Aerial Photography

Published on November 15, 2010

Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or triggered automatically. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, poles, parachutes,vehicle mounted poles . Aerial photography should not be confused with Air-to-Air Photography, when aircraft serve both as a photo platform and subject. Aerial photography was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as "Nadar", in 1858 over Paris, France. (wikipedia)

There is a beauty up there and thanks to Nadar, he share it with us. Recently aerial photography become more popular, and below are just some of great artworks from around the world, check it out!

Cool eh? :) you don’t have to use airplane to take shoot those view, you could do it from the top of building too. Well, here is some words from aeropix about how to take an aerial photography.

Frame and compose the picture properly as you are taking it. Vertical components in your subject must align to the frame. What would seem to be obvious, gets overlooked. Compose (or crop) your subject so that vertical objects appear vertical in the final product. This means vertical references, like edges of buildings, trees, flag-poles, etc. must be parallel to the vertical edge of the photo.
Aerial Photography too has its ups and downs. Your camera, especially being in an aircraft, is subject to movements and vibrations which can make your photos blurry. Some aerial photographers use a gyroscope-based stabilizer.
Always prepare for the unexpected. Always bring more than one camera with you, even if you are only shooting one format. Anticipate an equipment failure and be prepared with a second camera loaded and ready to go. Also, anticipate different weather from your take-off position to your shoot site.
Just as much as a ground photo, your work should be aesthetically pleasing. Balloons are always awesome, and are a favorite shoot from the air too.
Be creative. (My favorite tip, simple but deadly!)
Take a lot of photos of your subject. Take shots from various directions and various angles. You can always weed out what you do not want later.
Prepare your subject, whenever possible. For example, if you are going to be taking a picture of a home, the property should be tidy. Are there toys or junk in the yard? Laundry on the line? Such things are not unobtrusive and can take away from the picture.

Great landscape! Aerial photography are very incredible, those view are more than just a picture, there is beauty, magic, and freedom in it. Have you visit ever Malek’s website? he got some nice tips about doing digital aerial photography.