Scott has been fascinated by capturing the world through the lens of a camera since he was a child and his passion is visible either within any shot or within the list of awards received for his contributions to the advancement in the field of Kite Aerial Panographies. In this issue of Vrmag he kindly shares a bunch of KAPed images taken all around the world. Scott was recently granted access to the top section of the Berkeley Campanile, to shoot aerials which will be used in the Law school's brochure for prospective students.

Can u tell us about your general background ?
I am a professional photographer and web designer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a BS degree in Environmental Science from the University of Kansas, and I grew up in the Kansas City, Missouri area.

When and how did u get involved in photography, panoramic photography and kite panoramic photography?
I got my first camera when I was about 8-years old. It was a Kodak Disc camera, which produced terrible quality pictures with poor definition and unacceptable grain due to its tiny 11 mm by 8 mm negative. I remember my parents discouraging my decision to buy the camera because of the expense of film and developing. Of course, I had a blast with the camera and I didn’t care about the horrible quality at that time!

photo courtesy of Andre Hermann

photo courtesy of Andre Hermann

photo courtesy of Andre Hermann

I bought my first SLR camera for a high school photography class when I was 16, and I have been actively pursuing my interest in photography ever since. I began experimenting with “regular” (non-VR) panoramas around 2000 when photo stitching software began gaining traction. My first VR panoramas came a couple years later in early 2002. I began shooting both ground- and kite-based VR panoramas concurrently.

For the kite panos, I use a simple intervolometer to trigger the shutter every 15-seconds. The rig is designed to point the circular fisheye straight down, although it does tend to swing around a bit on the kite line.

I am unable determine when the camera is pointed exactly straight down from ground level, so there is no need to manually fire the shutter. Instead I take enough shots that I inevitably end up with a selection of usable images. The goal is to get a circular image that includes all visible ground features and a ring of sky all the way around.

Can u tell us about your aerial shootings ? Your preferred projects ?
The most interesting aerial panoramas have a strong center of interest—just like most conventional photos. Sometimes, the main subject dominates the view in all directions (e.g. the Slain’s Castle shot). Other times, the entire scene is interesting, but there is still a strong center of interest (e.g. Pt. Bonita).

click here to view castlepoint kite panorama

click here to view dealufrumos kite panorama

click here to view hoovertower kite panorama

click here to view ptbonita kite panorama

click here to view slainscastle kite panorama

click here to view windturbine kite panorama

For more information about how they are made, please see my web site.

What equipment do u utilize (maybe some stills available ? ideally of the equipment and yourself in action)
I use a handcrafted rig made of carbon fiber and aluminum. As I already mentioned, it is rather simple since I only need to shoot straight down and I don’t need to aim the camera. For non-panorama shots, I utilize a more complex rig (also handcrafted from carbon fiber and aluminum) that has 3 rotation axes and a remote control for aiming the camera and firing the shutter from the ground. For more info and pics, please see:

http://scotthaefner.com/kap/equipment/?page=pano-rig
http://scotthaefner.com/kap/equipment/?page=rig

You created in Gearth bubble's with your kite panoramas, can u tell us more about ?
I learned the technique from Digital Urban's tutorial and realized it would be perfect for bubble panoramas taken from a kite. Not only can I place the panorama in the geographic context of where it was actually shot, I can even place it at the same elevation above the surface. Of course, the elevation is a guesstimate, but the concept is really cool.

Here are a few examples using my kite panoramas:
Hoover Tower, Stanford Campus
Pacific Shores Center
Pink Carpet, Pacific Grove
Pt. Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands

Google Earth floats the “bubble” in place and moves the image around the surface of the bubble as you rotate around. In other words, the image is always oriented correctly based on your viewpoint in Google Earth. If you zoom inside the bubble, you can navigate the panorama just like in Quicktime, although it can be difficult to stay inside the panorama using a standard mouse. Logitech makes a 3d mouse called the "Space Navigator" that makes navigation inside the panorama more natural.

You received several awards and publications of your work, can u tell us more about ?
I won the Canon Award, Web Division in 2003 for my aerial VR panoramas (web link is no longer active) and “Most promising new KAPer (Kite Aerial Photographer)” at in international conference in 2002. I have been invited to submit my work to numerous publications such as the PDN Magazine, Photo Techniques, SF Chronicle, LA Times, and others.

What are the professional services you offer ?
I do on-location shoots for clients (both 360-degree panoramas and “normal” shots) and I license my photography for reproduction. Most of my professional work consists of licensing photos that I’ve already shot to clients.

One of my favorite projects was re-shooting the disaster panorama by George Lawrence that documented the devastation of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake. We re-shot the photo 100 years later to commemorate the centennial of the earthquake, link.

Future projects at the horizon ?
Right now, I am working with an organization called Canopy to create a banner image for their web site. I am also in the early stages of a collaboration with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to help document the lands they manage in the San Francisco Peninsula using aerial VRs.

Links:
ScottHaefner.com
Email: scott at thehaefners.com