Hot Air Balloon Photography

In 2009, I started working with a modified remote controlled hobby hot air balloon to take photographs in the color and infrared spectra. The rig allows for greater control over many of the problems created by traditional remote sensing methods.Below is an example of the kinds of things that can be done with the imagery from the balloon. This is a false color infrared photograph - the plants look red and the sand looks sort of blue. It is made by combining an infrared photograph and a regular color photograph, or in this case, multiple photos of each type.

I have posted a slide show video of photos taken over a beach with the hot air balloon on my research YouTube channel.

Do you really want to launch a small hot air balloon on the beach? Probably not. It's a challenge to say the least. That's not to say it doesn't work. It does. It just takes planning and checking weather reports. If you work in an ecosystem with no wind, this is an excellent choice. Because beaches are windy, I started working with kite aerial photography in 2011.