RSSKite Aerial Photography Puts Your Eye in the Sky
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Subscribers—read this article now in your digital edition!To take pictures from a kite, you need three things: a kite, a camera, and a special rig that attaches the camera to the kiteline and activates the shutter button on the camera. Here's how to do it.
Source List
Most, if not all for the materials you need for this project are available at hardware, craft, and office supply stores. If you can't find a particular item, or plan to make a lot of rigs (for a class project or the like) the following sources could come in handy.
Our dampening agent, Silly Putty, is very similar to Dow Corning 3179 Dilatant Compound (silicone polymer). The first site links to a fact sheet on DC 3179 and is source for bulk purchase. A retail egg of Silly Putty™ contains 0.47 oz. and costs around $3.00 – that’s around $100 per pound. If you want to make a bunch of these rigs for a school project, you can buy a pound of DC 3179 for $21 delivered. Better yet, the Crayola site sells five pounds of the actual branded Silly Putty product for $60.
The National Balsa Company of Massachusetts, “Purveyors of Fine Balsa”, is a handy and inexpensive source for the basswood and plywood used in the project. They offer glues as well. $25 minimum order.
K&S Engineering are an ubiquitous source for small metal sections like the brass tubes used in our viscous timer – their compact Tube and Wire Center displays are tucked away somewhere in many hardware stores. A quick WWW search (K&S brass tube) will yield hundreds of K&S vendors.
Small Parts Inc. How can you resist an outfit that bills itself as “the hardware store for researchers and developers”? A comprehensive, if occasionally pricey, Small Parts, Inc. is a fine source for a myriad of high quality parts.
Microfasteners of New Jersey is a convenient source for the small machine screws and can provide all connectors for this project including the nylon bolts.
A search for low cost sources of the Kodak MAX single-use camera led to an old favorite – the mail order photographic supplier B&H Photo Video in New York.
Links
- Charles Benton's KAP website
As you might expect, the Web offers an abundance of KAP information. A good starting place is the site I maintain, which has a lot of basic information along with links to other KAP resources. - The Digital Encyclopedia of Kite Aerial Photography
Serves as an encyclopedia of sorts. This is the place to go to look for up-to-date KAP material. Announces new KAP sites, chronicles the KAP calendar, and offers a portal to KAP related posts on rec.kites and the discussion group of Notes on Kite Aerial Photography. - Kite Aerial Photography E-Resources
KAPER has discussions of equipment and technique. See, in particular, the impressive set of links to KAP-related resources on the web -- it is clearly the best I have seen. - Great Plains Kite Aerial Photography Site
Dr. Aber is a Professor of Geology in the Earth Science Department of Emporia State University. His interest in kite aerial photography has a practical dimension for his work applies remote sensing techniques toward the study of geology and geomorphology.
MAKE: Noise — Discuss this article
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Showing messages 1 through 3 of 3.
- My shot at KAP
Reply
Photos are at Flickr of my homebrew attempt at KAP in 1998 with a Sony Camcorder. I do wish I could find that piece of tape again.....
See the
MAKE group thread at flickr for my tale.
Posted by RBerteig on June 09, 2005 at 01:25:48 Pacific Time
- My shot at KAP
Reply
I don't understand how you controlled the lighting. or did you just not worry...Posted by Stanley1 on December 29, 2005 at 19:18:40 Pacific Time
- KAP remote controls
Reply
Hello All,
I enjoyed this article and the various photos from the feature, and will be attempting to MAKE this myself (Just bought the kite last week). I'd like to rig mine up with a Remote control to an older digital camera that I have. I'd appreciate any advice on where the best place to buy RC parts online would be. Is this also a good forum to post additional questions?
I have a concern about the "strength" or "torque" of a servo having enough pressure to depress the shutter on my digital camera... Are there different "strength" servos?
Thanks
CyenPosted by cyenobite on February 28, 2005 at 09:57:26 Pacific Time
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Showing messages 1 through 3 of 3. |
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