Kite Aerial Photography - More Berkeley Waterfront

Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery

More Berkeley Waterfront

Windsurfer rigs on the ground looking for all the world like cast-off insect wings, May 1996 (link to source image, 51K jpg)

Wow, May was a tough month. For one thing there was the usual end of the schoolterm maelstrom. For another, try as I might, I couldn't seem to find wind. I've been trying to photograph on the UC Berkeley Campus and winds there are quirky. I finally retired to my old standby the Berkeley Waterfront - home of plentiful and steady wind - to take these images. There I found a lovely 15 mph breeze.

Oh what bliss to have found a steady wind. I launched the Sutton Flowform 16 near the windsurfing area flying on 250 pound dacron line. I took shots at the windsurfer's pier for around a half hour then walked up to CAL Sailing. Here, while talking briefly to an old acquaintance, the wind simply disappeared. The Flowform became decidedly unaerodynamic and started dropping rapidly. I ditched the transmitter and the reel to start inhauling line hand over hand (there being no room to back up.) For the first time I was failing to keep a kite aloft by retrieving line and it became clear that the rig was going to make an unscheduled landing. Looking around for soft ground in a sea of parking lots I tried to line up with a thin planting strip and managed with much luck and little grace to place the camera rig in a young tree. The kite hit the ground soon thereafter on the other side of a boatyard. The whole episode seemed to amuse everyone but me. When talking with the CAL Sailing regulars afterwards they seemed to think it was an unusual wind shift. Someone noted that the ground level winds had reversed a full 180 degrees. On checking my equipment nothing was damaged. Looks like I dodged another one.

(right) A windsurfer starts a jibe and (left) a CAL Sailing dingy, May 1996 (31K and 40K jpgs)

These images were taken from the end of the windsurfing pier. Unlike most images at this site the windsurfer shot is closely cropped. I plan to return at some point and see if I can arrange for more jibes coordinated with a lower camera position. The CAL Sailing dingy was just leaving the dock and had to bear off a bit to miss my kite line. The dingy, flying a storm sail, reveals the Bay's turbid water with its shadow.

Dingies at the windsurfing dock, May 1996 (47K jpg)

This group of dingies was tied up waiting a sailing lesson. I'm flying the kite from the end of the dock just out of view to the left.

Aerial view of a Tom McAlister kite train, May 1996 (41K jpg)

This is Tom's penguin motif kite train. You can see the other end of the train anchored just to the left of the blue car. Tom's recreational vehicle kite shop - Highline Kites - is in the center of the image. I took several shots here immediately after the dropping camera cradle episode - climbing back on the horse so to speak. As kites go trains are relatively easy to photograph.

A couple on the Waterfront Green, May 1996 (36K jpg)

One constant in kite aerial photography is the pursuit's ability to attract curious bystanders. I chatted with this couple while shooting the kite arch and then took a couple of portrait shots of them as the sun was fading.

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URL: http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/~cris/kap/gallery/gal24.html