KAP - Kite Aerial Photography

I got started with KAP a couple years ago while searching the web for other options.  I wanted to take aerial photographs but was thinking more on the lines of a small hot air balloon.  Another thought was a radio controlled airplane or helicopter but that was a bit more investment than I wanted to play with.  It just might have been cheaper to do the helicopter. (Just kidding)  The first year I bought a 7 1/2' Delta-Conyne kit that worked well but needed a good wind to reliably get up.  Ok, I know what you're thinking, I had a little trouble getting it up that summer but let's not get sidetracked.  I bought a $50 Kodak camera to use just because it had an auto advance.  I used a radio from an old radio controlled race car we used to run while the kids were still at home.  Actually I think I used my son's radio.  It proved to be a bit frustrating as it would work good on the ground but when I got it in the air I didn't know if I was going to have any pictures when I brought the kite down or not.

That fall I got a 13 1/2 foot Seminole Delta-Conyne kite from www.intothewind.com  that worked really well but I still never knew if I was taking pictures or not.

Last year I bought a radio for a radio controlled airplane.  That worked much better.  It actually took pictures whenever you pulled the trigger.  Then the only problems left are making a rig that I can point the camera with the radio, going up and down and right and left.  

This year I bought a digital camera and although I've been having fun taking pictures I haven't yet made a rig for it.  My thought is that I want to make fairly crash proof as it cost me a bit more than the $50 I paid for my other camera.

Here's some kite pictures from just around the farm.  Click on them to see a larger Image.  As the summer goes on this year I sure hope to post some pictures that are of a bit more interest to people besides ourselves.