Early Christmas Present

My wife bought me an early christmas present, a remote control system, found it on ebay and i'm very excited about it. I'm hoping it will arrive in the next few days or so. I don't know the first thing about remote control so it will be interesting to have a play with it when it arrives. I will be using it to make a rig to hold a larger camera, possibly a SLR, I will have it being able to move in three axis and also make an exposure when I want it too.

This rig will weigh considerably more than the first little rig so I will have to either get a much larger balloon or a big kite, preferably both, so i'll need to start saving my pennies. I will be including plans for both my first rig and also the remote control rig as special reports alongside the ebook I will be producing, so if your interested click on the link to find out more about it, or if you're lucky enough to read this before I have had it written click on the link to take the survey and get a free copy reserved for you as a thank you.

First Aerial Photography Rig

I've been working on my first Aerial Photography rig for the last week or so, I've finally managed to get it finished, but it took quite a bit of work. I must admit it is a bit on the rough and ready side, it should work but it certainly wont win any prizes in a beauty contest. It is a fairly basic design, a single shot type that needs to be brought back to earth between shots.

I haven't been able to fly it yet as we have been having gales and high winds here for the last week or so, but as soon as the winds die down i'll be out taking some shots. The kit I made is very light so I will be trying to fly it with a helium balloon and also with a small kite that I have. If the winds are low enough the helium balloon should lift it OK, it is a 3 foot diameter latex balloon, it's not a perfect choice but I have it and it should work as long as I don't pop it. The kite I have is pretty small and may not lift the rig but I'll give it a try. I went out at the weekend to find a shop that sells kites and I couldn't find any at all, they have either gone bust or the owners have retired, so I am going to have to keep an eye on ebay.

Description of Aerial Photography Platforms

I found a site that has a great description of the available aerial photography platforms, you can check it out here http://rcap.info/2006/10/overview-of-aerial-photography.htm

Basic options for the land based Aerial Photographer

I'm going to assume that most people starting out in Aerial Photography will not have or have access to a flying machine capable of lifting them off the ground, this would be an Airplane, Helicopter, Microlight, etc. If you do have access to this type of thing then I am pretty jealous but you're welcome to stay and read the rest of the blog, but the most of it won't be very applicable to you.

The majority of people will have to keep their feet firmly on the ground and sent their camera up into the heavens, here I will give a very basic discussion on the various ways of doing this.

First option is using Remote control vehicles such as Airplanes and Helicopters,

Pros -

• Very controlable
• Can be used in difficult to access areas

Cons -

• Can be expensive to buy the kit
• You would need a fairly large piece of kit to be able to lift your camera
• You would need a lot of experience to be able to control the craft and also the camera at the same time
• If using an Airplane you will be shooting photos from a moving base

Second option is to use a kite to lift your camera

Pros -

• Can lift a good amount of weight
• Can use a fairly basic setup if you wish
• Can use a fairly cheap setup if you wish
• With a little practice and a good kite you can fly it quite easily
• A good kite with favorable weather and you can have a very steady shooting platform

Cons -

• You are at the mercy of the weather, if you don't have enough wind you can't fly
• You can have limited access to some areas, where there isn't enough space to launch a kite or if there are overhead cables or if the wind is going the wrong way

The third option is to use a lighter than air craft, such as balloons, a blimp or a hot air balloon

Pros -

• Will work in very low wind conditions
• Can lift a large payload if you use a big enough craft
• Will allow access in some areas where nothing else can fly
• Can be used indoors
• Will provide a very stable platform

Cons -

• If they are used frequently they can get to be very expensive as they do consume gas at a high rate
• They are dependant on good weather with a relativley low wind speed
• Balloons are fragile, and can pop, which isn't good if it happens in mid flight.

OK that's me for now, don't forget to check back soon.

The basics

Q/ What is Aerial Photography
A/ It is photograph taken from the air

Q/ Like from a big hill or a mountain
A/ No, like from up in the air. Some photographs taken from high places, like hills, mountains, tall buildings, masts etc will give an image similar to Aerial photographs but strictly speaking they aren't.

Q/ OK so it is from a plane
A/ Yes, Aerial photographs can be taken from a plane, many are, this can include the photo taken out of the window of the aeroplane taking you on holiday through to the photographs taken from a plane hired specially to take Aerial photos. The thing is there are lots of other options, which is usefull because I can't afford a holiday just to take a few pics.

Q/ Alright then what other options are there for taking Aerial Photographs.
A/ There are actualy quite a few, but you'll have to read the next post to get find out what they are.

Who am I, and what is this blog about

My name is Jim, I live in Northern Ireland, I'm 41 and my hobbies include photography among a lot of other stuff. This sounds like something you would say on a first date :-) Anyhow I've been into photography for a long time, used to work as a professional a loooong time ago, I've been a member of various camera clubs over the years. This last few years or so I have been getting a bit stale with the photography, a bit bored, looking for a new challenge. I read an article about Aerial photography and saw a few pictures and they were amazing, just images of an everyday scene but from a different angle, I was fascinated. I decided to do a bit of research on Aerial photography and found myself wanting to have a go at it, but not knowing where to start. Anyway I have decided to start this blog to document my progress in the subject and maybe pass on some info to anyone who is interested that is if anyone ever reads any of this. My intention is to put an e-book together fairly quickly to give the basic info on where to start. If you read this within a week or two of it being posted then please take the survey I am running and I will send you a copy of the book when it's created. You can take it here Click here to take survey

A Quick Post

OK, I havn't had time to do much of a post today, too busy working at actually making some money.

I did get to spend a little bit of time doing some research on Aerial Photography today, but it is a slooooow process, I have wasted so much time following dead links you wouldn't believe it.

I have also spent a little bit of time wondering what I am going to do with The Aerial Photographer blog, but I don't have time to talk about it now, I will post a message about it in the near future.

Why do people use Aerial Photography

I found this article at www.buzzle.com, I thought you might be interested in it.

Aerial Photography is becoming one of the most popular forms of Photography today due to its daring capabilities and cause for sudden excitement as well as having the ability to create great affects in photos. What most people didn't know however is that aerial photography has been around for quite some time now. It started back in world war 2 where photographers would hitch a ride in a war planes, hoping to capture that one great shot of a plane going down, or an enemy fighter aiming his guns at the camera.

It seems today that aerial photography has changed a lot. Aerial photography will always be a form of photography that most people aspire to doing one day in their careers as the photos photographers are able to create can be magnificent when done correctly. There is a myriad of settings all over the world that would look great from the air and many photographers are beginning to take advantage of these opportunities. In fact aerial photography is actually a stream of landscape photography and you can see why. From the air the most impressive photos are taken of vast landscapes, perhaps of mountains and deserts. One of the most popular places in the world for aerial photography nowadays in in the steep slopes of the Himalayas. Parasailing has become a well known hobby in this part of the world and along with it people are capturing some spectacular photos of amazing scenery mostly of the enormous Himalayan mountains in Nepal and Tibet.

Some Fields where Aerial Photography is Important. Of course aerial photography is not just a hobby for many people and organizations. The military use aerial photography for a more important reason. These days many countries use spy planes to take photographs of enemy units on the ground. It's an important piece of the military and in many cases has meant the difference when the time has come to send troops in to battle. Television stations use aerial photography as a means of discovering what the weather is like in certain areas and even to predict what the weather is going to be like in several days. Aerial photography is also used by real estate development companies in order to take photographs from the air of certain developmental sites. This is very important because it enables them to map out and plan how they are going to develop in a certain area. The same goes for construction companies who need to make sure the position they are building in is going to be safe and of the right width and diameters. The tourism industry likes aerial pictures because it can show off its vast golf courses, resort beaches, RV parks and campgrounds from above. City and state governments can use it for planning and development purposes. Trained environmentalists use aerial photography to study the earth’s climate and land conditions. Sports events can employ the use of aerial photography when they want to show the grandeur of a brand new stadium or illustrate the density of the crowds in the stands.

By joshua stantonPublished: 10/17/2006

Types of Aerial Photographs

Aerial photography is broken down into two main types, oblique and vertical configuration.

Oblique refers to pictures taken the side of an aircraft and vertical images are taken from directly above the subject being photographed. Vertical aerial photography is normally used in real estate advertising. The process of taking photographs in the air from an aircraft is called aviation photography, as is taking pictures of aircrafts themselves. The main types of aviation photography are:

Air-to-air Photography. This type of photograph is used most often in advertising and entails taking pictures of an airplane from different angles. Of course the photographer is in another aircraft, since there has to be at least two aircrafts involved in air-to-air photography. This type of photography is practiced mainly at air shows.

Remote sensing. Remote sensing is used to gather information on the environment and other land base features from a distance, particularly from an aircraft in the sky using special equipment to gather and collect data. This explanation is one of many, but is best suited to aerial photographs.

Satellite. One major use of satellite photos is to gather environmental images so that scientists and environmentalists can track changes on the earth’s surface. NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior are two of the major agencies involved in satellite scanning in the United States.

Kite. The camera is mounted into a cradle and secured to a kite and sent flying; the pictures are taken by controlling the camera with a remote control. In some cases the camera is programmed to automatically snap pictures once the kite reaches a certain altitude.

Also included in aviation photography is the use of model planes and helicopters to take pictures.
These are just some of the main types of aerial photographs.

Definition of Aerial Photography

Here is a definition of Aerial Photography that I like, I got it from Wikipedia,

Aerial photography is the taking of photographs from above with a camera mounted, or hand held, on an aircraft, helicopter, balloon, rocket, kite, skydiver or similar vehicle. It was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Nadar in 1858. The use of aerial photography for military purposes was expanded during World War I by aviators such as Fred Zinn.

Aerial photography is used in cartography, land-use planning, archaeology, movie production, environmental studies, espionage, commercial advertising, conveyancing, and other fields. Aerial photographs are analyzed in preparation of many Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for real property analysis. Aerial photos are often processed by a GIS system.

Recent advances in radio controlled models has made it possible for radio controlled model aircraft to conduct low-altitude aerial photography. This has benefited real-estate advertising, where commercial and residential properties are the photographic subject. Full-size, manned aircraft are prohibited from low flyovers of populated locations. Miniature-size model aircraft offer full photographic access to these previously restricted areas. Of course, miniature vehicles do not replace full-size aircraft, as full-size aircraft are capable of longer flight-times, higher altitudes, and greater equipment payloads.

Because anything capable of being viewed from a public space is considered outside the realm of privacy, aerial photography may legally document features and occurrences on private property.
For amateurs without pilot license one of the easiest ways to make aerial photographs is using an Astrocam or an Oracle modell rocket.

Aerial photography. (2006, November 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:32, November 30, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_photography&oldid=89695961

Welcome to The Aerial Photographer

Welcome to The Aerial Photographer.

Here you will be able to find lots of hints and tips about Aerial photography, how to make money from Aerial Photography, what kit you will need to take Aerial photographs, and much, much, more.....