Areial Photography

All posts tagged Areial Photography

Thursday ~ July 07,2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on July 7, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

July-06-2016

Happy Thursday!

A short post today with two images.  The one above was taken with my camera by my friend Tom.   I am teaching a 5 week leadership course this year and for four hours our interns attend part of that class.  Great group of young people, very smart and wonderful to work with.

DCIM100GOPROG0010252.

This is an image I took with the Phantom for my friend Tom who is the head of Maquoketa Farmers’ Market.  It may end up being the one they use but I have others.  It was a good flight.  No one was injured, nothing broken, no property damage.  🙂

You can click on the images to make them larger and reveal more detail.

That’s it for today.  Enjoy your day.  Stormy in our part of the country today.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.

Tuesday ~ August 11, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 11, 2015
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

August-07-2015-1A

Happy Tuesday!

I know I showed you some images of a crop duster a few days ago but this is a different one at a different location.  Like I said earlier if it can fly I like to photograph it.  The image above was shot at a focal length of 300 mm and I was lucky to get all the plane in the view finder.

It’s fun to have them fly this close and directly over me.  This guy even gave me a wing wave when he left the area.  🙂

August-07-2015-1B

I’ve always shared the good, bad, and the ugly on this blog.  Writing a more or less daily blog is at times a challenge, therapy, a passion, and a creative release.  Pretty much what is on my mind at the time finds its way on to this blog.

So Friday when I woke up I had a small rash on my left side.  I didn’t think too much of it and there was no discomfort.  I photographed the event in Maquoketa and then Jeanne and I went to Des Moines.  It had grown a little bit on Saturday but was only mildly annoying and certainly not painful.

Sunday it went from an annoyance to a painful event and kept me awake most of the night.  I was very lucky to get in to see my doctor yesterday and he gave me the good news that I have Shingles.  😦

When I turned sixty I took “the shot” which was expensive but it was purported to at the very least lessen your chances of getting shingles and at the best either prevent it or mitigate the effect.  I have no doubt that it probably did the latter but who knows.

So I’m now taking a slew of pill including the dreaded prednisone, which has all kinds of bad side effects including spiking my blood sugar.  The good news is that I only have to take it for two weeks.

August-07-2015-1D

He also gave me a pretty strong pain medication, which helped me get a restful sleep last night.  I’m not complaining mind you.  My Mom and Dad both had shingles and they suffered terribly with it.  At least today there is medication that will lessen the discomfort and I am grateful for that.

August-07-2015-1C

Interesting day today.  I get to work with an outside business that is dealing with some conflict and because they are our customers they have access to my conflict resolution services.  I don’t want to make it sound like I enjoy conflict but I do enjoy helping people work through it.  There is a great deal of satisfaction helping people come to a workable resolution to ongoing problems.

Camera Specs:  Nikon D750 | Nikon 80 – 400 mm VRII lens | ISO 200 1/1250 sec @ f6.5 | Burst mode

That’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by the blog.  I hope you enjoy your day and be careful.

Monday ~ July 13, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on July 13, 2015
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

Ridgeway-1B

Happy Monday!

I thought I would show you a couple of aerial shots from the Ridgeway reunion.  I’m still struggling a bit with the video portion of the Phantoms.  I can’t seem to get the results I want.

One of the things that you will notice is just how much green space there is on Main Street.  When I was growing up there Ridgeway was a vibrant community with an active and thriving downtown.  Two cafes, a pool hall, two grocery stores, two gas stations, a bank, a wonderful drug store and soda fountain, a beauty shop, a doctor’s office, and a variety of other stores.  Not bad for a little town of only 450 people.

It’s sad to see the state of downtown now.

Ridgeway-1A

On Saturday there was almost always a dance at the Lion’s Hall.  Various bands would come to Ridgeway and play at what was called “Teen Town.”  At one time there was even a movie theater in Ridgeway and my Dad ran the projector.  I got in free.  🙂

Well those days are gone but the memories remain and those will be with me to the end of my days.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  I’m not happy with the quality of the video but it will give you an idea of the community.

Enjoy your day and be careful.

Monday ~ June 29, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on June 29, 2015
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

June-27-2015

Happy Monday!

I had one of the most enjoyable Saturdays in recent memory.

Back in March, Jessica from the Hurstville Interpretive Center asked me if I would give a presentation on Drones.  I agreed and it was held this past Saturday at the Interpretive Center @ 1:00 p.m.  At 12:55 p.m. there was no one there but Jeanne, Jessica and Me.

Soon some ladies with young children showed up and then a few others came so we had about 20 people in attendance.  I presented a slide show on Drones and then went outside and gave a flying demonstration.  I let everyone look through the goggles (which allowed them to see what the drone saw.)

It was 2:37 p.m. by the time we packed up and left and that was way too long for me to not have eaten anything.  My blood sugar got very low and I could really feel it.

June-27-2015-A

After lunch we drove down Highway 61 just North of DeWitt and stopped at the new Tycoga Winery.  What an amazing place.  The manager gave us a tour and details about how they pick and process the grapes.  We sampled some of the wines and I found my new favorite.

It is a wonderful stop for anyone who enjoys pretty scenery, a relaxed atmosphere, and of course wine.  🙂

Then is was on to our dear friends home Steve and Becki and our favorite place to visit the Lazy K Farm.

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Steve and Becki had a fishing contest and invited several of their friends.  We met some wonderful friendly people who we thoroughly enjoyed sharing an evening with.  Great food, conversation, and of course some wine.  🙂

We had to leave much too early as Jeanne’s little dog needed to be relieved.  It’s probably a good thing because the wine was tasting pretty good.

Since I had my drone with me I grabbed some video and this photo of the Lazy K Farm.  More images from the day as the week unfolds.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

Monday ~ May 11, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on May 11, 2015
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , .

PreConstruction_April-18-2015

Happy Monday!

A short post today as I’m showing still images captured by the Phantom.  These  images show the progress on Angie and Ben’s home remodel project.

04-28-2015

I’ve never gone through a remodel project but I can only imagine that it seems like it takes for every for the project to be completed.

We had some water damage in the basement of our first home and had to have some cabinets rebuilt.  That was a two week project that i thought could have been done in a couple of days.  🙂

05-03-2015

I see my Endocrinologist today for my six month check up.  Hope my numbers continue to be good.  I got a 20 mile bike ride in on Saturday.  I altered my route just a little to stop by the kids home and wish Angie Happy Mothers Day.

05-10-2015_Angie-Ben_Home

So that’s the progress up to now.  Weather permitting I hope to take fly over videos every weekend and then build a composite video of the entire project.

That’s my plan but then again Angie and Ben are still waiting on me for the wedding pictures I took of them.  🙂

Have a great Monday.  Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Be careful.

Friday ~ May 08, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on May 8, 2015
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

May-02-2015-6A

Happy Friday!

Today I finish up my Fire Training Shoot.  It’s been fun showing you the progress of the fire and the training.  Like most times I pick up a camera I learn new things.  I learned a lot on this particular shoot and hopefully I will improve from what I learned.

This medical helicopter came flying directly over the fire scene and I was fortunate enough to be able to capture it in flight.

May-02-2015-6B

Above Brandon hand catches his Phantom.  The grass was pretty thick in the area we were flying and if you tried to land in it there was the risk of the copter tipping one way or the other and breaking some props.  In that situation it is better to catch it in mid-air than to try to land it.

May-02-2015-6C

So what were the things I learned.  First lesson don’t be so stationary with my photography.  It is a bad habit of mine to shoot from one location and not seek other angles.  I was restricted somewhat in where I could go but there were still many different angles that I didn’t capture and I’m disappointed by that.

I learned that I should either take video with my Phantom or still shots with my camera.  When I try to do both I don’t do either one justice.

Although I did some I didn’t do nearly enough pre-planning.  I could have taken a page from the firemen’s preparation and scouted out things much better.

May-02-2015-6D

Take this shot for example.  I should have moved further left to get all the fire in the frame instead of some of the firemen with no fire in the background.

Final lesson (although I’m sure there are more that I’m not thinking of) is that I really suck at video editing. A few years ago I was shooting predominately video and doing a lot of training videos for our organization, so I got pretty good at editing.  Fast forward a few years and all the software has evolved and my skills have deteriorated.

So I have to put some more work in on learning how to work with my current software.  Having said all that there is a 6 minute video below that you may watch if you like.  You’ll see what I’m talking about.  🙂

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  I hope you enjoyed the week of this event.  Back to normal (whatever that is) next week.  Enjoy your Friday and be careful.

Tuesday ~ April 14, 2015

Posted by Dave Updegraff on April 14, 2015
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

April-13-2015-

Happy Tuesday!

Fun day yesterday.  Among other things I met the photography crew from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald Newspaper at A. Y. McDonald Park in Dubuque so they could take a look at my Photo Drone and get some hands on experience.

My friend Brian Cooper (editor at the TH) had asked me sometime ago if I would be willing to give his Photo crew a demonstration of my Photo Drone and of course I was happy to do so.

While I was waiting on them to show up I spent about 20 minutes just photographing things around the park.  It was enjoyable just seeing what all I could find to photograph in a confined space.

April-13-2015-A

This barren tree appealed to me and I shot it from several different angles.  I should do this more often.  Instead of driving around all over the countryside looking for images, I should just park somewhere and limit myself to a confined area.  I think it actually improves your perspective.

April-13-2015

I almost got hit by a car getting this image.  I wanted to photograph the crew and so I was backing up (as I had a long lens on the camera.) Someone yelled at me to watch out and I felt and object to my right side.  Turns out an elderly couple were backing out of their parking spot and didn’t see me.  I didn’t see them either so it was lucky I wasn’t run over by their car.

Anyway it was great fun and Dave, Jessica, and Paul couldn’t have been more gracious.  They asked a lot of questions and hopefully I gave them some useful information.

That’s it for today.  I hope you enjoy your day.  Thanks for stopping by the blog and be careful.

Thank God It’s Friday ~ July 25, 2014

Posted by Dave Updegraff on July 25, 2014
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , , .

July-24-2014

Happy Friday  ~  238

Long week so I’m happy to see Friday come.  Hopefully I can catch up on the work that I’ve missed while training.  I hate being behind.

The Cardinal above is for my friend Ronnie.  He loves cardinals.  This guy and his spouse live across the yard at my neighbor’s tree.  He comes to the sanctuary a couple times a day and if I’m lucky one of those times is when I’m here with my camera.  His wife visits less often but occasionally I have captured images of them together.

July-24-2014-A

Every year around this time the “war birds” descend on Dubuque to practice for their performance given next week at the great Oshkosh Air Show.  There may be up to 20 of them before the show starts and their big radial engines can be heard all around Dubuque.

I always go to the airport and capture some images of them.  So last night on the way home I saw two of them flying near the airport and I had packed my 500 mm lens with me that day in case the opportunity presented itself.  So I stopped at the airport on my way home.

July-24-2014-B

The conditions were not my friend yesterday.  It was a gray day with some haze.  Because of wind direction they were taking off and landing on runway 18 /36, which is farthest runway from the observation area.  Normally they will take off on runway 13 / 27  so they are very close.

Also last evening they didn’t fly over the airport as they have in the past.  Looking back I have hundreds of these images in my files but I still like to shoot them.

That’s it for today.  Enjoy your day.  Thank you Kathy for your very thoughtful words, well spoken and true.

Be careful.

Wednesday ~ July 16, 2014

Posted by Dave Updegraff on July 16, 2014
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

Duck Pond

Happy Hump Day  ~  247

Disaster struck yesterday and 100% of the blame rests with me.

There is a project underway to apply for some grant money and Dubuque County, Jackson County, and Jones County are teaming up to work in tandem trying to secure some of the grant money to develop parks and trails.   I was asked if I would be willing to fly my Phantom over some of the areas they are working on for their proposal.

I made two flights and everything went perfectly.  I was able to capture the video that was wanted and it came out looking pretty good.  The image above was made at the “duck pond.”   I have to admit I had never seen it from over head.  It is bigger than I perceive it to be at ground level.

Now for the bad news.  I was asked to go to the Maquoketa Caves.  Descend to bottom level and then take some video rising out of the cave.  I was a little Leary, but I was there to help so I walked down to the floor of the cave.  There were some young children there with adult chaperones and of course they were interested in what we were doing.

I had a bad feeling about the caves as there wasn’t much maneuver room on either side of the opening.  So I got everything set up but I couldn’t get any satellite connection.  The rule of thumb is that if you don’t have satellite connection do not fly.  And if you do fly, fly in a big open area where there are not any obstacles.

I told the guy who was with me I didn’t think I was going to be able to fly.  I could tell he was disappointed and so always the one who wants to help I said I’d give it a try.    I got it airborne but it was obvious that it was going to require more flying skill than I had.  At one point in the video you will see me look down at the monitor (fatal mistake.)  I started drifting and then over corrected until I crashed into the cave wall.  Watch the video it is pretty short.

So the Phantom ended up in about two feet of water upside down.  A couple of the kids went and retrieved it (thankfully) I don’t think I could have done it.  Tore up all the props, damaged the video transmitter (yes another one) plus the worst of it is that all the electronics were underwater for about 10 minutes.  Dirty water at that.

When I got home I took the Phantom completely apart and buried all the electronics in rice.  I’m not optimistic that it will ever fly again but I thought I would give the rice a try.

I think the camera is toast as well but it is also in the rice so we’ll give it a couple of days and see what happens.

Such a terrible waste of a brain.  <sigh>  😦

That’s all I have for you today.  Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

 

Wednesday ~ June 25, 2014

Posted by Dave Updegraff on June 25, 2014
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

It is Balloon

Happy Hump Day Wednesday!  ~  268

Jeanne and I sat out on the patio after work last evening.  She with her binoculars and me with my camera and 600 mm lens.  We both enjoy watching the bird but probably for different reasons.  She texted me around 2:00 p.m. and told me there was a real party going on at the sanctuary.  I guess I didn’t fully understand until I got home.  All 6 bird feeders were empty.  I’ll swear these birds have to be putting on weight.  My God, they are going through bird feed like gas through a funnel.  🙂

Anyway after dinner we were sitting at the table and I said to Jeanne that I wasn’t sure what if anything I was going to have for the blog tomorrow because I hadn’t taken any images this day.   I said I supposed I could always put more bird images on the blog.  I mean I take a hundred or more images of birds each day.  She thought more images of the Grand Kids might be nice.

It was then I looked out at the bird sanctuary and saw this hot air balloon looking like it was going to land on the school grounds behind our house.  Fortunately I still had the D600 set up with the Tamron 600 mm lens so I grabbed it and went outside to see what was going on.

Another Balloon

There were actually three balloons floating.  The one below was pretty high in the air.  The one just above was just above the roof tops and looked like it was going to land.  The first image is of a balloon also pretty low and looking like it was going to find a place to land any moment.  It did later gain some more altitude but I think the one just above did in fact land over by the school.

Still Another Balloon

Anyway it got most of the neighborhood out and looking around.  I saw people coming out of their homes and looking towards the sky.  It was fun to watch them float though the sky.  There use to be a Re-Max hot air balloon that would fly over town occasionally but I had not seen any of the balloons before last night.

So a little excitement for the neighborhood and something different to capture images of.  I hope you enjoy the balloons.

That’s it for today.  I hope you have a great mid-week hump day.  Thanks for stopping by the blog during your busy day and be careful.