The how-to of my favorite brand of photography

Aerial photography primer

Downtown Chicago from the air.  A tragedy that Meigs Field was destroyed, as images such as these could be seen on approach once upon a time.

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Oh, how I love aerial photography.  It is my full intention to get a few shots from a Cessna 172 this Thanksgiving break in preparation for my final project.  With a family full of pilots and Thanksgiving spent on Nantucket, I fully intend to capture as much of the island's stunning natural beauty from above as my limited skills will allow.  This article gave me some tips as I prepare to shoot from above.

The author suggested the best platform for aerial photography is a helicopter, and that's plain to see.  With the ability to get down to lower altitudes, fly without a door, hover, and go slower without stalling make it simply the best aerial platform that exists.  However, they can be more difficult to obtain, and often times more expensive.  As far as fixed wing aircraft go, the Cessna 177RG Cardinal (RG designating that it is the retractable gear model) is recommended because of its lack of a wing strut and the fact that the landing gear won't be in the way of shots.

All the typical rules apply, perhaps some even more so.  Because of where the sun sits at midday, the terrain looks horribly flat when pictures are taken from the air at this time.  The magic hour produces the shadows necessary to truly appreciate the shape of the hills and rolling terrain of the island.

Vibration is the major obstacle to overcome when shooting from the air.  Perhaps if there is some way I can rent a gyro mount, which is the only way to properly capture video from above, I will try--but it seems like something that one would have a hard time getting their hands on unless they buy.  I have also been thinking about keeping my D40 that I recently purchased in the box (as my parents have said I could upgrade to a Canon Rebel as a possible birthday present if I needed something a little slicker) and getting a Rebel, which has better image stabilization qualities.