Kite Aerial Photography: Seeing the World from New Heights

Sometimes, pointing and clicking just isn’t enough.  Even the most amateur of snappers has experimented with camera angles and height – though most of the time the camera is only as high from the ground as the photographer's eye.  Not so the Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) enthusiast: they enable their cameras to reach for the sky with often spectacular results.

Image Credit Flickr User Pierre Lesage

Although it is not quite as simple as attaching your camera to a kite and hoisting it skywards, Kite Aerial Photography (we will call it KAP from here) has quite a history.  The first KAP pictures were taken in France in 1888 and the idea took off.  They may only have dreamed of this amazing picture of Mont St Michel (appropriately again in France), above, but their pioneering work paved the way for the amazing set of images you can see here. George Lawrence, one of the early pioneers, was able to take a picture of San Francisco after the earthquake which destroyed a large part of it in 1906. 

Dionosaur + Kites = Magic

Portsmouth's nineteenth International Kite Festival recently took place on Southsea Common. At first site the video about might seem like some sort of elaborat CGI hoax, but the combination of dinosaur and kite is for real.

The dinosaur, which goes by the name of Luna Park is the creation of artists Ivan and Heather Morrison. It is part of their current exhibition called An Unreachable Country: A Long Way To Go. The artists may not have envisioned the accompanying kites in their original concept. Yet the two disparate items go together quite uncannily - as if they were made for each other.

You can read more about Luna Park and how she came to be on Southsea Common in our original artlicle about her by clicking here.

Image Credit Flickr User bobfranklin

Image Credit Flickr User bobfranklin

The fliers, with uncanny accuracy managed to position the kites above, around and along the body of the giant creature. Amazing skill is involved in these manoeuvres which, when done in this sort of unison leaves the jaw somewhere at ground level while the kites soar.

Image Credit Flickr User bobfranklin

Of course, Luna Park took all of this in her stride. Perhaps if she is lucky then Southsea Common might become her permanent home. In fact her future is so bright, she has to wear shades.

We very much regret to inform you that on the night of 30 September 2010, Luna Park was destroyed by fire.  You can read about it HERE.

Kuriositas would like to thank Flickr User bobfranklin for his kind permission to use his marvellous photographs. Please take a visit to his photostream to see these and other wonderful photos.