I was at a Lakewood High School football game the other night, and it suddenly dawned on me that they have a great system for doing aerial photography. They mount a camcorder on a stand that is then cranked up to the desired height (typical max height seems to be around 35′ or so). They put one in the end zone in order to get a high level view of how plays develop, but in a perspective that would be more useful for a player than the traditional sideline view. They also do a sideline view from the pressbox. None of this matters though, what matters is the pole.
I did a quick Google search for “end zone camera” and came back with a few good results. They all seem to be priced around $5000 or $6000 dollars. One company offers 5 year financing plans, as well as month to month rentals ($350/ month). If you can find a company that can tailor their product for still photography, then you might have a winner. Way more costly than a painters pole, but if you have the budget and really want to look ultra-professional (or use your DSLR tethered into Lightroom maybe), one of these might be for you. If you find something similar at a lower price point, let me know.
Aerial Photography – From a Pole
Aside from being completely inspired by David Tejada, I have been very interested in real estate photography. As in taking pictures for real estate flyers, websites, etc. I like to think I would have a good eye for this and that I would be able to help people sell their house faster, while also making some money on the side.
The other day I came across an interesting technique for getting an aerial photo of a property. I have seen plenty of things written about using a kite, a balloon of some sort, even an r/c helicopter to get a good picture. Had never though about using an extension pole. I should have. After all, I use one to hang Christmas lights on my very tall Douglas firs. It definitely gives me adequate reach. As the article I linked to explains, the investment is actually fairly small. And whether or not you want to risk your DSLR or use a less expensive point and shoot, there are options for you. Check out the article and see what it is all about. The comments afterward are pretty helpful too. Ad watch for a pole mounted aerial from me sometime in the near future.
By the way – the photo above was taken from the roof of a building, not a pole.