how to shoot photos from a helicopter
introduction
the pilot will go through the safety procedures so I will not discuss those here
most tourist operations require 3 paying passengers
make sure you get a window seat, preferably the front seat but not a front centre seat
consider ability to re-schedule the flight if weather conditions are not conducive to your photography needs (eg. full overcast sky)
standard tour flights generally fly to a script flight which usually only gives you one fly by of each subject
if you are chartering the flight without having to manage with other tourists there may be opportunity to discuss what you would like to achieve with the pilot before take off - and communicate with the head sets during the flight
it generally gets warm with doors on despite the air conditioning and direct sunlight so wear clothes to suit
remember you can't use tripods or monopods and stabilising against the helicopter is useless as it vibrates - you WILL have camera shake - make sure you use a fast shutter speed and if possible
image stabiliser!
take 2 cameras each with wide aperture lenses if you can to avoid changing lenses during flight
ensure batteries are charged and you have plenty of space on your memory cards
avoid taking crappy f/3.5-5.6 kit lenses if you can
consider short flights in calm weather if motion sickness is likely to be an issue
choose the best time of day for good lighting on your subject
Uluru, Kata Tjuta and a setting full moon at sunrise from a helicopter
In the foreground is the aboriginal village which is off limits to whites without invitation
Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens at 40mm (80mm in full frame terms) f/2.8 ISO 800 1/1600th sec with IS on.
general tips
Kata Tjuta and a setting full moon at sunrise from a helicopter
Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Olympus mZD 40-150mm f/2.8 pro lens at 110mm (220mm in full frame terms) f/2.8 1/2500th sec ISO 400 IS on, vignetting bottom right is from the front passenger's head gave more mood to the scene
Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Olympus mZD 40-150mm f/2.8 pro lens at 120mm (240mm in full frame terms) f/3.5 (for a touch more DOF), focused on the distant mountains, 1/1600th sec ISO 400, IS on - gives just enough DOF to make the foreground Kata Tjuta subject reasonably sharp although perhaps in this situation more DOF and higher ISO may have been better, although I like the 3D depth feel that this is giving.