We had a recent discussion at a club meeting about the politics of drones. Drones are increasingly being used for commercial and private low level aerial photography. Do they infringe air safety or privacy legislation? It may be hard to tell as the law is straining to keep up with changes in technology. If you’re intent is to spy on your neighbors, it is certainly not acceptable and is liable to get you into trouble. However increasingly stunning images have been appearing in photographic forums taken for artistic merit.
How expensive would it be to kit yourself up with a drone and camera to take that extra special landscape photo? I have discovered a cheap alternative. The humble kite. Kites can be stable in strong winds and fly at an altitude that gives excellent images of the ground. There is a large group of enthusiastic kite photographers. Check out the Flickr images.
The camera is mounted onto the kite string by means of a rig. The camera is rotated and fired by remote control from the ground. Although you can buy these rigs for a modest sum, there are forums on the web that give instructions on how to build your own. Click here.
I must admit that I am impressed by some of the images. Camels on Cable beach (Cairns) at sunset taken from a kite gives an extra special level of interest to a cliched image. Check out more of the images of Pierre Lesage. He has a hilarious FAQ page about his kite photography;
FGA (Frequently Given Answers):
* It’s a camera
* Yes
* Taking pictures
* Of the scenery below
* Mainly for fun
* No, the images on Google Earth are taken by satellites and aircraft
* A guy in France, in 1888
* I can control it by radio
* No
* There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of us across the world
* As high as the string will let me
* No idea!
* Probably
* Thanks!
You don’t even need the questions. You can work it out from the answers.
Not convinced? Then look at the U-tube clip by Chris Benton. Chris has a real passion that’s very infectious.
I had a chat with my son Tom and we thought we might give it a go one day – time permitting. If there is anyone else out there that’s interested – give me a call.
James
Camera Clips 