenery looks good! Sometimes it's even a good idea to cut the wing out altogether if the view is that good!

You can see from the photo on the left - a good example of a bad wing picture, the wing takes up nearly half of the photo! A slight turn of the camera would have given a much better result! Your view also depends on where you are sat on the plane, being in the middle, on top of the wing, will give you a similar view to the photo on the left. Even just a few rows back will minimize the amount of wing that your photo will be exposed to.

Also try not to get carried away by taking the same shot again and again, as it can be a bit boring (plus you'll want an interesting photo to spice up your Instagram feed right?) Look for interesting cloud formations or roads that will make your photo stand out against the thousands of 'typical wing photos'.

3. Captions are essential

When you upload a photo of a plane wing photo, it can only mean one thing, you're off on holiday! (Unless you're depressing enough to take a photo on the way home too, guilty...) Naturally, people will be curious to where you're going, so a simple caption stating where you're going, or even a flag emoji if you're that snazzy, can see you raking in the attention! On Instagram, there is also a feature to allow you to tag your photos in at a certain location, I would recommend this feature, even if you just tag the photo at your destination airport!

PS: I can't be the only one who is gutted that Instagram removed the photo maps feature right!?

4. It's all about perspective

It's one thing smushing your camera up against the grubby window, it's even worse when you discover that your photo didn't focus on the view properly. Leaving you stuck with a crappy blur ruining your photo. The solution is simple, take a step back and show the outline of the window frame too!

This may also be your only option if you're not sat on a window seat, but never be afraid to ask your neighbour if you can take a quick picture (or just scoot into their seat while they go to the toilet). I do admit that this can often look a bit arty farty, but you can always crop or zoom in to the photo later on.

If you are desperate for that typical wing photo without the artsy perspective then don't put your camera right up against the window as it can be difficult to focus (switching to manual focus can also help). However, particularly during an evening flight where the inside lights are on in the plane, it can be hard to get a good photo due to the reflections from the lights. Using your hand (or the useful in-flight magazine) can shield the reflections to a certain extent which can result in a better photo.

5. Get your timing right

Timing is essential for getting a photo of the best view, with planes travelling at an average 926km/h (thanks Google), it can often mean you only get a split second to get that perfect photo!

Depending on what type of photo you're looking to take (basically, whichever will best fit your Instagram theme), timing is essential!

How about a typical blue-sky picture? Easy! Assuming that you're on a daytime flight, wait until you are at cruising altitude until you get snapping to get the best results. At these immense heights, you are well above the clouds, with only the bright blue sky above you!

Perhaps you're looking for more of a city view, there are only two opportunities to get this, during take-off and landing! Most airports are located near major cities so it takes only a few minutes after taking off until it is no longer in sight. My advice is to take as many pictures as possible, chances are your flight will last a few hours, which gives you plenty of time to pick and edit your perfect Instagram post to make all of your friends jealous!

Taking photos early on is the best time as it is normal for the windows to ice up or get condensation on them during the flight, so make sure to get your photos early on to guarantee a clearer shot. The angle of the plane taking off is also another bonus of early on as these views tend to be more interesting and enable you to get a better view of the surroundings rather than of the wing alone.

BONUS TIP: Keep on the lookout for dramatic landscapes

Particularly on a long haul flight, you are likely to pass over plenty of interesting landscapes but you're probably too high up in the clouds, or to interested by the inflight entertainment to notice! However, if you do spot some unique landscapes then make sure to take a pic as it is more interesting than the usual wing view photo.

The photo on the right was taken over Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, now that's one for the photo album!

(Credit to Phil Asher)

Just remember, whenever you're taking photos on a plane, make sure you're on airplane mode if you are ascending or descending, if not then you risk a telling-off by the air hostesses, therefore missing your perfect photo opportunity. Happy flying!