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randomunicorndream · 7 years

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The Future of Aerial Photography

For my essay I am going to be researching the history and potential future of aerial photography and videography.

BEGINNINGS:

There is a bit of controversy as to who actually took the first aerial photograph however it seems to be generally accepted that the first aerial image was taken by a French man by the name of Gaspard-Felix Tournachon who was more commonly known as Nadar. He was a photographer and balloonist and had patented the idea of combining the two for mapmaking and surveying in 1855. Because of the necessity of a dark room and chemicals to be carried in the balloon with him it wasn’t until 1858 that he successfully took an aerial photo. The image that he took was of the town of Petit-Becetre in France using a tethered balloon. It is difficult to establish exactly the type of balloon Nadar used for his first aerial photographs however there seems to be clues from the initial problems he had. To overcome problems of the movement of the platform Nadar only flew in calm weather, he made sure the balloon was fully inflated (to ensure the tether was taut) and he used a high shutter speed. Despite this, initial attempts resulted in black sooty images. This was traced to the fact the photographic plates were being contaminated by hydrogen gas from a pressure relief valve. This suggests the balloon was a hydrogen balloon which fits with his later use of a giant gas balloon nicknamed Le Geant (The Giant).

The earliest image that survives today is an image of Boston from a hot air balloon taken by James Wallace Black in 1860. Following the development of a more advanced photographic process there was no longer the need to carry as much equipment in the aircraft and the first non-tethered balloon photo was taken in 1879.

As improvements to the photographic technology came about this made it easier to get cameras into the air. Apart from hot air balloons, early adopters of aerial photography also used rockets, kites and pigeons. E.D Archibald was one of the first to get an aerial photo from a kite in 1889.

Bavaria was the first country to carry out aerial reconnaissance. They designed a small breast mounted camera that was fitted to homing pigeons. The camera was designed to take exposures every 30 seconds. (International, 2017)

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE MOVIES:

The first documented motion camera to be mounted to a heavier than aircraft was done by Wilbur Wright (of the Wright Brothers) During the filming of “Wilbur Wright und seine flugmaschine” (Wilbur Wright and his flying machine along with the help of French production company Eclipse on 24 April 1909. (arte, 2014). These images, while very shaky, were revolutionary as they marked the beginnings of aerial cinematography and a huge industry. The film was only three and a half minutes long. The actual aerial footage is very minimal. The framing shows spars and a control surface of the aircraft but this gives the viewers a sense of time and place. The video was taken near Rome and shows open rural areas with some impressive architectural features (such as aqueducts) and people on horses below which help give a sense of scale and elevation. Whether on purpose or by necessity the footage is only taken from a few dozen feet high. I believe this to be done on purpose for the ground based camera which was trying to capture the aircraft as it flew by. Whilst primitive by today’s standards you can sense what a ground-breaking era this was. Both the filming and flying were such stunning new technologies as to be the equivalent of inventing a time machine nowadays.

The Shining:

The opening scenes from “The Shining” uses a Spectral camera with wide angle lens carried through the mountains of Mount Hood in Northern Oregon, America by a helicopter. The camera follows a car deep into the wilderness giving a sense of separation from normal society (and possibly salvation). The scene starts of in stunning forest type terrain with lakes and colourful trees and rock formations. This eventually gives way to more monotone and snowy bleak surroundings. This adds to the sense of moving away from the pleasantries of normal life.

Whilst the helicopter has the ability to fly both close and high above the scenery the swooping shots, by today’s standards seem somewhat lacking in fluidity. This is likely because of lack of stabilisation technology and the fixed focal length of the camera. The quality of the footage, in terms of the detail, is a fraction of what is available on most family televisions today. At the time the ability to do this sort of sequence was a very useful tool for a director such as Kubrick.

Triumph of the Will:

Triumph of the Will (a propaganda film for Hitler) was released in 1935. It starts out with shots of clouds (a Leni Riefenstahl trope) from the inside of a Junkers JU52/3m, a German tri motor transport aircraft used by Hitler from 1933 through world war 2 (Wolfgang Wagner, 1996), the aircraft then descends through the clouds to reveal the city of Nuremberg. “The cruciform shadow” of the Junkers JU52/3m can then be seen passing over thousands of Nazi supporters marching through the streets. After this there is a full view of the Junkers from another aircraft flying nearby.

The footage from above the clouds shows that they are trying to say that they are able to own the sky and that their technology was far superior to that of the allies. When you then see the orderly troops marching through the streets it shows that they are rebuilding their army stronger and bigger than before. All the shots that contain troops have the screen filled from side to side with the columns of troops there are never just a few troops wandering. The shots of the city of Nuremberg show what a fantastic city they have and that they will not be oppressed by the allies. This was designed to provoke a terrific sense of patriotism in the German people and get them to want their country back after what they considered years of oppression. In light of what was to come this is now quite chilling to watch.

The Revenant:

The Revenant contains a lot of stunning aerial shots of the wilderness including mountains on either side of the shot with Leonardo Dicaprio near the centre looking miniscule compared to the environment. This shot is done with a Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil (helicopter) with a large stabilised camera unit on the nose of the aircraft. The quality of the video, both in terms of vibrancy, artistic flow, detail and stability is far superior to the previous films mentioned. It shows just how far the abilities have come but also emphasises that aerial videography needs to be used in the correct context. Here it is used to show the enormity of a challenge, the daunting task ahead and the power of one mans will over the seemingly impossible.

It could well be tempting to over use aerial camera shots especially as it is easier than ever to achieve them using more readily available modern filming methods. I believe that quality still counts, especially in the art of story-telling and using aerial shots without careful thought could detract from the power they potentially have. The development of more sophisticated remotely controlled platforms and highly capable smaller camera set ups is however incredibly advantageous in the field of documentary making and can supply previously unobtainable shots of wildlife and inaccessible areas.

PLANES:

Pilatus Porter PC-6: A high wing, turboprop, taildragger, STOL aircraft first flown in 1959. The cost in 1962 was $55,000 ($1,900,000 2010). It has a top speed of 131 knots (approx 151mph). A very capable aircraft that may require a more experienced pilot but consequently has the potential to be more versatile.

Cessna 182: A high wing, single engine, tricycle landing gear, light aircraft introduced in 1956. The cost of a 2016 version is $470,000. It has a top speed of 143 knots (approx 165 mph). A very stable and useful aircraft that most pilots would be capable of flying offering a stable camera platform with high wings meaning that there isn’t anything to get in the way of the camera.

Pros:

High speed: Able to chase for long distances at high speed

Stable platform: Enables camera to be steady

High weight lifting capability: Can easily carry high quality cameras and operating crew.

CONS:

Can’t Hover: Limited to fast moving shots or chasing other vehicles/ aircraft.

HELICOPTERS:

Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil: A single engine, turboshaft aircraft that was introduced in 1993. It has a top speed of 155knots (178mph). The cost is approx. $2,300,000. A very capable and versatile machine that can take multiple passengers that is a mainstay of emergency services. It is however expensive to purchase and run but with a performance marginally better than basic light aircraft.

Robinson R44: A single engine enclosed cabin aircraft that was first flown in 1990. It has a top speed of approx 130 knots (150 mph). The cost in 2011 was $425,000. A much more basic two bladed aircraft capable of carrying at least 4 people in total. It has a more historic appearance and less sophisticated avionics but at less than a quarter the price it may be a more realistic option unless budget is of no concern.

Pros:

Can hover in place: Can be used as a form of extreme camera crane to get elevated shots

Steady platform: Enables camera to be steady

Capable of lifting large camera set up: Can carry virtually any rig including gimbals and stabilisation.

Cons:

Potentially more dangerous: Potential danger when boarding and exiting aircraft. Also less able to deal with engine failure than a plane.

DRONES:

Pros:

Small: Can get into relatively small areas to get interesting shots.

Inexpensive: Less cost to the production per day so more opportunity to get the shot right

Less dangerous: Less danger than manned aircraft as there is no person on-board

Cons:

Requires a skilled and experienced operator

Limited load: Requires the use of gimbal for stabilisation and often smaller camera systems.

Limited flight time: A professional drone may have a maximum flight time of 45 minutes but most have a limited of around 25 at this time.

THE FUTURE OF AERIAL VIDEOGRAPHY:

The future of aerial photography will likely see larger, safer and longer endurance drones. This would enable them to more or less completely eliminate the need for helicopters as they would be able to carry the same equipment that a helicopter would. The camera technology will also improve a vast amount very quickly both in terms of video quality and the size of the cameras themselves. This will enable drones to capture even more stunning footage. Aerial camera systems are already able to hols steady to within 1 cubic centimetre as well as return to the exact same cubic centimetre time after time. This makes it easy to keep continuity of positioning. Propeller and motor companies will also likely develop quieter power systems and propellers which will enable drones to get closer to subjects such as animals without scaring them away with the sound. This would allow the study of animals far more in depth than has been achieved before as it would allow the animals to do what they would normally do without being disturbed. We can also expect the future of aerial videography to involve highly automated drones that are able to follow three-dimensional pre-determined flight paths where the operator will then be controlling the movement of the camera rather than the drone and the camera. There will also likely be very advanced “follow me” type drones which will be able to follow people without crashing into anything even if it the object isn’t directly in front of it. There are already automated subject tracking systems available such as the Soloshot. The Soloshot can track multiple subjects and is available at a price that makes it available to most people. The technology from systems such as this will most likely eventually find their way into drone systems. This will help reduce the number of crew needed to do aerial and high quality shots which will in turn lower the cost of producing high quality films.

Bibliography: International, P. (2017) History of aerial photography - professional aerial photographers association Intl. Available at: http://professionalaerialphotographers.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=808138&module_id=158950 (Accessed: 6 February 2017).

In-line Citation: (International, 2017)

Bibliography:

arte (2014) Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine. Available at: http://cinema.arte.tv/de/wilbur-wright-und-seine-flugmaschine (Accessed: 6 February 2017). In-line Citation: (arte, 2014)

History of Aerial Photography - Professional Aerial Photographers Association Intl. 2017. History of Aerial Photography - Professional Aerial Photographers Association Intl. [ONLINE] Available at: http://professionalaerialphotographers.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=808138&module_id=158950. [Accessed 09 February 2017].

Wolfgang Wagner, 1996. Hugo Junkers. Pionier der Luftfahrt - seine Flugzeuge.. Edition. Monch (Bernard & Graefe Verlag GmbH & Co. KG.

Flicks And The City Clips. (2016). The Revenant Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes - Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Alejandro Iñárritu. [Online Video]. 17 January 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSiNDcOoay8. [Accessed: 27 March 2017].

Harro Ranter. 2017. ASN Aircraft 22-MAY-2014 Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil C-GLHZ. [ONLINE] Available at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=166491. [Accessed 31 March 2017].

Aerial Filming | Helicopters & Drones From Flying TV. 2017. Aerial Filming | Helicopters & Drones From Flying TV. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.flyingtv.co.uk/. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

The Future of Aerial Videography | Aerial Videography Using Drones | Peachpit. 2017. The future of Aerial Videography | Aerial Videography Using Drones | Peachpit. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2454872&seqNum=8. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

Journal of ART in SOCIETY. 2017. The adventures of Nadar: photography, ballooning , invention and the Impressionists f - Journal of ART in SOCIETY. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artinsociety.com/the-adventures-of-nadar-photography-ballooning-invention--the-impressionists.html. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

Wikipedia. 2017. Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine (film) - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Wright_und_seine_Flugmaschine_(film). [Accessed 18 April 2017].

Wikipedia. 2017. Pilatus PC-6 Porter - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-6_Porter. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

Cessna 182 Performance Information. 2017. Cessna 182 Performance Information. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.risingup.com/planespecs/info/airplane263.shtml. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

Wikipedia. 2017. Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_AS350_%C3%89cureuil#Specifications_.28AS350_B3.29. [Accessed 18 April 2017].

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