Fun with the GoPro: Kite Aerial Photography

Today was the perfect day to fly a kite, so I gave it a try with my new KAP rig. Sent the trusty GoPro aloft under the kite. I did my first test flight in a high school sport field near the house.

The kite is a Sutton Flow Form 16 parafoil with 200# braided line. Anchored it to a fence post with a climbers sling and a fig 8 belay. The camera hangs on a Picavet suspension system. It keeps the camera from spinning on the line and holds it level. The camera was set to take a shot every 2 seconds. I also did a short video.

Looking forward to taking photos over the delta and along the coast. Here's a few shots. I'll post the video after I edit it down a bit.

Al

more,

Those are some awesome shots. I always wanted to try this. How far would you say it went up?

Those are some awesome shots. I always wanted to try this. How far would you say it went up?

I really don't know. The spool has 500 feet of line, so I might have let out 1/4 - 1/3 of it. The height would change with the wind. One of  the most vertical and highest shots was the third photo. When I'm a little more comfortable with the rig I'll strap on my Garmin 500 bike GPS to measure the flight.

Two full size pictures.

That's some serious kite flying. You should have mentioned it last night at dinner.
Might want to think about a pool noodle on the top bracket when you fly over the delta. Ya never know when a litle floatation might come in handy.
So where did you get the kite and the set up for the Go Pro?

That's some serious kite flying. You should have mentioned it last night at dinner.
Might want to think about a pool noodle on the top bracket when you fly over the delta. Ya never know when a little floatation might come in handy.
So where did you get the kite and the set up for the Go Pro?

Your right about having floatation. The camera and mount would sink like a rock. I don't completely trust the mounting screw, so I'm going to put a tether on the camera also. Two GoPros should fit on the mounting bracket. Next time I'll try two cameras facing different directions.

I bought the kite and mounting hardware from a gentlemen in Pacific Grove.  Nice guy, very knowledgeable on the subject.
http://www.brooxes.com/

Al

That's pretty cool Al!
Cant wait to see the Delta and Coast stuff.
Good to see you last nite!

How thick is the braided line? Interesting how prominent the line shows up in some of the (wide angle) images.

Very cool.  Thanks for sharing.

How thick is the braided line? Interesting how prominent the line shows up in some of the (wide angle) images.

Howard,
It's 200 lb Dacron braided kite line. About the thickness of the edge of a nickel (1.95mm). I was surprised how huge it looks in some of the photos.

Al

Nice and breezy today, so we took the kite and GoPro's to Folsom Lake. Visited Brown's Ravine and Folsom Point.
Had a hard time keeping the kite in the air at Brown's. The wind was strong at Folsom Point. Shot over 2500 pictures and a short video. Here's a few of the pictures.

Enjoy,
Al

Folsom Lake 01/15/2012

Folsom Lake 01/15/2012

Very cool, keep 'em coming.