Aerial Photography

Origins

Aerial photography is formally defined as photograph taking from an overhead viewpoint by using cameras that are mounted on an airborne tool such as a balloon, an aircraft, a kite, a skydiver and other similar tools. The art of aerial photography was first developed by Nadar, a French airman back in 1858. During the Second World War, aerial photography found a niche in military operations. Aerial photographs were used in spying and in the assessment of the battle ground. These photographs provided updated and realistic impressions of the topography and current situation in a certain area.

Uses of Aerial Photographs

There are many conceived and actual uses for pictures which are taken from above. Aerial photographs are actually used in the construction of topographic maps, in cartography, planning land use, archeology, production of movies, espionage, environmental studies, commercial advertising and in other fields.

The use of technology has also crawled into the field of aerial photography. Advances in radio technology has allowed for the use of aircraft models which are controlled by radio in the conduct of low-altitude photography. This is mainly used in advertising for the real estate business. This is because manned aircrafts are not allowed to fly low altitudes in populated locations. This task can be done by these radio-controlled aircraft models and they do the job very well.

Public Domain

Aerial photographs are considered public domain, because the pictures are taken from aerial views which are considered public places.

There are many ways to view aerial photographs on-line. One of the most popular ones is the Google Earth by Google. Google Earth provides satellite imagery as well as aerial photos of the planet. You can actually use the service to be able to search for different places in a certain area such as parks, restaurants, schools and hotels. It can also be used to be able to track down the best routes for reaching a certain location. You can also view the aerial photographs in different angles by tilting and rotating them.

These are some basic things about aerial photography. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, you can browse through some basic materials at the local library or use the Internet to get more information about it.