Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) is a unique form of photography and from what I can tell it is a fairly unknown art form. So here is a brief overview of it and a few resources that you can look at to find more information. Most photographic books or web-pages I read assume you have a stable tripod for landscape work. In a similar way to the still life photographer spend a long time selecting the scene and composing the picture. Even with the most stable suspension system in the world this just isn’t going to happen with KAP. So when you compose the picture you do the best you can then shoot off lots of digital images. Once back on the computer you can use your instinct to select, crop, edit and stitch an image. Purists will argue that this post-processing on the computer isn’t in the spirit of photography, but I see it all as part of the art, craft, and fun of KAP.
Why bother?
KAP isn’t easy, as well as all the normal photographic considerations, you need a rig, a kite, the right wind, a kite launch site, and a greater consideration for the safety of others – why bother?
Low altitude photography can give a unique perspective on the world. In order to demonstrate this consider the following four images of Warkworth Castle in Northumberland:
From the Car Park, Warkworth Castle (English Heritage) maintains a formidable entrance across the dry-moat. This is the wide-angled view that every visitor gets of the castle from the south, with a limited view of what may lie inside.
From the kite, some of the castles secrets are revealed. The moat and walls still guard the interior, but the layout of the various buildings within becomes more obvious. Strong oblique sunshine accentuates the ramparts, and the earth mound the castle sits on. This makes the castle stand-out of the foreground.
From an airplane a further dimension is seen, with the castle’s prominent defensive position on a loop on the River Coquet. In addition the village of Warkworth can now be seen nestling behind, and filling the loop in the river.
Finally this shot has a different appeal, more of a living map than a photograph. The strategic position of the castle is demonstrated, however much of the impact of its dramatic location is lost as all relief disappears due to the height of the camera above ground. Additionally, unwanted elements in the picture (like the two bridges above the town) become a distraction.
My conclusion is that KAP, aerial and satellite images can all play to their strengths, depending on the subject matter. Each one has its own technical difficulties; however there are rewards for those who overcome them. Another important lesson is that you don’t need 1000′ of line to take a good picture, in fact I would argue that since KAP fills the low-altitude aerial photography niche, you should stick to below 500′ (local legal restrictions permitting), and play to the strength!
There is however no excuse for poor photographs, so both a technical and artistic challenge requires to be overcome.
Places and Patience
So what should you take pictures of? Good question most people take picture of things that they know well, such as their homes, however your subjects have to meet artistic as well as practical requirements before you attempt to photograph them.
It will take time for you to learn what looks good from the air, as sometimes the simplest objects can look beautiful and beautiful objects can look boring. Most of us don’t have much experience looking down on objects from the air so the only way that we can learn what looks good in KAP is to look at other peoples galleries and come up with your own ideas from there. What you photograph will depend largely on the area you live. One good strategy is to mix impossible angles (which most KAP shots appear to be), simple subjects and vibrant color. Pick you location carefully as you are likely to spend several hours on a particular shoot.
Remember that you cannot just go out to a particular location and take great photographs; you need to take time and scout out the area. You will need to know where you are going to launch you kite from, what wind conditions will be favorable for you subject, if there are any power lines and which kite will work best to get you the desired height and angle. On top of all this you will have to be patient and wait for the correct weather conditions suitable for you shoot.
Framing Your Shot
KAP like all forms of photography follows basic rules on how to frame a picture. The most basic of these rules is known as the golden ratio. This ratio is supposed to be the most pleasing to the human eye. Generally landscape format is considered more soothing and portrait tenser.
A second principle that is well known is the rule of thirds. This principle highlights areas on interest or where lines should be placed. The subject of your photograph or interesting points should lie of these lines or be centered on the intersections of these lines. For example it is considered good practice to have the horizon on the lower line is taking a photograph of a sunset.
A third more complex principle is the golden spiral, rather than the static rule of thirds the golden spiral creates a dynamic path in the photograph for the eye to follow. This path can be used to lead the eyes from an entry point, such as a road, track or fence, throughout the photograph until you reach the subject.
In general humans find pleasure in order and symmetry, whether it’s obvious or not, and it helps lead you between the different parts in a picture.
Sun, Shade and Impossible Angles
In KAP sun is your best friend, unlike other forms of photography shadows actually help accentuate the subject that you are shooting and give it a 3D look and feel. Remember try to get as many sunny shots as possible, the better contrast and shadows will give it a much more 3D looks than on an overcast day. Try keeping the whole shadow in the frame, this can be quite a challenge as you don’t have perfect control over what you are shooting, and if possible shoot early in the morning or right before dusk as this will create longer shadows and richer colors. Do not be afraid to shoot with the sun 90 degrees to the camera; however with the more interesting angles into the sun it’s difficult to control your exposure.
One thing that I enjoy doing with KAP photography is to take advantage of the fact that humans have difficulties recognizing objects from above (Toy with them a little). Show them part of a building or object, exposing just enough so to set its context and set that camera’s position in a unknown space.
One of the most challenging things is to keep the horizon flat. Keeping the horizon flat may not seem like to big of a deal since it can be fix afterwards on the computer. However, if the angle is too large then you will lose a severe amount of your final photograph while resetting the angle, this can make all the difference. Try to avoid from having objects cross the horizon unless they are one it. Even if the images don’t show the horizon try to keep objects facing the pointing the right direction as there is no natural sense of up in KAP.
Keep it Neat
Keep those edges clean, try not to have shadows or other objects intruding into you frame. Keeping the edges free from intrusions keeps the areas of interest inside the frame.
One thing that many KAP photographers don’t necessarily agree upon is whether the photography or line should be in the picture. However, I will have to leave this decision up to you. If it adds to the shot leave it in, if it doesn’t you can remove it electronically later.
Let’s get out there and get flying.
For those of you that are inspired to try this exciting form of photography here is a great site to visit for all the information you will need they also have some good images in their gallery.