A Report on Aerial Photography and Pigeons

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A Report on Aerial Photography and Pigeons

• Amos LatteierFebruary 2002

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Origins of Aerial Photography

• 1839 Photography invented
• 1851 Wet plate process allows shorter exposure
  times
• 1858 First balloon photograph by Nadar

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Turn of the Century Photography Methods

• Balloons
• Used for reconnaissance before photography
• Model rockets
• Kites
• Pigeons

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View of Boston from Balloon Queen of the Air, 1860
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Nadar on a Balloon
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Rocket Designs by Amedee Denisse and Alfred Nobel
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View of Swedish Village by Alfred Nobels Rocket,
1897
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View of German Landscape by Alfred Mauls Rocket,
1904
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Kite Cameras by Arthur Batut and Lt. Hugh Wise
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View of San Francisco from a Kite, 1906
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Pigeon Camera Patented by Julius Neubronner, 1903
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Picture by Neubronners Pigeons, Kronberg
Germany, 1908
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Purposes of Aerial Photography

• Military intelligence
• Map making
• Geology
• Agriculture
• Urban planning
• Art

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Division of Vision

• Photography breaks vision
• Capture
• Interpretation
• Separated by time and space
• Can be performed by different agents

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My Experiments

• I raise pigeons
• What can they do besides be admired fed?
• Inspired by historical pigeon photos
• Is it a lost art?
• What do pigeons see?

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The Pigeon

• Homer
• Given to me by Johnny D
• Trained to carry weights for several miles

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My First Attempt

• APS Camera
• Smaller than 35mm
• Cheap, around 10
• Automatic filmadvance
• Velcro Harness
• Cross back, aroundwings

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Result

• Utter failure
• Awkward harness
• Camera too heavy
• Pigeons couldnt leave ground

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Next Attempt

• Use small digital camera
• Timing circuit to take photos every 10 seconds
• Elastic harness

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Timing Circuit

• 555 timing circuit, from High Performance
  Rocketry Magazine
• Modified with trimmer to allow variable
  photograph interval

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The Camera with Harness, Timer Circuit and Battery
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The Experiment

• Two pigeons released
• 1.5 miles from home
• One carrying camera
• Companion pigeon returns in an hour
• I give up hope after a day

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The Miracle

• Lost pigeon returns 3 days later
• Camera is beaten, but still works
• Pigeon is hungry but OK

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Photographs from the Journey
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Camera Upon Return
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Next Steps

• New camera needed
• Even lighter, hopefully less than 2 oz.
• Faster shutter speed
• More pigeon training
• Shorter trips
• Video

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Questions and Answers