Tags: burning man burning man 2011 temple temple of transition Crystal Burning man 2011 tribe Jim bowers 1mileclock one mile clock lasers fire night flames burn tim black Arlen bodily marc Hertlein brad lindsay dan Pritchett
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This image was taken by a camera lofted by a kite.
Burning Man 2017, Radical Ritual, was a very, very hot year, even for Burning Man. Wind was mostly absent, and the stifling heat largely held reign as the predominent weather feature this year. Fortunately there were winds over the central plaza, where I was able to launch my kite and get in some photos of the art and of the huge expanse of the Black Rock Desert.
Camera and Kite information:
6' Rokkoku kite, with a Canon S90, and CHDK. Images were being taken every 3 seconds, the camera was attached to the kite using the Brooxes Simplex kit.
Tags: KAP Kite Aerial Photography burning man burning man 2017 playa black rock desert black rock city brc dust art man temple
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This year, unlike most years, I was unable to make it to the Blue Angels performance which occurs annually in Seattle as part of the Seafair festival. The performance takes place largely over Lake Washington, but the very last thing that the Blue Angles do is fly in formation in a big lazy loop around Seattle.
I knew this, and so even though I was home, I made my camera ready for the moment where they'd fly behind the space needle. I sat down and was working when I caught them out of the corner of my eye. I jumped up, grabbed my camera, ran outside onto my deck, and shot a series of approximately 10 shots total. Of all of them, this is the one that nailed the composition that I wanted. I'm very fortunate to have gotten this shot. (and thanks to all the fine people who have commented so far!) Like much of photography, you can occasionally get a lucky shot, but you can't get the lucky shot if you're not trying to be in the right place at the right time.
Tags: space needle seattle blue angels seafair
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Kite Aerial Photography at the Skagit Valley tulip fields. April 30, 2011. This image was taken by a camera lofted by a kite.
This image was taken during the last of the Skagit Valley tulip festival. The Skagit Valley, near Mt. Vernon, WA, is home to many large farms that grow and sell flower bulbs, including daffodils, tulips, and iris. The tulips bloom for only a few weeks, during which time the entire area is filled with crowds of people who come up from Seattle to see the fields, and participate in the festival activities in Mt. Vernon. I shot this image late in the day on a Friday, and had to convince the owners to let me park my car in the nearby empty field, as they were closing down for the day.
Wind conditions were the best I've ever had in 3 years of flying. Absolutely glassy smooth, I could put my camera exactly where I wanted it and it just stayed in one spot. A pure joy to fly.
This image was shot as part of World Wide Kite Aerial Photography Week, 2011
More information about the Skagit Valley and the tulip festival can be found here: www.tulipfestival.org/
Technical Details:
6' Rok Kite
Canon S90, using CHDK
Brooxes Simplex Rig
Tags: KAP Kite Aerial Photography skagit valley skagit valley tulip festival tulip
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Kite Aerial Photography at Burning Man 2014
This image was taken by a camera lofted by a kite.
As per normal, wind at Burning Man in 2014 was quite variable, at times the kite was pulling strongly, other times it was falling out of the sky. It makes me wish there were a way to tune my kite from the ground.
However, the shoot itself was a lot of fun. It was the first year I've been approached by the Temple Guardians, who asked me not to fly either the kite or the camera rig over the boundaries of the temple wall. So instead I moved on to a different subject for my heads-down shots.
Technical Details:
6' Rok Kite
Canon S90, using CHDK
Brooxes Simplex Rig
Tags: burning man burning man 2014 kite aerial photography KAP desert playa dust man temple temple of grace
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