Here’s a particularly interesting motion edit I completed recently. As you may know, I am a cineflex operator working mostly with ZatzWorks here in Alaska. This footage that Daniel Zatz came home from Canada with was just too strange. I had fun putting this short edit together, hope you enjoy. (more…)
Just wanted to post a quick note to share our excitement and pride at one of Scott’s images being chosen as one of the top 50 images in Red Bull’s Illume Image Quest 2013. This contest hasn’t happened since 2010 and the caliber of photographers and athletes featured is staggering.
This photo was the result of Scott’s passion for surfing, aerial perspectives and pioneering surf in Alaska coming together on a magically beautiful morning to be photographing from his paramotor. (more…)
Had another great air to air photoshoot today with Mike McCann’s 1933 Stinson JR. SR. The shoot was very similar to one from 2008, same pilots and the same mountain range. More photos to come, but just this one quick shot before bed.
After a long journey I have arrived. The ideal tool for my style of aerial photography – The powered paraglider. At least for now.
For those unfamiliar with eccentric forms of flight Wikipedia does a really nice job of explaining what this contraption is:
Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on his or her back (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider wing. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone — no assistance is required.
After pursuing my passion for aerial photography in a wide range of situations from Coast Guard C-130s, helicopters, bush planes and airplanes owned by friends to piloting my own ultralight I was still searching for something more – or less, depending on how you look at it. Each aerial platform has its own set of benefits and limitations and it really comes down to finding the right balance that matches my style and priorities.
The benefits of the paramotor system are many but I’ll list a few of the stand-out ones: It is very portable and can be transported by car, boat, or bush plane (especially important in Alaska). The cost of operation is very low. As the pilot it’s just up to me and the weather, no more trying to convince a pilot to wake up at 4:30am to catch the best light. The paramotor is a very slow and safe form of flight. There are no wing struts, helicopter blades, floats or tires to get in the way. In fact the only thing that I have to work to keep out of my composition is my own legs.
After happily flying an ultralight for a couple years I began looking for an even more ideal self piloting solution. shortly after starting to consider the paramotor as a viable option I stumbled across an interview with George Steinmetz that really confirmed my suspicion. The paramotor would work, and not only that, George had already ready been used it with great success. Before long I was in Salt Lake City, Utah to get flying instruction and help with gear selection. I’m a learn-it-yourself kind of guy and it was hard to convince myself to actually go for the professional instruction, but since my focus is more on photography and I don’t want the piloting to be a hindrace I decided to treat it like business and invest in my abilities and safety. Turned out to be a great move. Chris Santacroce from SuperFly is an excellent instructor and I left Utah with all the equipment and knowledge needed to start putting this idea to work.
It has now been about 18 months since I first imagined what you see in these photos and I’m thrilled to report that after flying for the last 8 months it has proved to be everything hoped for. I have photos to share and a few stories to tell but they’ll wait for another post. Now that I have introduced the paramotor to the blog you can expect more soon.
Jake Schmutzler of Five Foot Fotos has worked with me to capture the images in this post – Thanks Jake!
I remember walking out of the post office and looking up to catch just a glimpse of the small yellow helicopter zipping by overhead. For the months since, anytime I’ve heard the beating of helicopter rotors I jump up and scurry to the windows with binoculars. This little fixation started before the MD 530 came to town, and it’s not just limited to helicopters. I love flying, and not surprisingly, some of this passion for flight splashed onto the machines that make it possible. I think it’s well understood that I’m always very excited by the opportunity to create aerial photographs. This particular shoot was a real treat being able to watch and photograph this incredible helicopter in flight. Special thanks to George and Charlie Mandes for working with me to make this a reality. As an aerial photographer I’m very dependent on the pilots to help bring all the pieces together into a photograph. As you can see, they both did a great job.
Ingredient list for a big smile and some exciting aerial photos:
Toss the ingredients for approximately 45 minutes. More results displayed below.
