NikonGear'23
Images => Themes, Portfolio Series, PaW, or PaM => Topic started by: schwett on January 11, 2016, 07:59:34
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as i've noted in a few threads here and there, lately i've been pursuing aerial photography using my d810 from a remote controlled hexacopter (aka "drone," although it's no more a drone than a remote control toy car is...)
i've found it a very entertaining offshoot of architectural/cityscape and landscape photography, although i have not yet created the opportunity for real landscape work. soon, perhaps a trip to a nearby quiet and snowy place.
the challenges are obvious - the platform is inherently mobile, so short shutter speeds are the order of the day. any significant wind essentially scrubs the shot for safety reasons. an appropriate launch site is required, which means few or no people and no legal restrictions (the latter eliminates all national parks in the united states, as well as areas within a few miles of airports for obvious reasons.) finally, camera controls can not really be adjusted in flight. there are setups which allow this, but nothing with the kind of flexibility of lenses and imaging performance as a full frame (or even DX) dslr.
more challenging, i'd say, is the compositional challenge. to a degree, aerial photographs from reasonably low altitudes (the legal limit is 400 feet here) don't look much different than photographs from scenic lookouts or tall buildings. my setup does not allow changing the orientation of the camera in flight (working on that!) so i haven't been doing any "views straight down" of the type seen in maps today.
so, for critique and comment, here's about a years worth of this subject. most are taken very close to home, for obvious reasons. virtually all are with the d810 and 20mm f/1.8, shot at f/1.8-4.0, ISOs ranging from 400 to 3200, processed from raw files in ACR. most of them are fairly sharp at the "pixel" level.
1 i started at fairly low elevation, and over a street, for a perspective not normally seen except where major streets dead end.
(http://www.431.org/misc/0764-montgomeryStreet-1024.jpg)
2 continuing the theme of "unusual vantage points," i shot this cathedral near home.
(http://www.431.org/misc/2068-stMarys-1024.jpg)
3 and then the bay bridge
(http://www.431.org/misc/3926-bayBridge-1024.jpg)
4-7 after a bunch of which i started taking off from our roof. a less traditionally "scenic" vista, but good opportunity for exploring the flight envelope and finding different qualities of light. these are all from essentially the same location in plan, different heights, angles, times of day, cropping, etc.
4
(http://www.431.org/misc/8006-overSF-1024.jpg)
5
(http://www.431.org/misc/5283-dusk-1024.jpg)
6
(http://www.431.org/misc/9206-overSFMorning-1024.jpg)
7
(http://www.431.org/misc/9125-aerialSunrise-1024.jpg)
8 this one dissapointed in that it looks like it could just be from someone's window, having been taking from the top of a hill. there are no windows at this elevation, but that's not obvious and the scene is otherwise unspectacular.
(http://www.431.org/misc/3125-fromRussianHill-1024.jpg)
9 a bit of the same problem here, although the foreground framing is perhaps more interesting.
(http://www.431.org/misc/5598-telHillAerial-1024.jpg)
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10-13 this series is perhaps most pleasing for me, combining interesting vantage points with good lighting and the odd condition of nearly deserted roads and bridges. those who live here know how rare it is to see empty freeways.
10
(http://www.431.org/misc/0419-morningOverBridge-1024.jpg)
11
(http://www.431.org/misc/0504-bayBridge-1024.jpg)
12
(http://www.431.org/misc/0851-sanFrancisco-1024.jpg)
13 it's not visible at this scale, but the texture of the grid of sailboats in early morning light is quite interesting, and suggests that longer focal lengths, if movement could be controlled, might be worth exploring. the 85 f/1.8g is a good candidate, although it would be better with VR. there exists no suitably light lens in the 50-105mm focal length with VR, so i'll likely try the 85 and tamron's new 35.
(http://www.431.org/misc/0698-southBeach-1024.jpg)
the deserted holiday mornings at the end of the year also allowed an opportunity to get a bit "braver" with location. not a home run due to sun position, but interesting to me. 14 revealed to me that i was flying *much* higher than estimated, and i've now added telemetry on the video feed.
14
(http://www.431.org/misc/2742-overTransbay-1024.jpg)
15
(http://www.431.org/misc/3030-rinconHill-1024.jpg)
16-19 these next four attempt to play on the relationship between green space and the city.
16 (http://www.431.org/misc/3274-presidioHeights-1024.jpg)
17 green in the foreground, with teh city reduced to a texture. this became a bit of a theme
(http://www.431.org/misc/3128-goldenGatePark-1024.jpg)
18
(http://www.431.org/misc/3488-sanFrancisco-1024.jpg)
19 in addition to an unusual composition, this one has some interesting small figures and their shadows in the foreground.
(http://www.431.org/misc/3529-poloTrack-1024.jpg)
20 finally, a first attempt at a more distant, non-urban locale. taken on a VERY blustery late afternoon just south of the famous Bixby Bridge on California's Route 1. controlling the vehicle was very difficult, and there were large crowds to deal with in the most obvious launching locations. luckily, spots which appear to have no scenic value from the ground can be quite stunning from a hundred feet up, and i found a safely deserted location. i wish it were panned 5 more degrees to the right.
(http://www.431.org/misc/1234-bigSur-1024.jpg)
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Super. Loved them the first time. Love them now.
Great light. Great angles.
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All your efforts seem to be worthwhile! Thanks for sharing!
A drone that can carry D810 and 20/1.8 combo should be pretty powerful.
Do you set your camera in live view? Are you monitoring the image the camera is caputuring? The framing seems to be very well controled...
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Looks like a lot of fun!
It irks me, also, that they are called drones now days. As if they suddenly popped into existance after the US military started using real drones. When they can fly/navigate themselves, I'll call them drones. For now it is an un-warranted buzz title.
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Excellent photos!
Imagine how the city sits on a so called accretionary wedge atop the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. Only 6-10 million years ago the foundation for all thouse buildings wasn't there.
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Much of the area near the financial district of SF wasn't there in the mid 1800s, but was filled in by man with sand and . . . .ships!
http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id47.html
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Wow - a flying D810! I have a modest Sony RX100 on my bumble-bee, but at least it gives far better quality than the typical GoPro. The first photo is a bit different. Did you have problem getting GPS-lock with all those tall buildings around?
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Absolutely brilliant!
You've got some serious machinery if you can fly a D810 high 8)
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Really nice images, Could we have a couple of images of the drone please
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thanks all for looking and commenting.
Here's an iPhone shot of the platform, with the landing gear up in flight. The doohickey holding on the d810 and "flight" camera is a 3D printed bracket I devised specifically for this use. However, I think I need to replace it worn something more rigid. It's very strong and light but the abs material used by the printer is slightly "soft," leading to vibrations at times.
(http://www.431.org/ng/2959-s910.jpg)
It's a DJI S900 with the E1200 motor/arm upgrade. Total diameter tip to tip of the props is about 1.4M or so, and weight with battery and camera around 8KG.
Re:GPS, I don't use it when flying in the city. In theory it works, and the lock usually looks pretty good, but I don't fully trust it as much as I trust my own eyes and hands (brain is subject of debate....)
I always fly line of sight, meaning I can still see the drone, and in the rare event of losing orientation or direction I use the real time video.
at the moment, I'm not using the live view feed from the camera. There are digital options for transmitting it, but the cost is significant (1k +) and for now the $50 analog transmitter and $40 camera are doing the job.
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Wow - a flying D810! I have a modest Sony RX100 on my bumble-bee, but at least it gives far better quality than the typical GoPro. The first photo is a bit different. Did you have problem getting GPS-lock with all those tall buildings around?
Bjørn, I saw some of your shots and was very impressed. The rx100 is worlds beyond the GoPro, which I simply can't get excited by. Except as a helmet-cam for extreme sports....
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Nice set up! I wouldn't trust myself to fly this thing with any expensive camera! :)
But definitely worth it when checking the images. Do you need a license to use this? (for example in city of Toronto it is required)
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Looks very competent! Thanks for posting, sure would be nice to get up higher for some shots...
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Schwett, thanks for the details.
An 8kg drone owned by a hobbiest would be impossible to be allowed to fly in Japan!
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Very impressive. The whole set up and of course the images!
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Wow! That's a very impressive setup and the results are great.
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An 8kg drone owned by a hobbiest would be impossible to be allowed to fly in Japan!
After missing regulation in Germany was making flying a drone more or less illegal in most situations, you can now obtain a "flying license" that includes a test of competency by the authorities.
I feel that makes legal use of drones accessible and sensible.
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1 here's one which isn't san francisco, the point of the oakland shore where industry meets recreation
(http://www.431.org/ng/4971-oaklandShore-1024.jpg)
2 and from that same locale, a view over the bay
(http://www.431.org/ng/5028-skylineFar-1024.jpg)
3 some views with different focal lengths (50 f/1.8, 85 f/1.8), and looking "down" rather than out towards the horizon
(http://www.431.org/ng/4058-density-1024.jpg)
4
(http://www.431.org/ng/4127-density-1024.jpg)
5
(http://www.431.org/ng/7658-lookingDown-1024.jpg)
6 and a couple taken from the site of one of my "real" projects, at various elevations for use in compositing into views from inside the building.
(http://www.431.org/ng/5636-75hSiteAerial-1024.jpg)
a bit more aggressively pushing the potential shutter speed from a moving, vibrating platform
7 (http://www.431.org/ng/7175-rinconGap-1024.jpg)
8 (http://www.431.org/ng/6232-downtownDusk-1024.jpg)
9 (http://www.431.org/ng/6241-aboveSOMA-1024.jpg)
and finally, this very morning, a bit more exciting flight in which some fast moving low clouds or fog blew in below me (or more properly, between me and the hexacopter.) no loss of control but some tense moments on descent waiting for visual contact to be regained!
10
(http://www.431.org/ng/8608-sanFranciscoSunrise-1024.jpg)
11
(http://www.431.org/ng/8830-sanFranciscoSunrise-1024.jpg)
12
(http://www.431.org/ng/8875-sanFranciscoMorning-1024.jpg)
critique appreciated as always :)
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Beautiful shots!!
Not shot with a drone, but I like the colors.
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#10 and mostly #11 have a unique lighting and atmosphere which I like a lot.
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In Australia, if you want to fly a drone capable of lifting a camera, you have to pass tests and examinations that are on a par with and of a comparable cost to obtaining ones private pilots licence. Extreme overkill IMHO. Hopefully the German authorities have struck a better balance between safety and regulation than we have.
After missing regulation in Germany was making flying a drone more or less illegal in most situations, you can now obtain a "flying license" that includes a test of competency by the authorities.
I feel that makes legal use of drones accessible and sensible.
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Amazing as always. The high MP sensor of D810 really shines in this application.
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Excellent shots ! Congratulations !
From time to time, I take som aerial shots from a small private plane, but with a closed cockpit, making it quite difficult to achieve high quality. Pictures combining inside (cockpit) and panorama views, are made using HDR techniques combining two or 3 pictures with different exposures taken at high speed (11 frames/s), the latter to have minimal framing differences. Nikon D4s with Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 VR.
Here soms shots taken in the neighborhood of Geneva & Annecy and the French Alps:
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How I love this thread!
I want to get high all the time!
Beautiful images!
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Reawakening an old thread, here are some pix from a small plane flight over Petersburg, AK. The tide was low and I was struck by the mudflats and how similar they are to the style of native art.
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Remembering a nice flight in a PC-12 over the glacier of Aletsch.
D800; AF-S 35mm f/1.8 @ f5.6; 1/6400; ISO 400:
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From a Boeing 737
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5760/30569575052_7b6c759b82_o.jpg)
The Alps (https://flic.kr/p/Nzk4CQ) by Arend (https://www.flickr.com/photos/vermazeren/), on Flickr
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Why am I not a bird. Imagine if you could fly freely like this and just wander around the planet :)
Lovely images!
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Arend, this is truly spectacular!
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Fascinating images, thanks for sharing them
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Wild reindeer photographed in connection with official counting this summer. In this counting, we should differentiate between calves and adult males and females. This herd was easy because it was so few animals, and only adult males.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5515/30058119154_361bc67085_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MN8HBG)
Villrein (https://flic.kr/p/MN8HBG) by Asle Feten (https://www.flickr.com/photos/afoton/), on Flickr
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Thanks for the comments everybody !
Fascinating view Asle and intersting that they walk in parallel.
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Asle, simply magnificent! I want to fly all day every day :)
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Love that reindeer shot!