Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery
A wide-angle view of Campanile and Esplanade
(52K jpg).
After a
Saturday morning filled with Aikido lessons and soccer games
Charlie and I noticed a breeze picking up near the campus. We
grabbed a quick lunch and headed toward the Campanile. There,
after a bit of fussing, we got the Sutton 30 flying well and
attached our new Canon SLR camera rig with 24-mm lens. It was a
clear autumn day and the pollarded sycamores in the esplanade had
lost half of their leaves. We took photographs through the
afternoon. By the time we were finished, the Sutton had been
flying for three hours.
These photographs are the first wide-angle shots I've taken near the Campanile. I am really enjoying the new rig. Even though it has twice the weight of my first rig, I've not had much trouble getting it aloft. In general it seems that I go up one size in the Sutton Flowform line to lift the heavier rig. For instance, where the Sutton 16 would have lifted the first rig I'd use the Sutton 30 to lift the new one. This shot shows the Campanile from about 400 feet above the ground.
A oblique view of the Campanile (55K jpg).
It is easy to tell the difference between the wide angle 24-mm lens and the 35-mm lens used in my previous KAP images. The new wider view allows a greater sense of height while remaining within my 500' flight envelope.
A downward view (53K jpg).
This image was taken with the camera rig quite close to the Campanile. I continue to position myself at the kiteline for all of my KAP shots. I guess I have just not reached the point of entrusting the kite flying to someone else while the rig is in the air. That means for the high altitude shots I am often a block or more away from the camera. At this distance it becomes a challenge to see the orientation of the rig and, more importantly, to prevent its intersection with solid objects like the Campanile. I am starting to think more about a video downlink.
Two more views of Sather Tower (43K jpg left
and 42K jpg right).
I am enjoying the vertical
formatting capacity of my two new KAP rigs. These images would
not have been possible with my original rig. Given the
proportions of the Campanile it is clear why the vertical option
is useful.
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All rights reserved. Revised: Saturday, October 06, 2001
URL:
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