Saskatchewan Aerial Photography

In June I attended the Windscape Kite Festival as and invited ‘celebrity flyer’ in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It was my second time invited (last time was in 2011). It gave my wife and I an opportunity to have a mini-holiday out west and we took an extra week exploring southern Saskatchewan in day trips from our accommodation at McMaster Manor Bed & Breakfast near Lafleche, SK. A number of aerial sessions were undertaken. There were also a couple of disappointments where I was at ideal locations with insufficient wind. You win some, you lose some!

Here is a sample from the several locations where I flew my kite aerial gear. Click through to the galleries on my website to see many more images from each session.

 

Windscape Kite Festival – Swift Current, SK

The festival was two days on the last weekend in June. I was there as an invited guest to demonstrate Kite Aerial Photography. The wind was overpowering much of the time for most of the kite flyers including myself and rain was frequent. Regardless, a number of good images were obtained during three sessions when the bad conditions softened.

 

Swift Current Railway Lines

Since the kite festival proceedings didn’t begin until 10:00 am each day, I took the time one morning to do some aerial shots of the town of Swift Current and the freight railway lines running through the middle. Light was poor but it was my only opportunity and the images turned out pretty well.

 

McMaster Manor Bed & Breakfast and Farm

We stayed 4 nights at this B&B near Lafleche, Saskatchewan. We used it as our home base to visit communities in the area and both the east and west blocks of Grasslands National Park. The wind was not kind to me on our day trips. I did, however get two good sessions at the farm property of the B&B. I would highly recommend staying there – great hosts and great part of the world. Just remember …. nothing is close by and that includes shops and restaurants.

 

© Rob Huntley Photography / Fine Art Prints / Rob’s Cards and Prints / Like My Facebook

mexico art for sale / mexico photographs for sale / mexico greeting cards for sale / mexico canvas prints for sale / mexico framed prints for sale

KAP 2013-20 – Spencerville Mill, Spencerville, Ontario – May 1, 2013

Aerial photograph. Spencerville Mill. A heritage gristmill on the South Nation River in Spencerville, Ontario.

Spencerville is a small village in eastern Ontario, less than an hour’s drive from Ottawa. It is just north of Prescott and adjacent to Highway 416. It sits on the South Nation River.

I went to Spencerville for the first time about a month prior to this session. I was delivering three prints which I had entered in a juried photography competition/exhibit at the ArtScene Gallery located on Spencer Street (the main street) in Spencerville. Passing the Spencerville Mill, which I had checked out first on Google Earth, I decided that this was a good place for a KAP session. After the delivery I tried to fly my ROK but the wind was very strong and gusty (perfect direction though) so I had to abandon without having attached the camera.

When the photography show ended (I received 2nd place for Walk on the Beach by the way) I went back to retrieve my prints along with friend, and part-time KAP assistant, Ted Welch. You can barely make us out in the second image (and images 4 & 5 on my website), where Ted is playing with a resident’s dog. I believe the KAP assistant’s job description says “… while keeping distracting or dangerous interference away from the photographer”. The wind was much better this time except blowing from the south and parallel to the river which would have been my second favourite choice. Nevertheless the KAP session went ahead using my FLED kite and the results are quite worthwhile. There is another angle of the mill that I would like to try which requires wind from the west or alternatively getting access to private property on the opposite side of the river. The location also warrants summer and winter aerial photography.

Aerial photograph. Spencerville Mill. A heritage gristmill on the South Nation River in Spencerville, Ontario.

Aerial photograph. Countryside beside the South Nation River at Spencerville, Ontario.

These photographs were taken using a remote-controlled camera suspended below a kite line (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

Visit my website gallery Spencerville Mill, Spencerville, Ontario – KAP 2013-20 – May 1, 2013 to see more images from this session.

Images from this session are available for licensing through Latitude Image, a stock photography agency specializing in aerial stock images. Click the website gallery link above for more information.

© Rob Huntley Photography / STOCK Photography / Like My Facebook /

KAP 2013-18 – Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Québec – April 24, 2013

Aerial photograph, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Quebec (formerly Cabano).

I was looking for a park off the highway to eat a sandwich before continuing the drive home. I pulled off at Cabano, Québec, a town I had not previously visited. Although much of the signage reads Cabano, I have since discovered that the two villages of Cabano and Notre-Dame-du-Lac were merged in 2010 to become Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac. I found a very large park on the lakefront, Parc Clair Soleil, and had my lunch. At ground-level there were traces of snow and much brown dead-looking grass which might be less than inspiring to a snap-shooter on vacation but beyond that I saw a beautiful half-frozen lake, an intriguing small mountain on the other side of the lake, a lighthouse, a wonderful streaky sky, an interesting layout of storefronts and a park with plenty of room for kite-flyers to go wild. So, out came the gear and here are some of the better images from the session.

Aerial photograph, Lighthouse on Lac Témiscouata, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Quebec (formerly Cabano).

Aerial photograph, Parc Clair Soleil, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Quebec (formerly Cabano).

These photographs were taken using a remote-controlled camera suspended below a kite line (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

Visit my website gallery Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Québec – KAP 2013-18 – April 24, 2013 to see more images from this session.

Images from this session are available for licensing through Latitude Image, a stock photography agency specializing in aerial stock images. Click the website gallery link above for more information.

© Rob Huntley Photography / STOCK Photography / Like My Facebook /

KAP 2013-9 – Prospect, Nova Scotia – April 1, 2013

Aerial photograph of Prospect, Nova Scotia

I love the setting of this village. Winter has just left the area making the much of the terrain look dead. I’m sure a much different picture can be obtained in the summer and the winter. I hope to return at other times of year.

A big thank-you goes out to Bill Wilson, a Halifax area Flickr contact, for helping me resolve equipment issues in order to get this session done. Two days earlier I had been to Peggy’s Cove and here to Prospect. The winds were very strong that day but with the attitude “You don’t get if you don’t try” I boldly set up to fly at both places. At Peggy’s Cove I regretted the move in having a major fight to bring the kite back down. Later, at Prospect, thinking the wind had dropped a bit, I proceeded to snap the horizontal spar of my FLED while in the process of setting up when a gust set the kite out of control with only a metre of line out. I almost always carry spare spars when travelling, but not on this occasion when I was only in Halifax for a few days. Bill responded to my pleas and helped me out with what I needed. Thus, here I was back at Prospect with a repaired kite and ideal KAP conditions.

Aerial photograph of a lobster fisherman checking traps at Prospect, Nova Scotia.

Aerial view of a lobster boat at Prospect, Nova Scotia

Aerial photographh of the rocky shoreline at Prospect, Nova Scotia

These photographs were taken using a remote-controlled camera suspended below a kite line (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

Visit my website gallery Prospect, Nova Scotia – KAP 2013-9 – April 1, 2013 to see more images from this session.

Images from this session are available for licensing through Latitude Image, a stock photography agency specializing in aerial stock images. Click the website gallery link above for more information.

© Rob Huntley Photography / STOCK Photography / Like My Facebook

nova scotia framed prints for sale / nova scotia metal prints for sale / nova scotia acrylic prints for sale / nova scotia prints for sale / nova scotia posters for sale

Kite Aerial Photography of Alma, New Brunswick – KAP 2013-10

The village of Alma, New Brunswick at the eastern end of Fundy National Park. It is located at the delta of the Upper Salmon River which runs into the Bay of Fundy.

Alma, New Brunswick is a small village at the mouth of the Upper Salmon River which empties into the Bay of Fundy in the Atlantic Ocean. Alma is found at the eastern entrance to the Fundy National Park. This session took place on April 13, 2010 as I passed through New Brunswick en route to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I discovered at the outset of this trip that the video component of my aerial transmitter was broken. Consequently I had to shoot this session blind, just estimating the angle and direction of the camera and taking additional shots to increase the likelihood of getting the compositions I aim for. This is how I KAPped for the first two years (2008 – 2009) but now I have grown accustomed to the luxury of video feedback. Video feedback gives you the ability to adjust your aim and thus increase the likelihood of success. With this in mind, I consider this one of those sessions where things went rather well and I was happy with the images. Of course it is early spring (with a late winter storm behind my back as I travel east towards Halifax, Nova Scotia). Consequently the grass is brown and drab looking. It might be nice to return when things are greener, but when you KAP while travelling you do the best with what you’ve got. Besides, from a documentary standpoint there’s merit in seeing what a place looks like from the air in mid-April; like it or not. It would also be interesting to return at low tide as the tides in the Bay of Fundy are very significant and the views of the river and coastline from the air should be quite different.

These photographs were taken using a remote-controlled camera suspended below a kite line (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

An aerial view into the Bay of Fundy National Park from high over Alma, New Brunswick. The village is at the eastern end of Fundy National Park. It is located at the delta of the Upper Salmon River which runs into the Bay of Fundy.

Aerial photograph of the Upper Salmon River as it enters the Bay of Fundy between the village of Alma, New Brunswick on the right and Fundy National Park on the left.

Visit my website gallery Alma, New Brunswick – KAP2013-10 Gallery to see more images from this session.

Images from this session are available for licensing through Latitude Image, a stock photography agency specializing in aerial stock images. Click the website gallery link above for more information.

© Rob Huntley Photography / STOCK Photography / Like My Facebook

aerial view framed prints for sale / aerial view metal prints for sale / aerial view acrylic prints for sale / aerial view prints for sale / aerial view posters for sale

Aerial Photographs of Brockville, Ontario. The marina at Blockhouse Island.

Three images from my recent kite aerial photography session at Blockhouse Island in Brockville, Ontario are new to my Getty Images portfolio:

Aerial Views of the marina at Blockhouse Island in Brockville, Ontario.

These aerial pictures were taken from a camera rig suspended below a kite (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

Aerial photograph - Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario - Kite Aerial Photography

Aerial photograph - Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario - Kite Aerial Photography

Aerial photograph - Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario - Kite Aerial Photography

Click on any of the image to go to the same image in my Getty Images portfolio.

© Rob Huntley Photography

Like Rob Huntley Photography on Facebook.

KAP 2011-17 – Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario – October 31, 2011

Aerial photograph - Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario.

During this session my Levi Light tasted the St. Lawrence River.

I was in Brockville, Ontario for a few hours of KAP at Blockhouse Island. There was virtually zero wind when I arrived, so after deciding on my best launch location should the wind pick up, I went for a walk to check out nearby Hardy Park. When I came back the wind seemed sufficient for autokap so I launched my Levi Light. I stood for about 5 minutes with the kite at about 200′ to see if the wind was going to be stable and continual. It seemed strong enough to hang the rig but I was concerned the kite was angling to the left pointing to about 11:00 o’clock. It seemed stable otherwise but I thought it best to bring it down to check it. As I was bringing it down with still about 100′ of line out it suddenly arched from angling left to a right hand turn and straight down into a vertical dive. Normally there would be ample time to recover by letting line out but no luck with that. Straight down it went into the river and I would guess it continued to fly to about 30′ depth under water. People arriving then would have thought I was fishing for sturgeon considering the amount of pull on the line from a large kite flying underwater in one of the largest rivers in the world. Fortunately no camera was involved in the swimming exercise.

I eventually retrieved the kite and checked it out and it seemed fine. So it is a mystery to me and all I can think is obnoxious wind. However, I immediately put my FLED on and it flew fine with autokap and after a 1/2 hour I switched to my remote rig. In the end I obtained a few decent shots.

These images were taken with a remote controlled camera suspended below a kite line. (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP)

Aerial photograph - Saint Lawrence River at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario.

Aerial photograph - Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario.

Aerial photograph straight down abstract view of the Blockhouse Island Parkway, Brockville, Ontario.

Aerial photograph - The Boardwalk condominium block , the being built Tall Ships Landing waterfront condominiums and the site of the future Maritime Discovery Centre. The Marina at Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario.

Aerial view of Rob and Ted, Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario.

Thanks to Ted for the encouragement to go to Blockhouse Island with him and for his assistance during the session.

You can see additional pictures in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery – Blockhouse Island, Brockville, Ontario – October 31, 2011.

© Rob Huntley

ontario photographs greeting cards for sale / ontario photographs canvas prints for sale / ontario photographs framed prints for sale / ontario photographs metal prints for sale / ontario photographs acrylic prints for sale / ontario photographs prints for sale / ontario photographs posters for sale

The changing face of Westboro. Westboro from above.

New in my Getty Images portfolio:
The changing face of Westboro. Westboro from above. Richmond Road and Byron Avenue are seen approaching from the west.
This image was taken from a camera suspended below a kite (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).

Click on image to go to the same image in my Getty Images portfolio.

RobHuntley.ca

KAP 2011-3 – Where the Madawaska meets the Ottawa – January 29, 2011

This session took place at the Arnprior Municipal Marina where aerial views of the city of Arnprior and the Madawaska River were taken, including the weir/dam, the construction of the new water treatment facility, the marina which is also under redevelopment, and the mouth of the Madawaska River where it enters into the Ottawa River.

Arnprior Weir. The curved dam across the Madawaska River alongside the bridge which is Madawaska Boulevard. You can see several bridges upstream and at the top left is the Arnprior Generating Station holding back the river which turns sharply to the right and across the top of the picture.

I had driven to Arnprior early, leaving Ottawa at about 6:00 am with slippery road conditions and ongoing snow squalls. The main purpose was to attend a Masters Swim Meet. I’ve been taking a sabbatical from serious swimming so I went to photograph the event and my swimmer friends. Despite the weather conditions, I trusted the weather forecast and packed my kite aerial photography gear. Apparently it was expected to clear in the afternoon. The meet concluded with a social breakfast at the Antrim Truck Stop, a regular haunt of the Arnprior club. At about 10:30, as I finished eating, I wondered if the serious snow still falling outside was really going to end and debated going home. With skeptical faith in the weather forecast, I decided to wait and see. For the next two hours I marched around town and the Madawaska riverfront with my SLR and tripod taking some scenic shots (which I haven’t looked at yet). By 12:30, lo and behold the sky cleared. I drove to the Arnprior Municipal Marina where I parked and launched my Fled kite and autokap gear for a couple of hours of KAPping.

Kite aerial photography depends on fine/dry weather because of the exposed electronics plus the fact that one cannot clean off the lens after the gear has been surrendered to the sky.

 

The Madawaska meets the Ottawa in winter. Winter aerial view of the Madawaska River where it enters the Ottawa River at Arnprior, Ontario. Vertical panorama created from 2 images. Bristol Mines at the top of the picture in Quebec. My kites may have to visit there someday.

Collecting ice floes. Aerial photograph of ice and slush created when ice is broken going over the falls now being collected further downstream where there is more stable ice on the river.

Water Treatment Plant, Arnprior. Development of a larger water treatment plant alongside the Madawaska River in Arnprior, Ontario. The kite line is visible in this picture.

Just as I was about to call it a day, the wind suddenly had the same idea and the camera descended rapidly as I attempted to haul line as quickly as possible. The camera landed fairly softly on soft ice on the surface of the river, face down. I had to leave it there several minutes until the kite lofted it again. The lens froze over and I left the camera turned on for the next two hours so as to give it chance to melt then dry out without damaging the lens retraction mechanism.

Rapid descent. Just as I was about to call it a day, the wind suddenly died.

 

You can see additional pictures in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery – Where the Madawaska meets the Ottawa – Arnprior, Ontario – January 29, 2011.

© Rob Huntley