SmugKAP

ghinson

I have a new toy. A Sony Nex 5 with the 16mm lens, a delta kite, and a brooxes.com rig for suspending it and taking kite aerial photographs. Just looking for new views of an old landscape.

Two trips now. Some success. Some failure. Will post pics tonight.

Any other dgrinners practicing KAP, Kite Aerial Photography?

Greg

ghinson

Maiden voyages:

pathfinder

Very well done, Greg!!

Kite shooting is one of those things I would love to do, but there never seems to be enough time and money and wind all at the same time for me to jump in

Your shots may help give me the nudge I have been needing.

Post some more images, and some explanation about how you accomplish this feat.

Islandcrow

I really like it. That's a cool way to get a different perspective. I especially like that last picture (#2 would be a close second). Very cool. . .and a little bit spooky.

ghinson

Here's a few more from this morning, from Sconset Bluff, Nantucket, and Sankaty Head Lighthouse:

ghinson

Now a few words about technique.

I got a Sony Nex-5. Fine camera. Lightweight. Using it's 16mm pancake lens. It's OK. Not as sharp as I am used to with my Nikon Pro equipment. (But that stuff is not going up on a kite string, at least not yet!)

Then I bought a rig from a guy named Brooks, well known in the KAP (Kite Aerial Photography) world. He has a site: www.brooxes.com.

I got a fairly basic rig, (HoBEAK), and a 9-ft Levitation Delta kite. The camera fits into the right, which is suspended from the kite string by a floating picavet rig, which is really quite elegant and does a good job of keeping the camera level. You can see this at the brooxes site. The rig included a remote device and a servo that together, spins the camera 30 deg at a time, panning 360 deg. And fires the shutter via IR remote every 5 sec.

You attach the rig, turn on the camera, turn on the rig battery pack, and send it up with a prayer.

So far so good, and after just three trips, and very favorable winds (8-10 knots), I've gotten bold enough to send it out over water, and up 300-400 ft!

Worth trying!

Tons of info here: http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/discuss/
Fun samples here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/kiteaerialphotography/

eoren1

Greg
These are awesome shots! Great perspectives.
Would love to be able to do this but I don't trust myself getting the kite up let alone with a camera attached.
Keep em coming...

gecko0

Fantastic shots, especially considering it's your first attempts! I'd love to try this...

dbveto

How about posting a couple of shots of your Rig?

ghinson

Will do. Today the real job has taken back over. Will get one up this weekend. There's a big Regatta here this weekend, so the kite rig is going to hang out over water all weekend. Hopefully I'll still have a camera come Monday and a rig to photograph!

knapph

On my list
This is on my list of things to try. We talked with a photographer up here in Maine last weekend who was doing it. He has some nice images (http://nearlyvertical.com/). I especially like the vertical shots he has done.

ghinson

That's an inspirational site. Will have to start aiming down more!

Here's another:

choudhrysaab

WOW! this is awesome. almost every day i find some sort of new photography "genre".
Great pix!

Qarik

damn cool