Hi Doug,
Looks like a nice flight. If you like this kind of small VFR plane, I'd recommend you to give a try to Tim Conrad's Grumann AA-5B and Meyers 200D. They are both freeware, native FSX models, with very nice virtual cockpits. The Meyers is a bit faster so its flight model is more challenging (easy to stall if you don't maintain a certain speed), but the AA-5B is easy and pleasant.
Concerning your comments and your shots:
- Shot 1:I don't think you were too far away. The only thing that would have made the shot better would have been to modify the camera angle to make it look more up, setting the plane in the bottom half of the picture, using the special camera "Tail". This would have removed the empty/useless ground that is currently shown in the lower part of your screenshot. The rest of the shot was good. You don't even need to set the plane aside or anything. Actually, a simple "crop" (cutting the picture, to remove the part which is below the plane) would be enough
- Shot 2:These takeoff shots are a nightmare. Personnally, I always fail to find an interesting angle of view, one that gives a nice impression. Perhaps it might have been easier at lower altitude, but honnestly I don't know :/
- Shot 3:"Boring" is vastly exagerated. Actually, the ground looks quite good, because it's not "empty" or blurry. The angle of view isn't bad either. You might get a better result by trying to shoot the plane from a closer position, to focus on it. This might reduce the "cluttered" impression that you got.
- Shot 4 and 5:"Very standard"... Well, yes, they are, but that doesn't mean they are bad. Same remark as before: the background of your shot look good (very good, actually), and the colors are spectacular. Try to find a more impressive angle of view for your plane. Don't be afraid to show only a part of it, but show it nicely
- Shot 6:Very nice shot indeed. Colors are good, plane looks good, background is poetic. Nothing else to do there
