Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/14

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Subject: [Leica] Aerial Photography
From: jplaurel at spectare.com (Jim Laurel)
Date: Tue Mar 14 17:18:55 2006
References: <C03C748D.DD6B%bdcolen@comcast.net> <001601c6479d$2befc810$73b56c18@ted> <p0623091bc03cf10b5a6f@[10.4.1.157]>

For low altitude aerial photography, using radio controlled model  
airplanes is an option.  In fact, a model airplane can get shots that  
alot of full scale airplanes could never attempt.  Like down the  
middle of a street between buildings.  Large model sailplanes can  
climb with electric motors and loiter around slowly making photos  
while gliding (hence, no vibration).

I am setting up an aerial photo/video rig that will allow me to  
launch and land from small areas.  This is actually a video system  
that transmits live video back to the ground.  You wear these special  
sunglasses that have a small LCD display in the lower right of your  
right eye.  You can record video or use the picture to frame up a  
still image, if you have a camera on board wired to a switch on your  
transmitter.

--Jim


On Mar 14, 2006, at 2:22 PM, Henning Wulff wrote:

> At 11:26 AM -0800 3/14/06, Ted Grant wrote:
>> B. D. Colen
>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Aerial Photography
>>
>>> Thanks, Sonny....My question was going to be...Is this person a
>>> photographer? A professional quality photographer? And, if not,  
>>> why would
>>> he think that owning an airplane and a camera makes one a  
>>> professional
>>> aerial photographer? :-)
>>
>> Quite frankly guys I've never seen anyone drive and talk on a cell  
>> phone without endangering the lives of others. Let alone a guy  
>> flying a plane and take pictures at the same time. :-(
>>
>> I've had some pretty hairy rides under my belt shooting aerials  
>> with pilots who supposedly had flown photographers and they knew  
>> all the right ways to handle the plane. I found in some cases I  
>> had far more airtime than the pilot.
>>
>> All you have to do is come back from a shoot with tree branches in  
>> the under-carriage and it puts a whole new perspective on  
>> believing the pilots ability.
>>
>> So I began giving them instructions before we took off! Pissed off  
>> a few, their problem, but at least they kept looking at where we  
>> were going and not looking at what I was photographing!
>>
>> Surely that isn't what this fellow means? Fly plane & shoot at the  
>> same time?
>>
>> Besides the best aerial photo platform is a helicopter in my book.
>>
>> ted
>
> I definitely prefer shooting from a small plane if possible rather  
> than a helicopter. With thorough instructions to the pilot I can  
> get a lot more done in a short time and the thing generally doesn't  
> vibrate as much. I can go down one shutter speed in a small plane  
> compared to a helicopter.
>
> One of the scarier experiences I've had shooting aerials was when  
> we left the doors off at the back (I was sitting on a bench just  
> behind the propeller bulkhead) and as we started banking to do my  
> shots I noticed that the bench wasn't fastened to anything except  
> the seat of my pants. It took me a few heart pounding seconds to  
> realize that the seatbelt was attached to the airframe and not to  
> the bench, but then we had to fly back with me holding onto the  
> bench as well as my camera equipment to keep it all from falling  
> out, and trying not to accidently unbuckle the belt.
>
> He didn't charge me for that flight.
>
> -- 
>    *            Henning J. Wulff
>   /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
>  /###\   mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com
>  |[ ]|     http://www.archiphoto.com
>
> _______________________________________________
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Replies: Reply from bruce at ralgo.nl (bruce) ([Leica] Aerial Photography)
In reply to: Message from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Aerial Photography)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] Aerial Photography)
Message from henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff) ([Leica] Aerial Photography)