Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The History Behind Aerial Photography Drones

By Elizabeth Hughes


Photographers have been taking pictures since the inception of the camera. In fact, there have been a number of manned aircraft used by the military to take pictures from the sky for quite some time. While this is the case, unmanned aerial photography drones are something new.

Only recently did photographers start using these drones in conjunction with taking pictures as part of a business or hobby. While this is the case, taking photos from the air is something that has been practiced since before World War I. As such, while the use of unmanned drones is something new, there have been manned flights with cameras used in art and military operations for years.

The history of taking photographs of this nature began in 1862 in France. For, the first aspect of aerial photography occurred when a French Artist and Balloonist took a shot of "Nadar, " in 1858 over Paris. As photographs from the time were lost, the earliest photograph of this nature is known as "Boston, as the Eagle and Wild Goose See It, " which was photographed in 1860 by Wallace Black and Samuel Archer King.

Kites, armed with cameras were later used to take pictures from the sky. In fact, a kite was one of the first the military used take capture pictures of enemies and offensive movements on the ground. Although, much more popular and associated with kites at the time was the publication of several post cards which were developed and designed from various images which the kites recorded while in flight.

Later, Samuel Franklin Cody developed an advanced war kite in which the British War Office became interested. After which, the first aircraft was equipped with a motion picture camera in 1909. The camera was then placed on an aircraft, at which time the camera filmed video shots over Rome, a film which became silent short film known as Wilbur Wright and seine Flugmaschine.

It was shortly before World War when taking pictures of the ground from air became popular. Before that time, while people had knowledge of the activity, most did not approve. Though, after aerial photography became useful in preventing a number deaths, it appears that the activity found more support from the general public.

While aerial spying is somewhat of a common occurrence by military aircraft and officials, doing so as an individual operator is often frowned upon. As a result, there are now laws related to different types of aircraft which have the ability to attach drones or other cameras in order to spy on buildings, people or other ground material. In most cases, those using these drones are good citizens who do not spy on others without permission. Whereas, most often, those working for the military, news reporters and others working in this area often have permission to do so.

With new laws related to height and locations in which these drones can be used, artists and hobbyists are now more limited. Before sending a drone up into the air with a camera or otherwise, it is important to check all laws and restrictions in the area. For, there are some instances that when flying within a range of a specific airport, building or location, that doing so could be considered a misdemeanor or felony, at least in the United States.




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