PROJECTS: KI TE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH Y

www.makezine.com/01/KAP

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO TAKE PICTURES FROM THE SKY?

Kite aerial photography (or KAP for short)

bridges the gap between taking pictures from

a ladder and taking them from an airplane.

Within this elevation spectrum, you can capture landscapes, objects, architecture,

and people in entirely new ways.

In the pages that follow, I’ll give you step-by-

step instructions for building a very low-cost

rig consisting of a camera cradle made of

craft (popsicle) sticks and model airplane

plywood, a shutter-button timer mechanism that uses rubber bands and Silly Putty,

and a camera-stabilizing suspension.

Following the step-by-step section, I’ll rec-

ommend some kites and other equipment

you can use for the project, and then run you

through your first flight with the rig.

Charles C. Benton (arch.ced. berkeley.edu/kap/kaptoc. html) is an inveterate tinkerer from Berkeley, California where he serves as a Professor of Architecture for the University of California, Berkeley. Benton’s research in Building Science often involves the design and construction of prototype devices.

54 Make: Volume 01