Burning Man 2013

As seen from a remote controlled drone. Very cool.

Aerial Photography

27-Dec-2012 (KOA)

Yesterday was the day once again for an annual aerial photo flight at Kona.  I’ve gone up every year between Christmas and New Year’s since 2004.  In the beginning these flights were only done at Kona to capture the crowded conditions we see on the ramps during the holiday break.  Eventually a separate annual flight was scheduled at the Hilo airport too and the photo library became a useful tool for recording conditions and changes over the prior 12 months at both airports.  We also learned how to leverage the pictures for reports or whenever a case had to be made for project needs.  Images really do trump words every time.

Shooting Fireworks

(Click for an even larger view)

You never know when you might see a fireworks show. It could be on the 4th of July in the USA, Bastille Day in France, Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, or after the Friday luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, Hawaii. Whenever it happens if you want to take good photos of it you need to know how. You can watch videos on YouTube, find a magazine article, or go on a Google search and end up here. Shooting fireworks effectively is the topic this week.

Gear

Benro C0190T Fold Flat Tripod.

I'm done going on long trips and not having a functional tripod with me for night or low light shots.  Or phrased another way, I no longer want to haul my expensive and heavy Gitzo tripod when I go on trips.  What I've wanted was something small enough to fit in a carry on bag, light enough to haul around with the camera bag, but high build quality.  I think that describes the rig above.  I'd never heard of Benro before ordering this, but I'm impressed. 

The specs are as follows:

Top Plate or Base Plate Diameter	1.9 in
Maximum Load	13.2 lbs
Folded Height	16.1 in
Maximum Height	52.0 inches
Leg Sections	5
Leg Lock Type	Twist Lock
Head Mount	3/8-16
Foot Mount	Adhesive
Foot Type	Fixed Rubber
Foot Size	9 mm
Weight	1.54 lbs / 0.70 kg

Leg construction is carbon fiber.  The unit is light, and not something you'd want to walk away from if you've mounted an expensive DSLR on it, but perfect as a travel unit you'll likely babysit.  The kit also included a two section center post, nylon carrying bag, and a special servicing wrench.  The fold flat leg feature is unique and perfect for saving space in a suitcase.

The first real test of this will be at the end of November during my Autodesk University 2011 trip to Las Vegas.