This incredible London flyover footage, taken by aerial photographer Jason Hawkes, shows the huge city in a way most of us haven’t seen before. Through Mr. Hawkes’ lens you begin to grasp the true scale of the soon-to-be Olympic city; including some beautiful dusk shots of the Shard, which is now the tallest building in Europe.
Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz wasn’t far off when he said that the video could very well be part of Tron Legacy or Blade Runner.
(via Gizmodo)
If you happen to have $600+ just lying around (who doesn’t?) and are looking to take photos from a whole new vantage point, then Event38′s E382 Aerial Mapping Drone may be worth looking into. The $600 starter kit includes the plane, motor, speed controller, and the ArduPilot Mega 2.0 autopilot system to handle all of the pressure, GPS and flight data. Read more…
Alex MacLean is a Massachusetts-based photographer and pilot who uses his dual interests to create epic aerial photographs.
Alex MacLean has flown his plane over much of the United States documenting the landscape. Trained as an architect, he has portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids, recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes. His powerful and descriptive images provide clues to understanding the relationship between the natural and constructed environments.
Read more…
Cinematographer Tom Guilmette has a simple way you can shoot your own aerial shots if flying kites or RC planes/helicopters isn’t for you: fill up a large number of helium balloons, attach a camera to them, and send it high into the air attached to a fishing pole. Guilmette attached a GoPro HD camera to 30 balloons, and was able to get some remarkably smooth footage from 400+ feet in the air. Be warned though… doing this in high winds or near trees can be risky business.
Forget complicated kite photography kits that actually require skill. UK-based industrial designer Matthew Clark has a fun solution for taking photographs from high up: the Aeriel Capture camera.
This concept camera has a 3 foot balloon built into the back of the camera itself, and has a 20 meter chord that doubles as the shutter release. Photographs are taken by simply flipping a switch in the hand reel.
The idea is great in that it would allow anyone to easily take some aerial shots of an event without wind or fancy aerial vehicles. The downside to the idea is that you need to have helium on hand to get it floating.
If this was on the market for a low enough price (i.e. $20), do you think it’d be a useful camera to have around?
Aerial Capture (via Wired)
P.S. For those of you technically inclined, here’s a tutorial for how to actually build a balloon cam.
