Kite Aerial Photography: Introduction
Testing to make sure the shutter is being triggered by the radio control before letting go. You can see the camera hanging from the kite line in the shadow.
Background
I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember, and kite aerial photography (KAP) seemed like a natural progression. At least it did after a friend convinced me that it isn’t completely ridiculous to suspend an $800+ camera from a kite. After seeing the potential in online galleries, I knew that I had to try it! I spent a few months researching equipment, technique, etc. before diving in.
Although I had not flown a kite since I was a kid, I quickly progressed from a single test flight to attaching my camera and hoping for the best. Over the past several years, I’ve learned a lot about controlling kites in various wind conditions and now I’m relatively at ease with my expensive gear hanging by a thread.
These web pages will serve as a photo gallery of select images, as well as a general information source on equipment, technique, and other related info. Be sure to see my 360° virtual reality (VR) panoramas taken from a kite’s eye view.
Recent Photos
What’s New?
Parkfield Shake Table November 4, 2008
My friend D.V. Rogers installed an earthquake shake table in Parkfield, CA, the “earthquake capital of California.” The art piece is an earthwork that shakes in near real-time in response to California earthquakes. USGS recently sent me down to document the artwork using kite aerial and nighttime photography.
The Deltaworks October 30, 2008
In June 2007, I was invited as a special guest to join Job van de Sande, head of Deltaworks Online, to document the country’s most important dams and sluices using kite aerial photography to produce a set of 360° Panoramas.