Recent years have shown an increased interest in an area of photography that offers new technical challenges and a chance to develop a creative side of yourself you may never have noticed before. This is kite aerial photography, which is basically the process of attaching a camera unit to a kite and taking pictures from the air. The camera is controlled by some remote device on the ground. This area of photography has proven to be both fun and a help in technical fields such as mapping and animal studies.
Using a kite enables the photographer to get a much closer view than from an aircraft. The photographer can take more time getting just the picture he wants, as the kite can stay still longer than an aircraft. In addition, kites can get into places where people or air crafts might find difficulty. They can enter crevices and fly over fences. An advantage many do not think of is being able to take pictures from the air with your feet safely on the ground, a definite advantage for those with a fear of heights.
Equipment used for kite aerial photography is actually very minimal. It requires a kite, camera, cradle, which holds the camera steady, and some form of suspension, this is the method used for attaching the camera and cradle to the kite. Lastly, you need some method of pushing the shutter release button from the ground; this is usually accomplished with a remote control.
The kite itself is sent up first and allowed to go high enough so it is not whipped about by the wind. The camera is preset and placed in the cradle, then both are attached to the string of the kite and raised to the level the photographer has decided on. The most commonly used suspension is called the Piavet. This unit is a simple cable and pulley system that provides a self-leveling platform for the camera. This is important when the camera is up in the air, where wind speeds are often greater than on the ground.
I mentioned earlier that kite aerial photography has a place in the professional world. This method has been used for such endeavors as studying animal mating habits and land mapping and surveying projects. A kite photograph of an area can be taken much quicker an easier than traveling on foot to cover great distances. Often the areas needing photographed are overgrown with weeds and other greenery that makes walking difficult. A kite can also travel over cliffs and above rivers, places a human may find impossible to get to,
Studying wild animals in their own habitats can be difficult, not to mention dangerous. To get close enough for clear photographs, you risk scaring the subjects away or putting yourself in the line of attack. The use of a kite to get in close enough is the perfect solution. After a brief interest, most animals will decide the kite is harmless and continue with their business. This allows us to study them thoroughly. The biggest use for this is where the danger of extinction is present. Knowing how an animal survives in the wild will enable scientists to provide the necessary things to allow captive members of the species to thrive and reproduce.
Kite aerial photography has been around for years but is just now coming to the attention of the general public. It has already proven itself to be of benefit and we can only guess what other uses we may find for this area of photography. The next time someone tells you to go fly a kite, why not attach a camera to the string and see what wonders you may be able to capture on film?
