Pixiq

I read the news today, oh boy.

"The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race," Phil Larson from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy reported on the WhiteHouse.gov website. “ In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye."

Oh, boy.

No credible information? What about the hundreds of photos of UFOs and those corpses at Roswell, New Mexico? Okay, apparently, none of these passed muster. This got me thinking about how would I photograph a UFO or an alien? A quick search of PIXIQ turned up nothing. So to correct this oversight, I offer the following 10 tips for alien and UFO photography.

1. Safety: As we know from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” UFOs are surrounded by intense electromagnetic fields, the kind of energy that stalls car engines and makes compasses spin wildly. These electric fields could be bad for a digital camera, burning out the camera’s CPU or worse, turning it into an alien controlled robot slave. From what’s on the web, the best solution for this problem appears to be at least two layers of quilted, heavy duty, aluminum foil wrapped around the camera body. Also see Tip #6.
2. ISO Setting: From “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” we know that spaceships go real fast. That means I'd need to shoot at very high ISO speeds to avoid getting just blurred images (see below). That calls for at least 1600 or 3200, see next tip.
3. Exposure Mode: Shaky and blurred photos are the bane of alien photography. When the UFO’s ID letters are illegible or an alien’s eyes aren’t sharp, the skeptics turn on you like yentas from space. I’d shoot in the S (shutter preferred) mode and set the speed to at least 1/250^th second or faster.
4. White Balance: Let’s be honest getting green skin color right is always stressful. The magenta/green color axis is very hard to work with and you can go blind trying to get a color like “hunter green” right. But I guess that I'd use Auto White Balance and hope for the best. Note: If the aliens you encounter are tall, thin, grey ones, it is a lot easier because you can use the “Remove Color Cast” tool in post processing to clean up the color problems.  
5. Wait for the Peak of Action: UFOs are said to go extremely fast and are known for making impossible changes in direction, sometimes even stopping in midair. That opens up the possibility for some great peak-of-action shots. To do this, I'd zoom out so that the UFO fills only a fraction of the frame and keeping my finger on the shutter release, watch carefully and the instant the UFO’s motion slows up, I'd fire away. 
6. Use a Tripod: Because blurry images are the deal breaker in UFO and alien photography I'd work with a good tripod. A sturdy metal one with ‘spiked’ feet and then, when setting up the tripod, I'd push the spikes firmly into the earth to provide a good “ground” contact--it will act as extra protection against any large electric power surges.
7. When to shoot: The best time of day to photograph UFOs and aliens would be in the “golden light” of early morning and dusk. This light has a lovely warm quality. It would enhance any photo of an alien, especially a shot of one gathering flowers in a field. The image would just scream, “We come in peace.” 
8. Where to find aliens: Aliens appear to like to make surprise visits, preferring landing in forest at times or buzzing big cities at others. Since there’s no way to know in advance, I'd always carry a camera and keep my tripod in my car trunk.
9. Model Releases & Privacy Issues: The White House denies any contact with aliens, so it goes without them saying that there are no treaties or legal conventions with them. Therefore, not would probably not be protected by Earth’s laws. They wouldn't have the right to sue for invasion of privacy and you won’t need to get signed model releases.
10. Do Not Use Flash: Dr. Stephen Hawking has warned that we should be wary of meeting aliens. In films like “War of the Worlds,” we learn that aliens have weak eyes and poor eyesight. I think what Dr. H. is pointing out is that many aliens would not react well to a bright flash. It would make them upset, very upset and cause them to act out in very, very negative ways. So, turn off the camera's Auto flash, please.

With these 10 tips, I hope that one of our PIXIQ readers--before they are abducted or eaten--will be the one to get that first, truly historic photo of a UFO and its alien passengers.