Wooded Village

[GlennZilla]

Well most of them use the really big kites and give them a test flight or two with a matching weight that isn't a fragile camera. Most of the rigs I see are cheap disposable camera with a radio controlled remote or a timer.

I think the hard part would be getting a village to allow a stranger to fly a kite bearing electronics over thier rooftops.

Maybe I'm just still miffed at Boston for 1-31-07.

[Redrobes]

I'd do it for just trees I think. Thatched cottages are uncommon enough that it would be a great feat to get several via a kite. Trees though should be a little easier ! Your right that there is probably a law against it somehow. I suspect that there would be a law against breathing next to a wood. The UK seems to be slightly less fidgety than Boston I will agree but it has that same oppressive attitude to anything remotely unusual. Y'know there is a kite festival each year in the park not so far from here. They have some monster kites - power winch stuff 'n all - so maybe ill go there this year and have a chat to a few guys. I have been asking about people who fly balloons but I hadn't thought of contacting people who might have cameras mounted on kites. There must be some legit way to get a stack of tree photos. Dirty big rocket is what I need !

[pyrandon]

...Dirty big rocket is what I need !

Or a bottle of Wonka's Fizzy Lifting Drink!

[su_liam]

@Redrobes: Yeah, if they object to your big kite, whip out your 30-foot long LOX/gasoline rocket. That'll shut the whiners up.

@Pyrandon: If I'm going to risk my life actually flying up there, I'll take me a nice DSLR with big fat telephoto lens. OH YEAH!

If only I had $10,000.00 or so to spare...

[GlennZilla]

I thought about this a bit last night and called up a firend who flys R/C airplanes. He claims that I could mount a disposable camera under his plane and take photos by remote control.

He says that he's got to finish the large "parkflyer jet" he's been working on for a year now to carry the extra weight. If he gets it finished, I'll get us some photos yet.

(EDIT)

I am going to call my old boss that Oklahoma Water Resources Board. They used to take aerial photos of lakes and rivers. Maybe he's got some photos of the various trees in the state. They vary from scrub oaks only a few feet tall in the west and 70 ft pines in the east. Since you are after trees, I think I can manage to help out.

[Redrobes]

WOW

If you can get either of these options going that would be immensely useful and I and many others would be indebted. Its the permission to use and publish thats the key. If you take them yourself then thats not an issue but using stuff which other people think you should have to license or get permission is where the killer bit is because usually it takes special equipment like planes & balloons etc and, not surprisingly, they usually want a fee. Its the burden of retrospectively withdrawing permission that means that I wont use stuff unless it has a stated license term or a declaration on public domain. The majority of downloads from my site are creative commons which is a license that guarantees it stays free and sharable. Public domain is ideal but items declared as such have a strange habit of becoming not public domain any more.

[GlennZilla]

I talked to the boss at the Water Board, I think there's a difference between the altitude for a photo of a 5 mile wide lake and and 15 ft wide tree. They are all just specks of green.

My current boss goes flying with her son in a private plane, she'll she what she can do for us.

With either option I know I could get the creative commons license, no worries there. It's just a matter of logistics.

[su_liam]

Yeah, you know, 'cause weenies who object to little kites flying over don't at all mind being buzzed by light airplanes. Heehee. Pulling your chain, dude.

I would join Redrobes in indebtedness to anyone who can put out good tree and house freebies. Photographic or otherwise.

[Redrobes]

I talked to the boss at the Water Board, I think there's a difference between the altitude for a photo of a 5 mile wide lake and and 15 ft wide tree. They are all just specks of green.

Definitely, I have had a few friends and the odd family member do a hot air balloon flight. I tell them with fervent pleading to take some photos straight down. They take off from a field and pass over the odd tree maybe but you quickly gain enough height that the photos merge to a green cloth. Also the shots must be vertical straight down. You cant fix up angled pics. Ill post what I have, some are workable but less so that you might initially think. These are my best I have and I dont think they are good enough as they lack detail. I reckon the RC plane or the kite would be best with the right kind of altitude.

Edit: The last one is a bit surreal. If nothing else it gives great reference material for anyone wanting to draw trees from above ! These were taken April 2007 and whilst very grateful to the family member for trying with these I cant make a single tree icon out of them. As a texture it might work. Might have to push number two through the seamless tex creator script over in the tut section.

Edit 2: Added seamless tile of image 2

[pyrandon]

These are a good--no, a GREAT start! I am very excited about this! Go, Redrobes, go!