Digital Camera World » aerial photography

DJI Phantom Quadcopter review: shoot aerial photography on a budget (ish)

jmeyer — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:00:59 +0000

In our latest review we take the DJI Phantom Quadcopter for a spin to see if aerial photography really is cheaper and easier with this intriguing new accessory.

Ever fancied dabbling in aerial photography? Usually you’d have to spend a small fortune to take to the skies, but now for less than £500 (plus the cost of a GoPro) a radio-controlled Phantom Quadcopter is a simple and fun way for your photography to reach new heights.

Underside mouldings enable a GoPro to be bolted on in seconds, and thankfully the Phantom calibrates itself to compensate for the additional weight, ensuring an even and steady flight for capturing smooth footage.

You’ll have to wait for the Phantom to run through several automated pre-flight calibration checks, but after some beeps and flashes it’s ready for flight.

One of the most impressive features of having GPS on board is that the Phantom can even hold its own position and altitude. Once activated it just hangs in the air, maintaining a static position that’s perfect for long, stable aerial shots and recording sporting events.

Price: £499
Buy it: http://quadcopters.co.uk

Score: 5/5

Aerial Photography: how to shoot and log aerial photos and not spend a fortune

jmeyer — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 01:00:48 +0000

Keen to try your hand at aerial photography, but nervous about the cost? In this post we’ll show you an easy, cost-effective method of getting airborne so you can shoot landscape photography from a completely new angle. We’ll also show you how to track your aerial photos and include their exact location from the GPS track log, as well as what you’ll need for the shoot.

Would you like to take your own low-level aerial photography images? Do you enjoy doing something different? Getting great landscape images from a unique angle isn’t as difficult or expensive as you might imagine.

For this aerial photography tutorial we got airborne in a microlight. Introductory, trial or training flights are available all over the UK (or wherever it is you live), and cost as little at £50.

There are different versions of microlight aircraft, and some even have a fully enclosed body and windows. For the easiest view with a camera, however, and to minimise loss of quality when shooting through Perspex, we chose a flexwing craft with an open cockpit.

You can shoot in many directions from a flexwing microlight, and another advantage for photographers is the relatively low altitude you can fly at, since haze can be a major issue in aerial photography.

We were always below 2000 feet, and when we needed a particular shot, the pilot was happy to come down as low as 600 feet (aviation rule permitting) to zoom in closer.

In planning this aerial photography shoot, we wanted to create a ‘breadcrumb trail’ of the flight using my GPS logger; this would be a great way to record my flight and see where I had been, while also logging where all the images were taken.

We researched good photo locations to shoot from the air, and the Isle of Wight looked excellent. We set off for Lee-on-Solent airport and the Hampshire Microlight Flying Club; here’s how we got on…

How to capture aerial photography

Fit a wrist strap
Anyone with experience of microlight aircraft knows that the propeller is exposed to the air at the back of the plane, and in the photos you’ll notice that the propeller is right behind me.

So the pilot certainly won’t appreciate it if you suddenly drop something! It wouldn’t be good for the camera or the propeller if you accidentally let go of your camera, but we didn’t want to be restricted to a neck strap, so we fitted a good strong wrist strap to my DSLR.

We didn’t take a change of lens and left the lens cap on the ground, so it was just our photographer, his camera and the GPS logger making the journey.

Medium zoom lens
If you use a wide-angle lens, the ground is too far away; on the other hand, working with a telephoto means haze and vibration become problems.

Instead, a medium zoom lens is a good choice. We used a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM because image stabilisation is a major benefit when dealing with wind and aircraft vibrations.

Most shots were taken at around 50mm focal length, so your kit lens will be perfect for the job!

Preflight setup and checks
At the airfield before takeoff we took some test shots to check the light and settings: we determined that 1/1000 sec on Shutter Priority (Tv mode) would guarantee images free of vibration and movement, especially with the help of image stabilisation.

Depth of field isn’t too much of a problem for aerial photography since the ground is at just about infinity; we calculated that anything above f/5.6 would give sharp shots with this lens.

To keep in that zone, based on the brightness of the day, I increased my ISO to 200. Overexposed skies weren’t an issue either, as we were shooting towards the ground, with the bright sky behind us.

Make tracks
Forget sat nav, there’s another way to use GPS technology! To see where we had flown and to mark our aerial photos with the coordinates of where they were captured, our photographer strapped a GPS logger around his neck.

This device uses the same set of satellites and signals as a vehicle’s sat nav, but has no map or screen on which to display the coordinates.

As a receiving device, though, it’s simple and accurate; all you need to do is switch it on and go. Battery life can be a problem with some older units, but the newer models are great.

Get it right the first time!
Planning before a flight is vital: especially if you’re only doing one microlight flight. Our photographer wasn’t going to risk changing any settings in the air, so he had to be sure that his DSLR would take plenty of shots, without wasting any time during the flight.

He chose a large 16GB memory card and formatted it in camera and put in a freshly charged battery. He also made sure the lens was clean, and that the lens hood was tightly fixed and wouldn’t blow off.

A matter of time
Be aware that your camera won’t automatically update its clock to take into account daylight savings or if you switch time zones. As we were using GPS to plot our course, it was essential to check that the camera’s clock was set correctly, so that it was the same as in our GPS logger.

The GPS software then uses the time stamp in each image’s EXIF data to work out where it was captured, and plot it on a map.

PAGE 1: What you need to take good aerial photography
PAGE 2: How to get the track log of your aerial photos from the GPS

Pole Photography: how to take aerial photos with your feet on the ground!

jmeyer — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:56:20 +0000

Our easy-to-follow pole photography tutorial shows you what you need and how to take aerial photos from the comfort of solid ground. We also show you how you can take your aerial pole photography images at the photo editing stage and stitch them together into stunning 360-degree panoramic photos.

Most images are captured from between one and two metres from the ground, because that’s the height that the majority of us see the world from.

It’s easier to raise the camera to our eyes and snap a picture than it is to change perspective. Try changing your angle of view, however, and it can result in far more dynamic photographs.

A great way to make your images more interesting is to get up high or get down low. Putting your camera on the ground and shooting from a worm’s eye perspective instantly gives your images impact.

Similarly, finding high angles to shoot from, such as a stairway, bridge or an upper-story window, instantly lifts your images out of the ordinary.

A common example is portrait photographers who carry a stepladder in their car to achieve  a higher perspective for group shots. Changing your angle of view is a great photographic technique to master.

In one of the more creative photo ideas we’ve come across, we’d like to introduce you to pole photography, a slightly cumbersome but rewarding technique where photographers use a camera pole to change your point of view.

Pole photography not only gives your images a fresh perspective, but it can help you look over things that obstruct your view of the surroundings, such as hedgerows, fences, or sea defences.

For this pole photography tutorial, we got up early and headed down to Vicar’s Close in Wells, Somerset. Here’s how we got on…

How to shoot pole photography

01 Shooting settings
With our 8mm lens we manually prefocused to 1m, with ISO100 for best quality, Manual exposure, and an f/8 aperture for a large depth of field with the whole scene in focus.  The sun in the frame in some shots would give different exposure readings, so we tested on the ground, checked the histogram and overexposure warning, then altered the shutter speed. We allowed the sun to burn out a little of the sky, and 1/400 sec gave a good balance of sky and shadows.

02 Extra kit
For a pano, rotate on your lens’s nodal point to avoid perspective errors. The Nodal Ninja R1 Pano head (£330) was easy to use, but not essential with a wide-angle lens if your camera is swaying on the pole. When the camera isn’t in front of you use a radio shutter release, but you can also use a wired or infrared device.

03 Keep it up
Unlike a tripod, even if a pole is firmly anchored to the ground, the top sways in the breeze, so it’s important to use a fast shutter speed to minimise camera movement. It’s also best to ensure the pole is as upright as possible, so a bubble spirit level taped to the pole is a huge help. We used a Fanotec Rotator Footplate to stabilise the pole and control the rotation; it’s marked with 45-degree click stops, so for our four shots we rotated it two clicks each time and fired the shutter.

04 Up the pole
We used a Fanotec Series 1 pole (£324) that extends to 2.75m high. The pole comes in four sections that collapse down to just 0.81m, and because it’s made from carbon fibre it only weighs 0.75kg, making it easy to carry. It’s just like working with a very long monopod, although somewhat harder to handle, so take extra care not to smash your camera against anything! For an even higher view, the Fanotec Series 2 pole (£660) stretches to 6m high.

05 Wide boys
A big drawback to having your DSLR way above your head is not being able to frame up and compose the photo. For a lot of pole photography you’ll use wide-angle lenses to simply include everything. We used a Sigma 8mm f/3.5 DG lens on a Canon EOS 7D, which captures a huge angle of view and makes a panorama quick and easy. Also clean your camera lens before attaching it to your pole to help control lens flare.

06 Group shots
A pole is useful for other types of photography too; it’s great for group photos, but if you’re not using an ultra-wide-angle lens you’ll need to see what you’re shooting. The Hähnel Inspire Wireless Live View Remote Control (£180) enables you to see the Live View image from your camera and to fire the shutter remotely. If your camera doesn’t support Live View, the unit has a built-in video camera you can use to help you estimate the field of view, even if it doesn’t show it exactly.

PAGE 1: Set up your camera to shoot pole photography
PAGE 2: Take your pole photography to the extreme
PAGE 3: Turn your pole photography into 360-degree panoramas

Photos from airplane windows: tips for getting killer shots every time you fly

jmeyer — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:10:56 +0000

It’s always tempting to try and take aerial photos from airplane windows when traveling. Though it might seem like you’re quite limited in what you can do in this situation, there are a few ways you can ensure you get quality snaps. Below are our tips for getting killer photos from airplane windows every time you fly.

You usually get the best views in the final phase of the flight, when approaching your destination. Do a bit of research in advance and, as far as possible, find out the flight plan.

You’ll then be able to work out the direction in which you’ll be flying and the time of day, so you can book a window seat on the best side of the plane.

Jet airliners are fairly free of vibration, but this isn’t the case with smaller propeller planes and helicopters. Sensor-shift or optical image stabilisation can help to eliminate camera shake and give you sharper shots.

Even so, it’s best to use a fairly quick shutter speed of 1/250sec or faster when taking photos from airplane windows.

The speed at which the ground is passing below you will appear to increase dramatically at lower altitudes, and especially when coming in to land – at which point 1/500sec is a safer bet.

An aperture of around f/8 to f/11 usually yields the best quality results in photos from airplane windows so, if lighting is fairly dull, increase your camera’s sensitivity (learn when to increase ISO settings) setting to enable the best balance of aperture and shutter speed.

To avoid unwanted reflections, position the front of the lens as close and parallel as possible to the window.

Finally, don’t rest the lens against the window, as this can increase the risk of camera shake as well as blurring from mirror-bounce when using an SLR.

Photo Ideas: create a fake aerial photo of a city square

jmeyer — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:43:52 +0000

Image copyright Adam Magyar

Are you looking for interesting, new photo ideas to try out? Here’s one you can try in your local town centre.

Fine-art photographer Adam Magyar wanted to capture aerial shots of a city square from a great height, but the perfect location didn’t seem to exist. Without a city to help him, he decided to make a composite photo.

“I knew what image I wanted,” he says, “but no city had what I wanted to see. That’s when I decided to create that image.”

Image copyright Adam Magyar

Adam’s artificial aerial images are assembled from hundreds of photos. Each person in the picture passed by the same spot on a walkway at different times, and they were shot from a pedestrian bridge just a few metres above. “The key to creating the illusion,” Adam says, “is the precise creation of perspective.

“To achieve this, the shots had to be taken from various angles, so I made sketches and measurements of how much I had to move between the shots. The larger the difference between the angles, the lower the optical height will be in the resulting image.”

To do it yourself…

Step 1
Find a bridge over a busy walkway. The path below needs to be clean and uniform, or stand-out defects will be revealed as a pattern.

Step 2
Identify a target, then mount a camera on a tripod and position it so that it’s pointing down at 90°. Aim the centre crosshair at the target.

Step 3
Zoom in so that the passing pedestrians fill the frame, and shoot them as they pass below.

Step 4
Move the tripod to the left (and later to the right) by a few inches and shoot again, altering the camera angle to aim at the same target.

Step 5
Repeat the process several times, then combine all of your shots in Photoshop.

Or, for a visual guide of how he did this, check out the videos below from his presentation to the Society for Photographic Education conference in Atlanta last year.

How to create a fake aerial photo, part 1 on Vimeo.

How to create a fake aerial photo, part 2 on Vimeo.