(as monitored by the IR laser rangefinder I keep in my vest). The owner helps me sight the camera cradle’s position downrange — something my twin sons usually attend to.

The camera cradle is bouncing around quite a bit in the gusty winds and my shutter speed is varying between ¹⁄250 and ¹⁄500 of a second (determined when the camera was on the ground). The trick in this situation is to patiently wait for the moments when the camera cradle becomes less active and shoot in these interludes. This I do, and when the rig is moving vigorously, I back away from the handsome Swift, lest something fail, and — bombs away. (I will knock on wood and say that in hundreds of flights, I’ve yet to drop anything.)

After taking my last shot, I tie the kiteline off to the carabiner again and walk the kiteline down to retrieve the camera rig. With the kiteline under my armpit, I easily handle the Picavet without putting tension on its lines. After removing the camera cradle, the kiteline is released and the kite flies from the carabiner while I move the camera rig out of harm’s way (or, as I do on other occasions, change the film and then reattach).

With the camera tucked away, I walk the kiteline down again and remove the Picavet and then the hangups. These go back into their photographer’s vest storage pockets. Next the kite is hauled in (by walking the kiteline down in this case) and kite, tail, and kiteline are stowed away. A final scan around the flying site for scattered gear is followed by stowing the larger items, including the photographer’s vest, in the KAP gear bag. The session ends by taking a couple of ground-level context shots, thanking the Swift pilot, and exchanging business cards. The total time between hauling out the KAP gear bag and placing it back in the trunk is about 35 minutes.

KAP Around the Globe»

KAP aficionados often emblazon their gear with cloth club badges like the ones shown here.

Make: 57