A Parisian photographer known as Nadar (his birthname is Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) is credited with the first aerial photograph in 1858. The photograph was taken from a hot air balloon built especially for the occasion in order to accommodate the large format camera needed to achieve the photo. This balloon, named 'Le G`eant' (the Giant), was so large and inventive, it inspired Jules Verne's 'Five Weeks in a Balloon'.
While the photo itself doesn't exist anymore, the process to achieve it was so inventive and grand that the credit is undeniable. Nadar was credited with many firsts in the history of photography and I will comment on all of them in coming weeks so stay tuned. He is a favorite of mine.
Here is a fantastic cartoon of Nadar achieving the first aerial photograph. Below it is a photo of my foot while I achieved my first aerial photograph in Hong Kong in 2011. What do you think? Kind of awesome to see similar formats from such different eras, no?
Nadar: Hot air Balloon, 1858. Me: Helicopter, 2011. Pretty. Cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment