Category Archives: Photography

Alaska 2011, a set on Flickr.

My latest visit to Kiawah Island was another great opportunity to do some Night Photography. This time I explored other locations besides just the beach itself. I also experimented with different angles and got a chance to use my new multicolored LED flashlight.

Night Photography at Kiawah Island 2011, a set on Flickr.

This is my third night photography attempt at Kiawah Island and I incorporated all of the lessons learned from the previous outings.

I branched out from my previous attempts by incorporating my light figures into the natural surroundings of Kiawah Island. I also visited many different locations than before adding a little more variety to the images.

Most images were shot with a 90 to 150 second exposure at night with no light except for the (almost) full moon.

Night Photography at Kiawah Island 2010, a set on Flickr.

This is my second night shoot on the beach at Kiawah Island, SC. I learned some good lessons from my first attempt and applied them this time around. Primarily, I paid closer attention to my focus this time and it made all the difference.

All of these images are created using a technique called “light painting” where you leave the camera shutter open while you “paint” in the air with a flashlight. It’s a very inexact process to say the least and the results can be very unpredictable.

Lessons learned on this shoot:
1) Place your camera bag outside well before shooting to avoid lens fogging.
2) Always keep your lenses clean to avoid lens flare.

Night Photography at Kiawah Island 2009, a set on Flickr.

Here are some of the best pictures from our 2009 trip to Europe:

Europe 2009, a set on Flickr.

I’ve started to develop a big interest in night photography. After reading as much about it as possible, I’ve made several excursions into the night to see what I could do. Below are the best images from these early attempts.

Taking pictures in the dark makes you approach photography in a different way. It can be difficult to compose your shot because you can barely see what your shooting. Also, you almost always have to manually focus.

I find night photography to be very relaxing so far. Since exposures can last up to five minutes long (or more), I’m forced to slow down and pay more attention to my surroundings in a way that I never would otherwise.

Night Photography – My First Attempts, a set on Flickr.

Here’s a few selected pictures from our recent transatlantic cruise on the Norwegian Gem.

Transatlantic Cruise 2008, a set on Flickr.

Here are some pictures from my trip to Montserrat.

Montserrat 2003, a set on Flickr.

Here are some pictures from my trip to Antigua.

Antigua 2003, a set on Flickr.

What is Kite Aerial Photography?
Kite Aerial Photography (or KAP to save bandwidth) is the eccentric quest to photograph the world from a birds perspective. By pulling a camera (one your not too attached to) into the sky using the lift of a kite, you can discover a whole new world of photographic opportunities.
Some KAPers are photographers who just want to try something new, some are kite enthusiasts who want to see what it looks like from their kite’s perspective. I came from the photography camp and found out about KAP totally by accident. While doing a WWW search for some photography information, I found Charles Benton’s KAP site and thought it was pretty much “out there” (no pun intended). I thought “I must do this!”, the Gods sang, the clouds parted, the vision was complete.My Experiences So Far

Well, so far, my first KAP attempt has taught me many things such as:
- Humility
- Patience
- Your face will sunburn quite unevenly when you stand facing the same direction for three hours

My first step was to buy a suitable kite. I ended up with a basic Box Delta (picture to come soon). Taking advantage of all the days where it was both windy and not prohibitively cold, I took the kite up a few times and managed gain some confidence that I wouldn’t end up like Charlie Brown with a wrecked kite wrapped around my head. I bought a camera mount, a mechanical timer and a disposable camera (with an emphasis on disposable camera!)

The first few runs were slow and clunky, but I got into the groove after some practice. The main problem to solve now is blurry pictures (See below). The kite (and therefore the camera) tends to whip around enough to cause an unacceptable amount of blur. Possible solutions I’m considering are:

- Using O-rings and dowels above and below the camera mount to absorb line vibration.
- Using faster film (800 speed Kodak disposable camera)
- Using my old compact automatic camera (assuming it will have a faster shutter speed)
- A more stable kite

The Photographs

These photographs turned out ok…

the rest came out VERY blurry.

My Equipment:

Kite: Box Delta
Camera Mount: A basic aluminum mount purchased from “Into the Wind”
Camera: Fuji Disposable (currently)
Timer: KPT dethermalizing mechanical timer

More Information
Charles Benton’s KAP site - The largest source of KAP information on the web.

Kite Aerial Photography 1999, a set on Flickr.