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.

 

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Rollins Pass, Colorado – Kite Aerial Photography (KAP)

New in my Getty Images portfolio:
Kite Aerial Photography is a technique whereby a remote controlled camera is suspended below a kite line. Rollins Pass, Colorado

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

KAP 2008-39: Dakota Mill & Grain, Wall, South Dakota. July 22, 2008

While visiting the badlands we stayed in Wall, South Dakota.

This is Dakota Mill & Grain, Inc. in Wall, South Dakota. My KAP objective was the infamous Wall Drug store on the main street (in the upper left corner of the first photo). Numerous power lines made launching a kite in the downtown area iffy, at least for the direction the wind was blowing this day. The people at Dakota Mill & Grain kindly let me launch on their property and I intended to walk the kite and camera into town. After about 15 minutes of KAPing their facility I started to make my way to town but the wind picked up intensely and I had to back up to my “big space”, anchor the kite and walk it down with a pulley. It was quite a struggle and although disappointed with not reaching my objective, I was glad to finally have camera and kite back to the ground.

These photographs were taken using kite aerial photography (KAP).

Dakota Mill & Grain, Wall, South Dakota.

Overhead view of part of the facility.

Another overhead view from a different angle.

A closer view.

The open area where I launched and took down the kite. Thank goodness for those heavy pipes on the ground. In the end I had to anchor the kite line to a pipe and use a pulley to bring the gear down. The wind was too fierce to pull it in by hand.

You can see additional pictures from my KAP 2008-39 outing in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery on my website.

KAP 2008-38: Rollins Pass, Colorado. July 12, 2008

My midwest travels took me to a several day stay in Boulder, Colorado. I made a day trip to the mountians and spent part of this day searching for an abandoned railroad trestle bridge in the wilderness. I never found the bridge so after lunch I went exploring Rollins Pass, also with a view to trying to find a couple of trestle bridges that were marked on my map. In hindsight I should have taken a different route. Having not reached any of my planned objectives, but having a great day in the mountains nevertheless, I finally set up my KAP gear in a park along the roadside in Rollins Pass.

My FLED saved me on this one. The FLED is the glamorous name given to one of the designs of kite I fly. I first launched my ROK (another kite) to about 200 feet with the fairly strong breeze going up the valley. I attached the rig and then found I couldn’t get the camera higher than 20 feet off the ground. I played around for 1/2 hour and then gave up. I put up my FLED to the same height and attached the camera and let out more line and away she went. Other than the occasional quick drop when the wind lapsed, I had a great session with this kite. As a low-wind lifter, up to now I’ve had the tendency to save the FLED for the direst of circumstances and not given it a fair chance to perform. Today’s situation worked well. I guess there was less wind at higher elevation than in the valley, but it was enough for the FLED and not the ROK despite getting both kites high enough to attach the rig.

These photographs were taken using kite aerial photography (KAP).

Shot of the river, train tracks and road. Note the park and picnic tables. The kite line is visible in this image.

Straight down shot of the river and road. Note the people, park and picnic tables. Rollins Pass, Colorado

Rollins Pass, Colorado

Rollins Pass, Colorado

Straight down shot of the river and road. Note the people, park and picnic tables. Rollins Pass, Colorado

You can see additional pictures from my KAP 2008-38 outing in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery on my website.

KAP 2008-33: Carling Avenue near Shirley’s Bay, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. June 11, 2008

This KAP (Kite Aerial Photography) outing took place near the Watts Creek Bike Path near Carling Avenue in the area of Shirley’s Bay. The objective of this KAP was private work, and thus the primary photos from the shoot are not included. Only a few of the general shots of the area and some straight-down abstracts of roads and railway lines are presented.

Carling Avenue near Shirley’s Bay. The Ottawa River can be seen in the distance.

X marks the spot. This photograph was taken using kite aerial photography (KAP). YES, that’s me in the field – follow the string! Power lines and kites don’t mix! I was careful!

Bicycle pathway (Watt’s Creek Pathway) just after it emerges through the railway overpass in the Shirley’s Bay area. Government of Canada, Shirley’s Bay Campus is in the background.

Overhead shot of the railway line.

Golf driving range on Carling Avenue near Shirley’s Bay in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

You can see additional pictures from my KAP 2008-33 outing in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery on my website.