FAQ
What are the challenges in Aerial Photography?
How to prepare for aerial photography?
What kind of equipments to be used?
What kind of measure needs to be taken?

What is Aerial Photography?

Aerial photography means taking 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 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, where aircraft serves both as a photo platform and subject.

History of Aerial Photography

Aerial photography was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix
Tournachon, known as "Nadar", in 1858 over Paris, France. The first use of a motion picture camera
mounted to a heavier-than-air aircraft took place on April 24, 1909 over Rome in the 3:28 silent film short,
Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine.
The first special semiautomatic aerial camera was designed in 1911 by Russian military engineer —
Colonel Potte V. F. This aerial camera was used during World War I.
The use of aerial photography for military purposes was expanded during World War I by many others
aviators such as Fred Zinn. One of the first notable battles was that of Neuve Chapelle.
With the advent of inexpensive digital cameras, many people now take candid photographs from
commercial aircraft and increasingly from general aviation aircraft on private pleasure flights

Aerial Photography: a timeline  

Balloon camera 1851 London “DaGUERROTYPOMANIE” type process
Kite Camera 1889 by Arthur Batut (Frenhman)
Pigeon Camera in Germany 1903 by Julius Neubronner
Rocket Camera 1903 by Alfred Maul
First Airplane Photograph taken in England in 1910 By Charles F.Shaw
First Photograph of Earth from 65 miles in 1946 by V2 Rocket