9/04/2011

Art Meets Industry: Helicopter Aerial Photography is made for Industrial Photography Demands

By Katherine Parker


There is nothing quite as photographically cutting-edge as mounting a camera on a remote-controlled helicopter, sending it up into the atmosphere, and taking brilliant high-resolution pictures from 500 feet up. It brings on a completely new meaning to the colloquialism "eye in the sky."

When we think of the concept of aerial photography we think of some fellow taking a Cannon up in an aircraft and shooting pastoral images of the earth below, in "fly-by" mode. But when it comes to aerial photography today, this is in reality the least you can do. Technological advancements during the last couple of decades have led to wireless systems and gyroscopic stabilization, giving the opportunity to take detailed, top quality photographs via remote controlled helicopter aerial photography. In fact, radio-controlled helicopters are the desired platform for aerial photography, and the applications are often for commercial and industrial photography purposes.

Not merely for taking images of tree tops (even though that would be certainly one thing that could be done with a camera fixed to a remote controlled helicopter), mounting a camera on an unmanned helicopter allows for aerial photography to better serve in commercial and industrial photography capacities. When the helicopter is fitted out with an infrared sensor, it can sense the temperature difference between itself and its surrounding environment. A very important feature if, for example, the camera is required to take photographs of a petrochemical stack presently out of control and in flames 500 feet up in the air, and burning at, say, 2000 degrees Celsius. This suggests the helicopter and camera can be maintained at a thermally safe distance, and it suggests that high res photographs can be taken of that which is going awry at the source of the malfunction. It allows for crews to know how to respond to the emergency, saving time and cash, not to mention how much safer this approach is when put next to sending some poor guy up there in a hi-tech industrial heat protection suit to check it out.

The radio controlled helicopter is outfitted to make able the operator to see what the camera sees. Once the helicopter is in the right position, a switch on the transmitter can put in use the camera. The result is extremely high quality, detailed aerial photography, and inspectors can evaluate from the safety of the ground.

Learning how to fly remote controlled helicopters well takes years. For industrial purposes, an expert who specializes in elevated equipment inspections is completely required. Flares and Stacks company is one company that specializes in serving the industrial community with professional radio controlled helicopter aerial photography. Appreciating that industrial photography is a powerful and developing niche of the photography professional's universe means that photography is hardly just for local photography studios these days.




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