Aerial photo of a school bus on the Homer Spit, Homer, Alaska.

This post contains a selection of interesting photos from a recent aerial photoshoot from my powered paraglider (paramotor). I launched in the morning from the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska and flew across Kachemak Bay for about 45 minutes of flying around the mountains before returning to the spit. A fellow paramotorer, Bruce Petska, joined me on the morning flight and now you can take a little visual tour yourself. Enjoy.

Fishing boats leaving the Homer Harbor round the tip of the spit.

Bruce Petska flying his paramotor across Kachemak Bay from the Homer Spit.

Gull Island bird rookery

Tidal flats in China Poot bay aka McKeon Flats.

Dead trees along the edge of McKeon flats.

The Wosnesenski River valley leads into the Kenai Mountains

Turquoise water in a pool on the Wosnesenski River.

Bruce Petska flying his paramotor over the Kenai Mountains.

Filming with the GoPro hd video camera while flying.

Sea kayaks on the beach in Otter Cove

Bear tracks through the spring snow on a mountain ridge.

Condos on the tip of the Homer Spit

Crab fishing pots stacked on the Homer Spit.

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.

Yesterday evening I discovered a unique photo opportunity provided by shooting from my paramotor. There was a nice steady breeze on Kachemak Bay so I cruised up to the bluffs near Homer, Alaska around sunset hoping for some nice soaring conditions. I’ve soared on these bluffs before in both the ultralight and the paramotor, but never before were the conditions so perfect. I was able to maintain altitude indefinitely with the motor shut off just sliding back and forth in a huge expanse of rising air.

When I first started soaring I was the only one enjoying these remarkable conditions. Within several minutes however the bald eagles left their perches on the bluff and joined me. With such easy flying conditions I was able to focus on photographing the eagles whenever our soaring paths crossed. It was incredibly fun and beautiful.

Cheesy as it may be, I can’t help but think of that Steve Miller Band song I listened to in highschool:

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I’m free

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.

Sunset over Iliamna Volcano and Cook Inlet.

]]> http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2010/aerial-photos-of-fireweed-by-paramotor/feed/ 0 http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2010/aerial-photos-of-fireweed-by-paramotor/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scottdickerson/~3/TunWbXwplm8/ http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2010/aerial-photos-by-paramotor/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:47:15 +0000 Scott Dickerson http://scottdickerson.com/blog/?p=436

Aerial photo of Kachemak Bay State Park in Autumn.

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.

Technical Details: All aerial photos taken with a Canon 5D mkII and Canon 24mm 1.4L lens.

Air to Air aerial photo of a Homer Air Cessna 206 bushplane over the Kenai Mountains.

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.

A bushplane flying past the end of the road in Homer, Alaska.

Ahh, the Alaskan bushplane. The answer to accessing the road-less expanse of the Alaskan wilderness.

The New York Times travel section recently hired me to illustrate a story about flightseeing and traveling to remote locations in Alaska by air. Flightseeing is a popular tourist attraction in the summer, but for the other 9 months of the year these planes are mostly taxis hauling villagers and supplies to and from their villages. On occasion they are also known to haul some desperate alaskan surfers to remote surf breaks. It was a nice surprise to have an aerial assignment in the winter, and the photos show this winter wonderland in a season that few experience.

The deadline gave me ten days to spend the budgeted two hours in the air. I was working with the local air service that was mentioned in the story – HomerAir.com. Looking at the weather forecast we decided to move quickly and make the best of the great weather we were having the same day the budget was approved. That evening we left the Homer airport with two Cessna 206 planes flying in formation. The plan was to fly the course of a typical flightsee Homer Air offers. We headed out over the spit (see above photo) across Kachemak Bay into the Kenai Mountains just as the sun was setting. Sometimes it all comes together. I was photographing out of the front airplane through the open space created by removing the two rear doors. With two experienced pilots in control and  my ability to give instructions through a headset it was hard to let go of the shutter button. The planes locked in formation the background  a quickly changing scene of grandeur.

The next day brought more fair weather so we made hay and flew over the Kenai Mountains into the Kenai Fjords to capture some more scenic images and do an off airport landing to show the sort of access the bushplane and its pilot can provide. We landed on a relatively smooth beach in Harris Bay right next to the particularly awe inspring Northwestern Fjord. While the lighting wasn’t as rich the second day, the scenery certainly didn’t let us down.

Alaskan bushplane (cessna 206) beach landing in the Kenai Fjords.

Aerial view of Northwestern Fjord, Alaska

Aerial view of hanging glaciers in Northwestern Fjord, Alaska.

Aerail closeup of McCarty Glacier

You can see the article online at the New York Times website here, and the accompanying slideshow here.

See more photos from the aerial assignment in my online archive.

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.

Scott Dickerson flying a paramotor while photographing over Kachemak Bay, Alaska.

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 own legs.

After happily flying an ultralight for a couple years I began looking for an even more ideal self piloting solution. shortly after starting to consider the paramotor as a viable option I stumbled across an interview with George Steinmetz that really confirmed my suspicion.  The paramotor would work, and not only that, George had already ready been used it with great success. Before long I was in Salt Lake City, Utah to get flying instruction and help with gear selection. I’m a learn-it-yourself kind of guy and it was hard to convince myself to actually go for the professional instruction, but since my focus is more on photography and I don’t want the piloting to be a hindrace I decided to treat it like business and invest in my abilities and safety. Turned out to be a great move.  Chris Santacroce from SuperFly is an excellent instructor and I left Utah with all the equipment and knowledge needed to start putting this idea to work.

It has now been about 18 months since I first imagined what you see in these photos and I’m thrilled to report that after flying for the last 8 months it has proved to be everything hoped for. I have photos to share and a few stories to tell but they’ll wait for another post. Now that I have introduced the paramotor to the blog you can expect  more soon.

Jake Schmutzler of Five Foot Fotos has worked with me to capture the images in this post -  Thanks Jake!

Aerial photography from a powered paraglider. Here I am with the Kenai Mountains.

Paramotoring over the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska.

The fireweed in my front yard is half way done with its annual bloom. To an Alaskan that means summer is soon coming to a close. To an Alaskan photographer that means the fields are turning magenta and I only have so long to work with this amazing natural color event before it passes. The weather has not been so great for the last week, but I wanted to start scouting some locations to visit again when the light is right. Stephanie and I hiked up the local ‘homestead trail’ last night and played.  I’m also practicing with a new lens I purchased last week – Canon TS-E 24mm.  It’s a ’tilt-shift’ lens that does some funky depth of field tricks that many of you are probably familiar with. These shots are a continuation of my work connecting people with nature.

Stephanie Haynes (Anahata-Alaska.com) practicing Yoga at the edge of Cook Inlet.

The thing about Summer in Alaska is -  It’s here and very real, but not to stay.  I’ve been busy making the most of it, which leaves little time to talk about it. Less talk, more fun. The pleasures abound: Taking photos, surfing, harvesting wild plants, kayaking, flying my paramotor (there’s a story to tell), and occasionally sleeping for a few hours between sunrise and sunset.

I’m continuing to explore the ‘nature with people‘ concept.  Below are a few recent images resulting from this desire. Thanks to Stephanie for helping create these and many more.

So, maybe this one was really from spring, but it felt like summer to us.

]]> http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2009/connecting-with-summer/feed/ 6 http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2009/connecting-with-summer/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scottdickerson/~3/TS5rN8WVArg/ http://scottdickerson.com/blog/2009/exxon-valdez-oil-spill-20-years-later-more-photos/#comments Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:25:27 +0000 Scott Dickerson http://scottdickerson.com/blog/?p=355

A couple weeks ago I posted a very brief note about a photo shoot I had just completed in Prince William Sound, Alaska documenting the crude oil that is still present on the beaches there. This was done on assignment for the World Wildlife Fund who is working to bring attention to the sad fact that 20 years after the oil was spilled, 19 years after the cleanup was ‘completed’, this toxic substance is still there, still contaminating this particularly beautiful environment.

Twenty years is a long time.
I got to thinking about this.  

The place where we photographed and collected some of this oil was several feet below the high tide mark. Every twelve hours the ocean rises up to high tide and washes that beach, sometimes vigorously with wave and currents. I did a quick calculation – It’s been 20 years, 7,300 days, 14,600 high tides and the oil is still there just a few inches below the surface layer of rocks. This is truly amazing. It’s hard to comprehend the effects this oil must still be having on the environment in Prince William Sound as it slowly and constantly leeches out of the gravel into the water. 

This sobering thought has changed the way I look at the oil industry that we collectively support. As long as we are buying oil in its myriad of products the tankers will keep transporting it. Shipping is safer now than it was in 1989, but by no means is it without risk. As we watch gas prices climb I hope that it will act as a reminder to us of the real cost of oil. What is paid at the pump is a drop in the ocean of the real costs associated with this industry, and we all bear it in many ways. Some sly ones such as health issues from pollution, others are obvious such as the devastation of the environment in such a precious place as Prince William Sound.

It’s clear that the oil industry is not good for us. What can one person do? I think we each need to answer this for ourselves. My approach is two fold: First I’m improving my awareness of consumption. What do I do that consumes oil or its byproducts? How do I minimize this consumption? Secondly, I am working on alternative energy sources to replace my oil consumption.   

Below is an embedded slideshow of the 138 images from this trip that I’ve uploaded to the online photo archive. Mostly what you’ll see is a lot of beautiful scenery, mountains, glacier ice, whales, sea lions, sunsets and moon rises, then some documentation of the oily rock collection. 

Special thanks to David Janka with the charter vessel ‘Auklet’ who made this trip not only possible, but also a very comfortable and productive three days in Prince William Sound. If you are looking for a boat to charter in Prince William Sound I can strongly recommend the Auklet with David as captain.

This photo is another in an ongoing concept I’m working on –  Photographing nature with a secondary human element. If you’d like to read more about this concept see the previous post  Nature with people.  

The shot is compliments of chunks of ice on the shoreline of Kachemak Bay, Alaska and the lovely model Stephanie Haynes. We only had a few minutes, due to both schedules and the fading light. As much as I like the shot above, I’m certainly not finished with this idea. Hopefully I’ll have more to post sometime soon.