Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery
A pumpkin patch on the San Mateo coast (48K
jpg, Yashica T4 Super, October 1996).
Each year
dramatic splashes of distilled autumn orange appear on the
landscape heralding the short days of winter. Countless pumpkins
are grown as fodder for our Halloween festivities and they are
gathered into clusters for sale during October. This particular
pumpkin patch was located next to the Pacific shoreline south of
Half Moon bay. The pumpkins were all the more striking because of
the distinctly grey color of the soil.
These pumpkin patch images were the first taken by my KAP Rig No. 3 and its Yashica T4 Super point-and-shoot camera.
A border between pumpkins and artichokes (left)
and Claudia charmed by the wee piglets (70K jpg left and 44K jpg
right, Yashica T4 Super, October 1996).
Adjacent to the pumpkin patch was a field of artichoke plants with their slightly odd shade of green. Also nearby was a pen filled with young piglets and a distinctly protective sow. Claudia immediately wanted one but I convinced her that it would not remain a piglet forever.
The Berkeley Marina at sunset (34K jpg left and
49K jpg right, Canon 15-mm, November 1996).
In November I purchased an used Canon 15-mm f-2.8 fisheye lens to use on the Canon Rebel X SLR carried by KAP Rig No. 2. Eager to give it a test I stopped by the KAP Proving Ground (also known as the Berkeley Waterfront) just as the sun was setting. Thomas helped me get things launched then rushed down to the docks to check out a trimaran moored there. So these are the first images from the fisheye and it is an interesting lens indeed. The trimaran is evident in both images. The striking thing is the camera was never higher than three times the boat's mast heights. The images looks twice as high.
The Berkeley Marina boat ramps (45K jpg, Canon
15-mm, November 1996).
In this vertical-format fisheye image you can see the nadir (straight down) and the horizon in the same frame. The winds were just adequate to loft the camera with the Sutton 30. They were also smooth which allowed me to take several shots even though it was getting quite late. It is sometimes amazing how steadily the camera rig floats in the sky when there is a smooth wind.
Bluffs on a Pacific beach (42K jpg, Canon
24-mm, October 1996).
This shot was taken on the same roll as the earlier Pigeon Point shots. As Claudia and I drove down the coast the fog would encroach and retreat. You can just see it coming in way down the beach. Five minutes later and we were engulfed in its cool, moist blanket. The kite was wet by the time I got it down.
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All rights reserved. Revised: Saturday, June 26, 2010
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