RE: Aerial Photography?

["Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've done aerial photos for a long time; mostly architecture and
development related, as that is my business. I use 35mm to 4x5, with Mamiya
645 being my preferred compromise. It handles well, has good lenses in the
range I use mostly (55 to 150mm), and with the inexpensive inserts I can
load up as many beforehand as I want, and reload in flight in seconds. I
rented a Kenyon stabilizer a few times; I find I only need them under
certain conditions, all involving helicopters.

Most of my photography is done from small fixed wing planes for about $80US
an hour. In an hour I can shoot about 6 sites in and around Vancouver,
using about 3 or 4 rolls of 120 per site. I can get as low in a small plane
as in a single engine helicopter around here (don't ask the cost of twin
rotor helicopters), and I can get more done in an hour. Also, as noted
above, I sometimes have vibration problems in a helicopter, which I don't
have in a small plane.

I tape up the focussing ring and aperture ring on the lenses with Gaffer
tape, and shoot on automatic with neg film, or a comination of auto and
manual on transparency, usually around 1/500s. This gives me results that
are often blown up wall size. Also for billboards, but that is not
technically as demanding as wall size that viewers walk right up to.

If you get a helicopter, take care! About 12 years ago, I was taking a lot
of pictures of a local bridge under construction, and the government
chartered a helicopter (I forget what model) for me for some shots. I was
sitting in the back, with a bulkhead between the pilot and myself. The
doors had been left at home, and I had my camera bags attached to a spare
seatbelt. As we got close to the site, and the pilot started banking and
turning, I noticed that the seat felt loose. I was not fastened! The
previous job the helicopter had been on had involved cargo, and the seat
had been taken out, and not refastened. So here I was, trying to shoot the
bridge construction while the helicopter was banking, and not only did I
have to hold onto my camera equipment, but also the seat I was sitting on!
Fortunately, the seatbelts I was using were fasted to the frame and not
just the seats.

Another caution. Often the client's rep wants to come along for the flight.
Make sure they have a tough stomach. Many have gotten nauseous. When I take
photos from a small Cessna, I use handsignals to the pilot to direct him,
as I don't want the extra wires from the headset when I'm using a number of
different cameras. I then get him to fly in a square, with as sharp turns
as possible. When he is flying flat is when I can take pictures; if I need
the horizon, I get him to raise the wingtip a bit. I can't usually take
pictures and plan the route properly if he is in a slow smooth turn. Smooth
isn't necessary; precision is. Also, sometimes if I want to shoot straight
down, I have him fly in a sharp spiral, and then we can hit our own
backdraft every few seconds. Not for the weak of stomach. Once a client in
the backseat threw up on the pilot, and the pilot really had to concentrate
for a bit to get things back under control. The other thing with clients in
the plane is that the plane is not as responsive, and the shoot often takes
longer. Leave the client on the ground, or charge more.

I enjoy it a lot, and try to get up often. Nothing finer, on a nice clear day.


   *            Henning J. Wulff
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