Aerial photograph

Aerial photography is the practice of capturing photographs from an elevated or direct-downward position. Typically, a camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or "drones"), balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, pigeons, kites, parachutes, stand-alone telescoping and vehicle-mounted poles.

History

The concept of aerial photography has been around since the 19th century, with the first successful aerial photograph taken by French photographer and balloonist, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, in 1858 over Paris, France. However, the photographs he produced no longer exist and the earliest surviving aerial photograph is titled 'Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It'. Taken by James Wallace Black in 1860, it is a photograph of Boston from a hot-air balloon.

Techniques

Aerial photography techniques include oblique, vertical, and orthophotos. Oblique aerial photography involves taking photographs from an angle to provide a sense of depth, while vertical aerial photography involves taking photographs directly downwards. Orthophotos are geometrically corrected ("orthorectified") photographs, which can be used to measure true distances, because they are an accurate representation of the Earth's surface.

Applications

Aerial photography has a wide range of applications in various fields such as cartography, land-use planning, archaeology, movie production, environmental studies, surveillance, commercial advertising, conveyancing, and artistic projects.

See also

• Photogrammetry
• Remote sensing
• Satellite imagery