Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery
A plan view of the eroded bluff edge and the beach 150
feet below it. Your author is the speck at the top of the bluff (almost dead center of
image.) This shot is courtesy of my new friend, the ancient wooden post (44K jpg, Canon
24-mm shot from bluff, March 1998).
On this visit to the bluffs near Drake's Beach we encountered -- guess what? -- high
winds. I'm currently reading Jules G. Evens' pleasant The Natural History of the
Point Reyes Peninsula wherein he provides a nice explanation of the area's consistent,
brisk northwest winds. This day was no exception. Once again I am flying the Sutton
16 and once again I wish I had carried the Sutton 8 along. In this case I was using Kodak
Gold ASA 100 film (it was already in the camera) and I noticed an increase in blurry shots
-- perhaps 25% of the roll.
Views of the bluff from higher yet. They were said
to remind Sir Francis Drake of the White Cliffs of Dover. There are 16 people at beach
level in the righthand image. How many can you find in the attached jpg? (51K
jpg left, Canon 50-mm, and 49K jpg right, Canon 24-mm, March 1998).
Give my two boys a little time near a small stream (left) and they will
start damming it. The Corp of Engineers would be proud. Bluff edge erosion is
visible in the righthand image. I wonder if folks leave the trail to stand there?
(25K jpg left and 42K jpg right, Canon 50-mm, March 1998).
While I was out solo taking the bluff shots the wind really built in. I found myself
really leaning against the kite line and working at the task of walking along level
ground. I had a couple of turns of the 200 pound braided dacron line around my hand
because I didn't trust my grip on the reel. This was in the middle of a large open
pasture that runs to the bluff's edge. Hauling the kite down hand over hand was
starting to look like a grim prospect but I was starting to really want it down for fear
of losing something. Then I saw a grand sight -- an ancient wooden post set upright in the
middle of the pasture. I worked the kite over to that fine object and tied it off
with climber's strap and carabiner. It was then a simple and quick task to walk the
kiteline down and retrieve the kite. The post is my new friend.
Claudia with my new friend the pasture post - Claudia arrived
later in the tale.
[ Home Page | Background | Equipment | Gallery | Maps | Discussion | Others | Search | What's New ]
Comments to author: crisp@socrates.berkeley.edu . All content,
graphics and
images contained throughout are Copyright (C) 1995 - 2005 by Charles C. Benton
and are protected by United States and International copyright laws.
No text, graphic or image may be used whole or in part, individually,
or as part of a derivative work without express written permission.
All rights reserved. Revised: Monday, August 02, 1999
URL:
http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/~cris/kap/gallery/gal113.html