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About Aerial Photography
This article is mostly information copied from the Internet but some comes from first hand knowledge based on my experiences in the aerial photography business since 1980. I am a recently retired aerial photographer who now is the webmaster for the Aerial Photography Directory and the Aerial Photography Concierge Service. After reading this article, you are welcome to call or email me with your questions. Wherever you see “webmaster” on this site, you may click on it for my contact information.This article includes sections on:Basic Types of Aerial Photography
Client Usage of Aerial Photography
Finding the Location Site for an Aerial Assignment
Questions to Ask an Aerial Photographer
Terms and Explanations of Vertical Mapping-Type Aerial PhotographyBasic Types of Aerial PhotographyThere are three basic types of aerial photography, oblique (scenic), near vertical/satellite (map-like), and air-to-air. Each kind of photography provides its own perspective on the subject and/or view you wish to have photographed.Oblique aerial photography can be low, medium, or high. In highly populated metropolitan areas, the lowest an airplane may fly is 1000 feet above ground level (agl). Low oblique photos are taken with the camera inclined at around 45 degrees from vertical depending on how far away the photographer has to be to get everything the client wants in the picture. Medium oblique photos are taken with the camera inclined at around 30 degrees from vertical. Both low and medium oblique photographs are often taken from a high-wing airplane, helicopter, kite, or a blimp and have the following characteristics:
(1) Covers a relatively small area.
(2) The subject of these photos would give you a view similar to what you might see if standing on a tall building.
(3) No scale is applicable to the entire photograph and distance cannot be measured.
(4) Parallel lines on the ground are not parallel on these types of photography.
(5) Kites and blimps offer a quiet method of taking aerial photography. They are perfect for no fly zones.High oblique photos are taken with the camera inclined at around 10 degrees from vertical. They are taken from a high-wing airplane and/or helicopter and have the following characteristics:
(1) Covers a very large area.
(2) The subject of these photos would give you a view similar to what you might see on a commercial flight.
(3) The view varies from the very familiar to the unfamiliar, depending on the height at which the photo is taken.
(4) No scale is applicable to the entire photograph and distance cannot be measured.
(5) Parallel lines on the ground are not parallel on these types of photos. Oblique type photos are ideal for presentation views of your home and property. They have also been successful in helping with business advertising such as car dealerships to show quantity and selection of vehicles, real estate to show size and layout of homes and businesses, motels and resorts to show pools and other attractions, colleges to show size of campuses, movie locations to shoot scenes, natural landmarks which ground photos cannot encompass, etc.
Near vertical photographs are taken with the camera pointed straight down or nearly straight down. Near vertical type photos are taken from an airplane, helicopter or satellite and are ideal for mapping large real estate areas, such as lake front homes (to give a better idea of location of a home to where the water is) and City State planning needs (plotting housing and business developments). These type aerials are used to make all kinds of maps, to show geographical changes over time, define accurate land boundaries, golf courses, to assess damages from natural disasters, and of course, for military purposes.Satellite and/or near vertical aerial photographs can be useful resources for all kinds of people, from landowners, homeowners, travelers, vacationers, and commercial business owners to professionals like educators, architects, engineers, scientists, geologists, appraisers, movie producers, real estate agents, law enforcement personnel, investigators, general contractors, construction managers and litigators. These photographs can usually be obtained from the photographer or some City State government agency. Buying from stock saves you lots of money compared to having near vertical photographs from a custom assignment.Stock photographs can also be located by using the;
Air-to-Air Photography is almost exclusively photos of airplanes in flight. The photographer is in one plane, shooting pictures of another plane. Location of the sun, speed of the planes, altitude of one plane to another, etc. must be taken into consideration when doing air-to-air photography. Although information about other types of air-to-air photography seems to be non-existent, I have taken photographs of in-flight hot air balloons, flocks of birds in formation, skydiving jumpers, etc. and consider all of these air-to-air photography.
Client Usage of Aerial Photography
Oblique aerial photographs are generally used as artistic displays and promotional pieces and publications. The exception to this is construction progress aerials which are not generally used for promotional materials, but are photos intended to document the progress of the construction project for the owner of the development, either because the project is a government public work, a project owned by an out-of-state corporate entity, or a large national company that has facilities being built around the country and wants documentation of the development process. The general contractor and the architect are usually the only purchasers and the photographs become a visual "trail" for insurance purposes, a time progression assessment on the contractor, or as a requirement of the public building process. Who ever is in charge of paying the contractor and/or sub contractor often require construction progress photographs for proof of performance before contactor and/or sub contactor is paid. These pictures sometimes are also used for litigation.Depending on the eagerness of the photographer to promote his/her work, photos can be marketed to the sub contractors of building projects.
Finding the Location Site for an Aerial AssignmentProperties, bodies of water and buildings look very different when viewed from an airplane window. One of the first challenges an aerial photographer must meet is finding the correct location for the shoot. When I was preparing to photograph a site with an unfamiliar location, I would often search for a vertical photograph on the Internet to help me pinpoint the location. When feasible, I would sometimes drive to the location, mapping out major landmarks and highways to help me spot the site from the air. Hiring a local pilot, familiar with major buildings in the area, sometimes proved helpful. On some occasions, I would take the client with me when he or she proved knowledgeable about the location. If the site had been photographed from the air before, the old photo could also be helpful. Generally, the toughest locations to find and shoot are the ones in the country.
Questions to Ask an Aerial Photographer
Aerial Photography is not a regulated trade. Prices, quality, and services vary greatly. Smart consumers will ask the right questions to get the right answers. After you tell a potential aerial photographer the location of your assignment here are some questions you might ask before you hire the photographer.If I accept your bid, when do you think you can do this assignment with a good clear day and no cloud shadows?
If I accept your bid, when do you think you can do this assignment with an overcast day (or cloudy day with cloud shadows)?
(Cloud shadows make dark blotches on the picture or digital image so if this is a concern, be sure to specify you need the photo taken without cloud shadows.)How much money do you want for this assignment and please tell me in detail what I will get for this amount?What are your terms of payment?If I am not satisfied with your work will you reshoot the job at no additional cost?Are there other services you offer that are NOT included in your bid? What are they and what do they cost? Could any of these services be of real value to my assignment? How so?What are some of the purposes I may use the images for without paying you more money?If I paid you more money, what other purposes how else could I use the images?Do you supply paper proofs? What size are they? Is shipping included? If not, can you give me an estimate of the shipping charges?Do you supply digital images for proofs? What size files do you supply as the finished product? Do you send a CD? Do you FTP digital files? Do you e-mail a CD of digital files?If you do not include a CD with your bid and I want a CD of all the shots, what size files will be on the CD and how much extra will one cost?How big of a picture could be printed if I take the CD to a professional photo lab for printing?Do you have a website where I can see samples of your work or will you send me samples of your work?Will you provide me with a list of previous customers?What are the professional photography associations to which you belong?Do you have documentation of your membership?If I did not cover something you think might be helpful to this article please let me know.Webmaster@RogerBondy.netTerms and Explanations of Vertical Mapping-Type Aerial PhotographyAerial photography for mapping purposes has a language all its own. Here are some terms you may encounter:
Digital Orthophotography - Digital orthophotography is a photogrammetric service that applies the mathematics of photogrammetry to remove the distortions that are inherent in aerial photography. The orthorectification process removes the distortion in the imagery caused by the tip and tilt of the camera, the relief of the terrain and the central projection perspective.
Photogrammetry and Survey - Photogrammetry is the process of producing maps from aerial photography. Survey provides the horizontal and vertical coordinates to the photogrammetric process. Aerial photography has inherent distortions due to the rotation of the aircraft and the relief of the terrain. It is the science and mathematics of photogrammetry and survey that seeks to eliminate these distortions and produce an accurate positional measurement of the terrain and features within the photography.
Survey Operations - Ground survey enables the photogrammetrist to assign an established horizontal and vertical coordinate system and datum to identifiable locations within the stereo photography. Surveyors target locations on the ground and provide a survey control network of these locations. Stereo Aerial Photography Aerial photography is obtained as a series of overlapping pairs. This overlap allows the pairs of images to be viewed in stereo on specialized equipment. The survey targets are visible in the photography at key locations throughout the block of photography.
Aerotriangulation - The aerotriangulation process measures the survey locations and other identical points on successive pairs of stereo images. Combining the stereo measurements, ground survey information and camera data, the photogrammetrist is able to create a block or bundle adjustment across the entire block of photography. The results of aerotriangulation are real world coordinates of photo centers and the precise rotational parameters of each exposure. With this mathematical solution, measurements can be made from the stereo images that are correctly positioned in three-dimensional real world coordinates.
Mapping Operations - Controlled stereo aerial photography provides the foundation for photogrammetric mapping operations. Operators interpret the stereo imagery on specialized workstations that allow precise 3D measurements. Mapping features such as terrain, structures, roads, hydrology and vegetation are collected as layers of digital data. Successful mapping from aerial photography requires photography that is not obstructed by snow, tall grass, leaves on trees, or other conditions that impair the accuracy of the mapping. The accuracy of the mapping is directly related to the scale of the photography and to the control. From the 3D compilation of features, a base map is created. Base maps typically include features such as contours, spot elevations, buildings, roads, utilities, hydrology, vegetation, and coordinate grids.
Digital Terrain Models - Contours are created from the triangulation of digital terrain models. Compilation of the terrain typically involves the collection of 3D break lines along features of break in the topography; e.g., ridges, drains, crests, curbs. Elevation points are collected to supplement break lines. These 3D break lines and random elevation points are processed through a triangulation to produce a surface model. Horizons performs cartographic edit operations on the contours generated from the final surface models. Index contours are depicted with a heavier line style and annotated with elevation values. Contours are often clipped at buildings. In some cases, contours may by thinned in areas of heavy relief. Contours are dashed in areas that are obscured due to vegetation or shadow in the photography to indicate that their accuracy may not meet the targeted standard.
Mapping Accuracy - The accuracy of mapping can be described in terms of relative accuracy and absolute accuracy. Relative accuracy refers to the positional accuracy between the various features within the mapping. Absolute accuracy refers to the fit of the map features to their "real world" position. Relative accuracy is determined by the scale of the photography and the method applied to the relative adjustment of the photography. Absolute accuracy is also determined by those factors and by the distribution and quality of the control data. Horizons' personnel are experienced in designing the photogrammetric approach to achieve the accuracy requirements of various mapping applications. Project design will establish the control methods and flight planning to ensure the relative and absolute accuracy of each project. The field of photogrammetry relies upon several standards for the statement of accuracy; these include NMAS - National Map Accuracy Standards NSSDA - National Standards Spatial Data Accuracy ASPRS - Standards published by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote SensingI hope this site has provided you with valuable information concerning aerial photography. Please feel free to contact me with your questions and/or comments. Edited by Grettie Bondy
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