Aerial photography is the process of taking of photographs of the ground from a plane or to be more precise from an elevated position. Aerial photographs are those images wherein a camera has no support from a ground based structure. When it comes to aerial photography you can either shoot photographs with a hand held camera or they can be such that it can be triggered on an automatic basis or on a remote basis. Many of the cameras that offer a panoramic aerial view, London are obtained from remote or automatic triggering.



As can be imagined, a platform for taking aerial photos includes fixed-wing helicopters, balloons, blimps, rockets, kits, parachutes, dirigible, amongst various others.

Brief History

Nadar, a French photographer and balloonist, is credited with being the first person to practice aerial photography way back in the year 1858, in Paris, France. However, it was Fred Zim, who developed this process and then used it for military purposes in World War I. Over a period of time, we have seen a continuous evolution in the process of photography using elevated means or air borne methods. This can be gauged from the improvement that we have seen in the various photos that offer an aerial view, London.

The Uses of Aerial Imagery

The defining use of this type of photography is in cartography or in the making of maps. Experts in the field use these aerial photographs for purposes of photogrammetric surveys and to provide a basis for topographic maps. It is also extensively used in town planning and also for environmental and archaeological studies. Advancements, both in terms of cameras and aviation, have made it possible for one to conduct aerial photography in low altitudes, which has been of the greatest benefit as far as real estate advertising is concerned. Photographic access of populated locations has increased because of the use of small scale model aircraft for photography purposes.

The Associated Challenges

The prospect of taking aerial photos is more challenging then taking non-aerial photos. One of the biggest challenges is the perspective correction associated with these photographs. This is because the aerial photographs are usually taken at an angle to the object that is being photographed. What this leads to is a situation wherein the perception of the photograph with respect to near objects will be incorrect as compared to objects that are farther away.

If you have seen an aerial view, London, then there is a good chance that you might have seen a huge picture in this regard. Well, the fact of the matter is that a single photo wouldn't offer you the king sized view of London. Herein, multiple photographs are taken and then stitched together to form a single large photograph. The process used is called stitching and it's used to create seamless imagery. This is yet another challenge associated with photography of this type.

There is no doubt that once you get started on taking aerial photos, you will get hooked on to it.