Anyone here do ground level aerial photography

TCR4x4

TCR4x4

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Tom
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That is aerial photography from a vehicle or otherwise, with a high mast??

Just been browsing various places and came accross a landrover for sale with a full aerial 20m pneumatic mast.
Ive been looking to buy a Landrover for a while, and this caught my eye. There is a real posibilty I wont be able to continue my current job after my operation in January, as it may just be too heavy and labour intensive to do after major surgery, so in the back of my mind Ive been thinking of what else I might be able to do should the worst happen.

Now I have no expeirience with this (I have little experience in anything bar my current job), but it sounds quite interesting, but I dont know how much of a demand there is for such a thing. I remember reading an article in a LR mag a while ago about someone who kitted thier Defender out with gear and was making a killing from it, photographing country mansions for high end estate agents and other clients who wanted aerial shots of thier property.

Even if it wouldnt be a profitable buisness, I reckon it would be quite fun to try, and the gear all packs up neatly inside and on top of the Landie, so you could use the landie as normal and just have the stuff there as and when you want it. It would certainly be good for some unique shots!

Anyone ever done this sort of thing, or know anyone who has?
 
I did come across something a while back where someone had hooked up a Canon 5D2 I think it was, to a helicopter and took shots from that. Better than a tall stick
 
Think a helicopter might be a bit beyond my monetary means though!
 
Some of the higher class estate agents use external photo's taken from a high elevation to capture the size of the property.

Steve
 
There was a thread somewhere on here a while ago where someone took shots with their camera up a mast - iirc it might have been in the transport section as they were of steam trains/stations.

It really did give a unique look to the picture - its amazing how different things do look when viewed from an unusual angle.

Sorry I cant find the thread, but you never know it might jog someones memory!

Oh, and good luck :thumbs:

Neil
 
There is a guy over here in guernsey that does exactly what you are saying, he seems to make a good living out of it, from like said estate agents and also architects who want hiugh imiges of their finished/built designs.

He is the only one over here so i guess he gets all the work.

No harm giving it a go seeing as you want to buy a landy anyways.

Good luck

spike
 
Interesting, thanks.
Certainly looks like a fun thing to play with.

Might be worth a punt anyway, if I dont like it, I still have a nice Landrover to play in.

I can imagine some nice shots of aircraft and vehicles using this method, similar to the train shots.
 
The possibilitys are endless when you really think of it, different perspective and all that.

spike
 
There was someone on here....maybe a year or so ago who did a lot of this sort of stuff and iirc upgraded his kit and sold off his mast etc. I think he upgraded, may have given it up can't remember.

Not the most useful post I have ever made :(
 
What about a radio control helicopter, some crazy stuff been filmed from them that I've seen recently.
 
I cant go greenlaning in an remote controlled heli though, lets face it the photography thing is just a convient way of convincing myself to buy a Landrover!! :lol:
 
Jimmy_Lemon said:
There was someone on here....maybe a year or so ago who did a lot of this sort of stuff and iirc upgraded his kit and sold off his mast etc. I think he upgraded, may have given it up can't remember.

Not the most useful post I have ever made :(
Click to expand...

I remember that... I think he had it on a Land Rover - IIRC he sold the whole thing, or at least had it for sale in the classifieds here.
 
They guy has just sold the mast system seperately :'(

Oh well, something to keep in mind for the future anyway.
 
andephotographic said:
What about a radio control helicopter, some crazy stuff been filmed from them that I've seen recently.
Click to expand...

I fly them. Wouldn't fancy putting a camera on one and keeping it steady.

There's an company in Swindon does mast photography so might be a bit of competition in the area?

Good luck with the op.
 
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have seen someone using a carp fishing pole for this type of photography
also seen a kite used as well and the pics were amazing
 
I was away for the week but they had some event at work and when I came back off my holls I had a look through the photos that some guy had took.

He'd done some aerial ones which the one guy I work with said he used a mast from a vehicle to take them.

Really impressive photos... adds an unusual view to the set of photos
 
Costs about £4500 for the kit the Landie had on it, that was without the remotre control head, camera, extended USB cables and laptop though.
The landie was priced at £8500 for a 1998 110. Which in itself wasnt a bad price. He's now sold the kit seperately and has the landie up for £4500.
 
We've used a guy in the midlands (will remember his business name at some point) to shoot some aerial images from a mast for our annual Evesham festival. They look great and aside from the catch and crowd shots I do, they've been the most used images because they show so much and have so much impact. I think he was doing a decent business doing events and property so there was obviously a demand :)
 
TCR4x4 said:
Costs about £4500 for the kit the Landie had on it, that was without the remotre control head, camera, extended USB cables and laptop though.
The landie was priced at £8500 for a 1998 110. Which in itself wasnt a bad price. He's now sold the kit seperately and has the landie up for £4500.
Click to expand...

£8.5k??

How about this for £1,000 less (HGV licence aside):

http://www.mod-sales.com/vehicle/search/14692/Bedford.htm

Think of the set up you could have with that, including on-board geny's, working cabin/studio, the complete solution on site!!!
 
If I had somwhere to store it I'd love that! I have HGV so mo issue there. Surprisingly easy to drive aswell, one of our old tankers was similar to that.
 
A lot of commercial estate agents use the ariel tog as well, you can get an industrial estate into one shot then, or a large building/large site all on the front of the brochure.
 
Hmm interesting. They look like they do a lot of large scale developments. I wonder if thats thier primary market or if they also do ther smaller scale stuff like estate angency stuff for individual properties?

They also have UAV's, bit out of my leauge!
 
We have a company doing this nearby ( St Nicholas at Wade in Thanet, Kent) He uses a Discovery with the mast in a long black locker on the roof. He says business is reasonable at the moment. Looks like an interesting thing to get into, with the right sort of advertising.
Allan
 
TCR4x4 said:
That is aerial photography from a vehicle or otherwise, with a high mast??

Just been browsing various places and came accross a landrover for sale with a full aerial 20m pneumatic mast.
Ive been looking to buy a Landrover for a while, and this caught my eye. There is a real posibilty I wont be able to continue my current job after my operation in January, as it may just be too heavy and labour intensive to do after major surgery, so in the back of my mind Ive been thinking of what else I might be able to do should the worst happen.

Now I have no expeirience with this (I have little experience in anything bar my current job), but it sounds quite interesting, but I dont know how much of a demand there is for such a thing. I remember reading an article in a LR mag a while ago about someone who kitted thier Defender out with gear and was making a killing from it, photographing country mansions for high end estate agents and other clients who wanted aerial shots of thier property.

Even if it wouldnt be a profitable buisness, I reckon it would be quite fun to try, and the gear all packs up neatly inside and on top of the Landie, so you could use the landie as normal and just have the stuff there as and when you want it. It would certainly be good for some unique shots!

Anyone ever done this sort of thing, or know anyone who has?
Click to expand...

I have a 26m Peumatic mast which we use occasionally... Came with the van I use...never really had time to persue the elevated side of things.

Here are some examples of other peoples EP websites.

http://www.cornish-elevated-photography.co.uk/mainindex.html

http://www.elevatedcamera.com/

http://www.giraffephotography.com/

http://www.photo-elevate.com/

http://upliftingphotography.fotopic no longer in use

Do your homework before contemplating it as a business venture...

Probably better to compliment your other photographic outlets
 
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Hi Tom,

My bag, as it were.

I do this full time and I would say before you try it as a full time business think hard of your expenditure. I would not describe it as making a killing!

Mast photography is hugely weather dependent, both in terms of the conditions and what the client wants. If you are looking at promo photos, which include the estate agents then they all want blue, sunny skies.
For what it's worth I have just shot the cover for Hampshire Life magazine January issue which required the snow. But that is not normal. It does of course depend on your client base.

I work for a wide range of clients but it has taken a long time to get to get to a position where people come to me. With estate agents I do offer interiors and normal exteriors and that extends to other clients where I offer various types of photography. They do not pay a great deal for elevated photos.

I often get emails from togs looking to sell their equipment, last year I got 6, this year I have seen 4. So think hard before spending your money. If you want the equipment as a hobby or for occasional commissions and you are happy with that then jump in but if you want to make a full time living, it's not easy and don't completely buy the 'you'll make a fortune' from anyone selling the equipment.

Elevated is a big part of what I do, I am not selling and plan to be around for a long time. Different people do have different approaches to the work which may influence you. It is not just about sticking the mast up and thinking that will do!

Feel free to ask questions !

Matt
 
Cheers Matt, usefull info there.
Im hoping it wont come to it, its depends how my op goes in Jan, but if it goes tits up, Im going to need somthing to do. The only reason I thought if this, is because I was looking for a Landrover and saw the one I mentioned with the kit all on it.

TBH, I pobably wouldnt buy a vehicle and then buy the kit seprately but If I saw a vehicle with at included again, I might get it just for the vehicle and see where it takes me. I wouldnt consider at this point making it into a full time thing.

Just an idea to be going on with should the worst happen. It probably wont ever materialize anyway.
 
No problem Tom,

Just another thought on the physical practicality, I have read your blog. Only you can know, or your surgeon, about what you can do after the surgery. The mast could need manhandling.

You can use a pneumatic mast with a compressor or a hand pump. You may have the compressor fitted and then that is your method but if it packs up, you resort to hand pumping. I use a 50' mast on the vehicle and half a dozen full extensions and you start to feel it! I tend to hand pump rather than use the compressor (there are reasons!)

It depends on the rig but a 20m mast might be portable. My 50' is 24kg and I often take if off the vehicle and deploy it on a tripod which also weighs 24kg. So if the location prohibits a vehicle, it's a carry job.

I know of one 20m mast which is 36kg. I have lifted it onto my shoulder and it would be doable but I am thinking if you have had back surgery will you be limited?

Of course you may say, vehicle only. Fair enough, but there is still mandhandling and with a LR/20m rig possibly climbing on top of the vehicle to prep the mast.

It might seem unimportant but I also use a 25' hand held push up mast. A lightweight option but, the wind magnifies the weight and repeated pushing up the mast with a head weight does strain the back and shoulder. A tog friend of mine also has a hand held but struggles with back issues and more often than not refers to me or factors me into his jobs. I say this really to just illustrate back issues.

IF you have restricted use or need to take care after having had the surgery, you don't want what would be an expensive lump of metal on the roof increasing drag and giving you 10mpg !!

I don't want to be a killjoy but I think it may be relevant.

Matt
 
thewtam said:
I don't want to be a killjoy but I think it may be relevant.

Matt
Click to expand...

Not at all. Its, stuff like that you only learn from people who do it. I hadnt even given it a thought to be honest. I presumed the masts went up on a compressor and came back down and foled away neatly on top of the vehicle.

I can imagine they weigh a fair bit. At the moment Im frequently lifting up to 70Kg, but I doubt Ill be able to do that for a long while, again, not something Id even considered.

Maybe I need to find something else!

Still want a landrover though! :lol:
 
Tom, you're right.

It does pretty much what you say. Fold it back, press the button, up it goes, pull the plug, down it comes. It's just all the other 'stuff'. Equipment failure. Wind. Peripheral equipment. If you need to guy rope it on tarmac you need 20kg weights. Three of them.

I know these weights are not horrendous, but with the back...

On another note...can you direct me to the advert?

I'd like so see the rig.

I don't use a Landrover (4x4 but not LR) but I am thinking of changing to one. Not yet though. Good time to buy a LR is in the Summer. Who is going to part with any 4x4 at the moment :lol:

Matt
 
The advert has gone now sadly, he has sold both the mast and the LR.

I stupidly sold my landrover 109 in august 2009. I have an Xtrail now which is ok, but no landrover. Saying that, a defender probably wont do the back a lot of good either!
 
Others have said defenders can be hard on the back. I test drove a 90 3 months ago for half a day, seemed OK. I normally cover a big chunk of the South so there are a lot of miles. Worries me a bit.
 
Im pretty sure it wont be any worse than the 109.
Ex army, huuuge tyres, no power steering, drum brakes.

landrover7.jpg


I also do about 200 miles a day in a LDV luton van, which is as comfy as being hit in the face with a brick repeatedly.
 
Wibble!!!!!!

The sound of those on the motorway at about 40-50mph is a thing of beauty!! :D
 
50?? whats this 50 that you speak of?? :lol:

My first trip in it, when I picked it up from the seller, coming up to a roundabout and an old dear was coming from the right, so I pressed the brakes to stop... Nothing, not even a hint of stopping. Poor dear almost had a heart attack as 2 ton of green landrover hurtled towards her. I had to drive back from Oxford to Gloucester like this, as I didnt have any spanners on me to crank the brake drums up.
That was an interesting journey.:eek:
 
50mph is best achieved going down the hill to the Amesbury roundabout on the A303, preferably with a following wind! Not something to be recommended with more than 10º of play in the steering! ;)
 
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