The simplest way to photograph LED-lit kites is to put the camera on a stable tripod, set the shutter for 10 to 15 seconds, then fly the kite through the field of view. Other lighting tricks can be used - standard camera flash, torches (I use a D6 Maglite) and so on. I'll be trying strobe flash, as soon as I can get hold of the equipment. We haven't yet tried video, but that's next on the list.
Be aware of background light. The orange sodium lights of a built-up area soon build up to overwhelm the light of your kite, cars have an annoying habit of swinging their headlights through the field of view, and I've even been caught out by a 15 mile distant lighthouse! However, if your background is properly dark, you'll have to make some area light on every fourth exposure or so, in order to allow the photograph processing machine to locate the edges of the shots on the negative strips.
When taking pictures, use something to record what each manoeuvre was as soon as it is taken. I find that a pocket tape recorder (Dictaphone) is ideal for this. Call out the number of the exposure, and what the pilot thought it was. It can be very difficult indeed to identify some of the more complex moves when all you can see is a few squiggles on the print, possibly half out of the frame!
Early experiments showed that the human eye can be too efficient - lights that looked fine were just not showing up adequately on photographs. New batteries fixed that! Red works very well indeed, and the best results we have had with green came when all five LEDs were clustered at the wingtips, with red along the leading edge as usual.
| 3-star rated images - the best ones | ||
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| 3 images | ||
| Box of Tricks - Takeoff | Letter S - Multiple loops | Fusion - Takeoff |
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| 2-star rated images - still pretty good | ||
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| 10 images | ||
| 3 loops | Torch-lit takeoff | 5 loops |
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| Axle takeoff | Spin landing | Takeoff and slide axle |
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| 270-degree turn | Long stall w/ flash | Torch-lit takeoff/slide |
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| Spin axle | ||
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<jim@guernsey.net>