The sun setting over the volcanoes of the Aleutian Range lighting the Kenai Mountains in purple and gold. Just the bald eagles and I slipping silently back and forth 2,000 feet above the edge of Kachemak Bay.
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Aerial photos of Fireweed by Paramotor
The fireweed bloom in Alaska is a sight to behold. Last fall I made some aerial photographs in the hills behind Homer from my paramotor on a gorgeous evening.
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Aerial photos by paramotor
Here in Alaska the days are getting longer and the weather has been trying to improve. Spring is certainly on it’s way. With the longer days and fewer storms I’ve been able to photograph from my powered paraglider (paramotor) pretty regularly in the last couple weeks. You can read my introductory post about photography from a paramotor here.
The aerial photos in this post are from an early morning flight I took last August. Leaving from the Homer Spit up and over Kachemak Bay to China Poot Bay. The wetlands in China Poot are very colorful in the autumn with interesting patterns caused by the fresh water streams and tidal sloughs. All this is backed by the sun rising over the Kenai Mountains. The crisp and still morning air was perfect for flying and photographing in.
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Aerial and air to air photoshoot for NY Times
When traveling in the ‘lower 48′ states one thing that has always surprised me is how the roads just seem to stop at nothing. Driving through the national parks especially I can hardly believe the places you can go without stepping out of the car – thinking especially of Glacier National Park and Yosemite. Those roads etched into the cliffs winding up and down the mountains. Arguably there are some impressive feats of road building in Alaska too. But for me, I’ll always try and find a way to glide past the peaks in the air before I beat my subaru up on some potholed gravel road through the mountains.
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Aerial photography from a powered paraglider
After a long journey I have arrived. The ideal tool for my style of aerial photography – The powered paraglider. At least for now.
For those unfamiliar with eccentric forms of flight Wikipedia does a really nice job of explaining what this contraption is:
Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on his or her back (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider wing. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone — no assistance is required.
After pursuing my passion for aerial photography in a wide range of situations from Coast Guard C-130s, helicopters, bush planes and airplanes owned by friends to piloting my own ultralight I was still searching for something more – or less, depending on how you look at it. Each aerial platform has its own set of benefits and limitations and it really comes down to finding the right balance that matches my style and priorities.
The benefits of the paramotor system are many but I’ll list a few of the stand-out ones: It is very portable and can be transported by car, boat, or bush plane (especially important in Alaska). The cost of operation is very low. As the pilot it’s just up to me and the weather, no more trying to convince a pilot to wake up at 4:30am to catch the best light. The paramotor is a very slow and safe form of flight. There are no wing struts, helicopter blades, floats or tires to get in the way. In fact the only thing that I have to work to keep out of my composition is my […]
