First kite aerial photo of an excavation?

[John Wells]

Are there any earlier archaeological KAP images?


? Wellcome Library, London..
Kite aerial photograph taken with the 'kite camera', at Segadi, Jabel Moya, Sudan in 1913 by Henry Wellcome.


cc by-nc Wellcome Library, London.


cc by-nc Wellcome Library, London.

KAP is so much easier now

even kids do it ;o)
(photo: West Lothian Archaeological Trust's Jim Knowles, on the left, supervising some young KAPers)

[CARTOON REALITY]

Surely it was a balloon John? The ropes seem to be going directly up . . . Or is it an Indian rope trick?

[John Wells]

I assume that they are using the vertical ropes for precise positioning.
Lines, other than the flight line, have been discussed:
http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/discuss...-tripod/p1


cc by-nc Wellcome Library, London.

Balloons were used before kites for aerial photography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadar_(photographer)
Here are some later classic shots of Stonehenge.

The Indian rope trick comes under the category of collapsible pole work ;o)

[Hamish]

John, besides Henry Welcome working in Sudan do you know of other examples of kite aerial photography deliberately being used for archaeology from before the Second World War?

[John Wells]

Hi Hamish
No, but I have not looked.
Hilary Clothier, Picture Editor of the BBC Countryfile Magazine, asked me for your contact details today.
I directed her to your flickr pages and also offered to contact you on her behalf.

Readers of this forum will also be interested in your work:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishfento...164725348/

Although you are doing some of the best archaeological kite aerial photography in the UK, I still think that your pole photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishfento...0779649013
is one of the best near infra-red shots going ;o)

[Hamish]

You may think that is one of the best near IR shots, I don't think it is such a good demonstration of nearIR as I don't think it shows any more information than is available on the colour photos canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/114354/contribution/x+craft+aberlady+bay+firth+of+forth/.

as a note: using infrared looking at seaweed where it is muddy, the suspended sediments in the water leave a residue on the seaweed which seems to reduce/block some of the nearIR reflectance.

[BAJR]

To cool. and more so that I know those X2 craft myself. and those views at last made proper sense of them!

Let us see some IR then.. and help us get to some idea of what to do./

I can see a new BAJR Guide here.. aerial images by KAP - and IR etc. with guide to what to buy, and how to assemble it. and use.

Go on! you know this is making sense!

[John Wells]

Our group (http://www.armadale.org.uk/groupmembers.htm) has just given a full kite aerial photography kit to Edinburgh University Archaeology Society and a kit (less camera) to our local camera club:
http://armadalecameraclub.co.uk/wordpress/
A full kit will soon be going to our local agricultural college.

Although we cannot supply kits to everyone who would like one (we do not have the funds), we are here to help anyone who wants to start flying kites with cameras, as specified in our trust documentation:
www.wlatrust.org.uk
However, we are looking at UAVs too for days when there is no wind or when we are working in restricted environments.

It is best to start with visible spectrum kite aerial photography, as most compact cameras can be used for this purpose, as posted before on this forum:
http://www.armadale.org.uk/kitebasic.htm
I will post a guide if there is any interest, indicating costs etc.

For a background on IR have a look at:
http://www.armadale.org.uk/phototech02.htm
http://www.armadale.org.uk/phototech05.htm

West Lothian Council has produced some display boards for a general readership describing what we do:
www.armadale.org.uk/kapboards.pdf

[BAJR]

BAJr Guides is a quite popular section. Where people who know what they are talking about explain in simple terms how to...

http://www.scribd.com/my_document_collections/2305594

I am quite happy to help provide a framework to work with. but i think it would be a good guide, well received.

here is the most recent... to give you an idea
by Thomas Small...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/111005400/BAJR...MALL-FINDS

[John Wells]

'I don't think it is such a good demonstration of nearIR as I don't think it shows any more information than is available on the colour photos'

There speaks the archaeologist. I agree entirely.
Fortunately, images are much more than just the technical information that they can provide ;o)

Your link is to Canmore, which it is worth emphasising accepts images from members of the public.
If anyone has taken a good shot of any Scottish archaeological site do register and upload your image.
Some of the West Lothian Archaeology Group's aerial images can be found there too:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/activity/?usr=315