Aerial Photography Tips

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Aerial photography is a valuable commercial skill that can greatly increase the income of many working photographers. The field of aerial photography can cover many different types of work, including real estate photography, government projects to document construction or environmental issues, paparazzi coverage, court case evidence, in addition to general artistic images taken from aloft.

Getting started in aerial photography. To get started in aerial photography, it is not as difficult as it may initially seem. In most cases, having access to an aircraft of some sort is required. However, there are literally thousands of pilots that are willing to charter a flight for you to accomplish your work. Check with your regional or local airport about chartering a flight for photography. Let them know what and where you are interested in photographing, and they should be able point you in the right direction. Based on my experience, be prepared to pay $100-$300 per hour chartering a fixed wing aircraft, depending on your area and the type of aircraft available. For helicopter rentals, look to pay about 30% more.

Best time of day to take aerial photographs. As with most types of outdoor photography, early morning and late afternoon time frames will yield the most pleasing photographs. It is at this time that the sun's rays produce warmer colors and longer shadows which produce more brilliant colors and beautiful shadows. The longer shadows associated with this time frame add depth to your photographs, by better defining the contours of land or structures.

However, selecting a time of day is also dependent on the type of photography you are trying to capture. During the middle of the day, the lighting is flat which may be better suited to your specific needs, i.e., documenting a construction project, or commercial real estate. Understanding the goals of your photographic mission will greatly impact when you elect to charter a flight.

Best equipment for aerial photography. Selecting the appropriate equipment for aerial photography is a major consideration. Before making any photographic equipment decisions, you must first define how the photos will be used. In most cases, aerial photos will be used for larger prints. Even if you are only shooting images for newspaper or tabloid reproduction, you will want to capture the images in as large a file size or negative size as possible. If you are shooting film, I would suggest no format under 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″. If you want to shoot film and don't have a larger format camera, borrow or lease one before you schedule the flight. For digital photographers, I would recommend using the largest file size available with your model camera. By not capturing the images in the highest resolution possible, you have greatly diminished the ability for additional uses of these photographs.

Determining the optimal focal length to use, will be influenced with the type of aircraft you select, the subject matter you are documenting, and how close you are able to get to your subject. From personal experience, I most often use the equivalent of a 35mm-50mm lens for the 35mm camera format. You will want to be cautious using a telephoto lens due to the vibration of the aircraft.

Best exposure for aerial photography. In general, I recommend using a shutter speed of 1/500 -1/1000. This shutter speed range is sufficient to stop most action from a moving aircraft and to minimize aircraft vibration. While photographing from 1000 feet or higher, the subject will not be moving as quickly as you think. Choosing the maximum shutter speed, such as 1/2000 or higher, basically robs you of depth of field since you need to open up the lens more to compensate for the higher speed. On the subject of aperture setting, you will want to be in the f/5.6-f/11 range for most subjects. For those familiar with hyperfocal distances, since the closest subject in your photograph will be greater than 1000 feet, depth of field is not a main concern. Keep in mind the middle of your aperture range for a particular lens produces the sharpest images.

Conclusion. Aerial photography produces a view of the world that very few can experience. Whether you are taking aerial photographs as a career or just as a hobbie, the joys of aerial photography are countless!

Aerial Photography - Photographs From Above

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Aerial photography is that segment of photography in which the camera is elevated high above the subject. Some photographers go up in airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, or gliders to take their aerial photos. In other forms, the camera itself is sent up by balloon, tall pole, or kite, and the photo is taken by remote control. High level photography can be taken from blimps and dirigibles, rockets, space stations, satellites, or parachutes. Not all aerial photo shooting involves a person going up in the air with the camera, because automatic or remote controls can do the job needed.

Common uses of aerial photography include surveillance, real estate, environmental impact studies, motion picture production, architectural studies, mapping, and military planning. Most people are familiar with seeing the live blimp videos taken over football stadiums. Actual photos taken from the air are used in real estate sales, land use planning, and commercial advertising. Some newer uses are for property and animal surveys, internet searches, pollution verification, and art.

Panorama views from the air can be made by "stitching" together photos to make one large grand photo of an area. The end result is a seamless image. A few problems occur with aerial photos that do not appear in land based photos because of the larger areas included, and that would be perspectives and registration. Model airplanes are used for some photos. Both still cameras and video cameras can be used with remote controls for above ground photography, with or without an operator present.

There are professionals who do this type of photography, and some businesses with access to airplanes may want to shoot aerial photos of their own business buildings and grounds. Amateurs can enjoy this aspect of photography also, and like to experiment with smaller ways to produce these photos, such as using kites, poles and model airplanes. Panorama cameras have a special place in aerial photography, providing the extra wide angle long shots without need for stitching together images.

For traffic control, raised cameras provide an aerial view of busy intersections, and even inside cameras such as those found on casino or store roofs, might also be considered to be aerial cameras. The true aerial camera is not connected to the ground, however, and offers a bird's eye view of the ground subject. To imitate aerial views, land cameras can use a wide angle lens, often referred to as a bird's eye lens, because images taken with it give the impression of having been taken from above, due to the perspective changes in the resulting image.

Weather professional and NASA use aerial photos for storm watching, surveillance, tracking, and weather predicting. Users of the internet can access maps in both street views and aerial views. Aerial photography, the beginnings of which are attributed to French balloonist Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) in 1858, has moved from extra ordinary to commonly used or seen by most people. The images can be as beautiful as they are useful, and they are always interesting.