GoRK's Journal: My Experiences with Kite Photography

Some of you may remember the article that Slashdot ran recently on Kite Aerial Photography. Many times I read about something cool thinking "oh hey that'd be a neat thing to get into," but never have I actually done anything about it until this time.

To make a long story short, my friends and I built a photography rig and got some kites large enough to lift it and have been flying and taking photos for a couple of months. It's a fun hobby that (for me anyway) blends the correct amount of technical wizardry with being outdoors in the sun. You start on almost any budget and there's always something new to try (video, stereo photography, panoramics, etc.)

I recently took the rig and kites with me on a trip to Hawaii and flew at a few locations on Maui. I am very proud of the shots, even though I'm by no means an accomplished kite flyer or photographer.

Please have a look at the website that I have put up with photos and info about what my friends and I are doing. There is a lot more that I intend to put up when I next get around to it. I'd be very interested to hear your comments. You can post here or there if you feel so inclined.

And, by the way, if you read the slashdot article and thought that kite photography would be a fun thing to try and have since forgotten about it, go back and DO IT. You will not regret it (unless maybe you drop a nice digital camera a few hundred feet like we did...)