aerial photography

hello everyone

there are some ideas in my mind for overhead shots, many times i need to do such project but i dont have the right equipments for that , i was thinking of 2 solutions :

the first one which is camera crane , mainly used for videos but i want to use it to take overhead photos

the second idea i was thinking of is to have a remote control heli with camera mounted beneath it

does anyone experienced any of these ? is there any better solution ?

thanks

The problem with a small RC VTOL craft is going to be vibrations, weight limits, and accurate flying to get the shot you're looking for. Small, safe, and affordable units are going to lack the payload capacity to carry much of anything gear wise, and a steady platform for a sizeable DSLR and the gear to hold it steady for reliable shots is going to be large, powerful, and rather dangerous to have fall on someone's head.

Smaller lighter units can do the job, but you may find yourself doing a lot of retakes due to errors.

Depending on exactly what kind of shots and conditions you are working in, a tethered balloon may also be an option.

I second the tethered balloon or kite. Look up Kite Aerial Photography (or KAP).

As an owner of 3 remote control helicopters, I'm thousands of dollars into the hobby and still not satisfied with the results. You would have to spend $2000 just to get started, and you'd better know your way around electronics and RF/EMI troubleshooting.

If you're very curious, here's a link to get you started. You can spend less money, but you'll be doing a lot of the trial-and-error yourself. Not ideal when sending up possibly $4000 in camera gear.

http://www.mikrokopter​.us …axl-navi-radio-camera-kit

"Overhead photos" of what? Some guys use a long pole. MAST PHOTOGRAPHY/GROUND BASED AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Some...

Kite Aerial Photography

RC helicopter rig shots in post #17: Have any of you tried aerial photography for extra bucks?

(As there are people from all over the world on this forum i need to preface this post by saying this applies to the USA only. i dont know the regulations in other countries)

Do not do RC unless you are a very experienced pilot. And even if you are, don't do it for commercial purposes (FAA is still working out the laws on this) and if you still want to do it, make sure its nowhere near buildings, people, vehicles, other aircraft or other things that could get damaged when...not if...you crash. Check with your insurance as most charge a heavy premium for strapping a camera to a plane or heli. If you do it without insurance and damage something or kill someone, your life is going to change. (even with insurance your life will change)
I have flown rc for over 20 years and used to offer video and photo but legally I can't any more. I have been following the legislation very closely as I'd love to get into it again. They consider aerial photo/video to be a UAV that could be used for military purposes.

Balloons, cranes, lifts or hiring a "full scale" pilot and plane are the best bets but check to make sure your insurance covers this. Mine requires a seperate waiver.

I know there are tons of people out there doing this illegally but I'd rather wait til the law is settled than become part of the reason aerial photography and video gets banned altogether. Bottom line is be safe!

I used to do KAP hobby-wise, and it's fun, but kites / accessories get expensive, and you're always limited by the weather.. and I never did get the guts to use my SLR, it was always a P&S with CHDK set up via intervalometer. There are some setups with remote control rotations / panning, etc.. never tried it, but obviously you're still dependent on the weather.

I think the pole / crane idea has more merit and is probably the most cost effective.

You can't beat a cherry picker with an experienced operator on the controls. And your eye in the viewfinder!

I have been up at 20 meters (in a cherry pucker) and there is some movement, so a tripod is out of the question. Dusk shoots are problematic. I would stick to the daylight hours or early dusk.