Used for everything from geographic evaluation to secret spy missions, aerial photography has a rich and storied history, ably recounted here in Photography and Flight. Aerial photography is marked by its dependency on technological developments in both photography and aerospace, and the authors chart the history of this photography as it tracked the evolution of these technologies. Beginning with early images taken from hot-air balloons, fixed platforms, and subsequent handheld camera technology, Denis Cosgrove and William Fox then explain how military reconnaissance and governmental projects were instrumental in catalyzing these and other innovations in the field. They examine pivotal historical moments in which aerial photography began to establish itself as essential tool, such as in World War II military strategies, high-altitude photography taken from postwar rockets and aircraft, and the use of aerial photography during the cold war and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The book also explores the advancement of geographic scholarship through aerial photography, ranging from military excursions into Antarctica to the images of the curvature of the earth taken during the Apollo space missions. While digital technology and remote sensing have changed the landscape of photography, Photography and Flight argues that they have not diminished the significance of aerial photography in providing images of the earth. Rather, new technologies and resulting innovations such as Google Earth have enabled the mass democratization of access to such information. Photography and Flight ultimately reveals how the camera lens from far away continues to unearth telling details about the land and those who live upon it.

Aviation Photography for Everybody, by photographer Chad Slattery, includes over 120 images of planes, corporate jets, experimental, and aerospace crafts with explanations about the machines and how he photographed them. Chad Slattery, based in Los Angeles, specializes in aviation & aerospace photography shooting, digital imaging, and post production for aviation and aerospace companies. His extensive experience photographing air-to-air and lighting of crafts has attracted the industry giants. His corporate clients include the business jet community, from manufacturers to brokers: Boeing, Dassault, Embrarer, HondaJet, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Orbital Sciences. He serves as contributing editor at Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine, and is regularly published in Aviation Week, AOPA Pilot, Business Jet Traveler, Executive Controller, Pro Pilot, and Volare magazines.He is skilled in both Astrovision and Vectorvision Learjet air-to-air platforms.He co-founded ISAP: the International Society for Aviation Photography. His lighting and Photoshop techniques are a large part of business jet photography for manufacturers, brokers, charter operators, and completion shops. He is a member of NBAA, AOPA, ISAP, SoCal Aviation Association, and the Aero Club of Southern California. The book's amazing image collection includes film stars, aerospace and aviation personalities, notable planes, jets, luxury and experimental craft. His subjects are in the air, on the ground, interiors and exteriors.

Aviation photography is the perfect mix of sleek, beautiful machines, blended with nature’s beautiful skies and fields, along with a fascinating collection of fearless pilots and capable crew, all wrapped in a rich, significant, and crucial part of history. Few genres combine this many elements, and invoke this much passion from photographers. This one-of-a kind book from Moose Peterson, one of the world’s most recognized experts in aviation photography, not only teaches you exactly what you need to know to start making beautiful, intriguing photographs of aircraft, but inspires you and pushes you creatively and technically every step of the way. Moose takes you through all the basics for camera gear and settings, showing you what he travels with and the settings he uses to get those tack sharp images. He covers one of the most important aspects of aviation photography–light! And, he gives you a number of examples of how to take the best advantage of that light any time of the day. He shares the critical techniques you’ll need to master to create the illusion of flight, speed, and romance in a still image, including which types of prop blur you’re aiming for (and which types you want to avoid). You’ll learn how to make the most out of air shows and fly-ins–what to shoot while you’re there, and what you might want to skip or avoid altogether (and why). You’ll learn how to photograph aircraft on the ground, from ground-to-air, and ultimately air-to-air, and how to capture one of the most important elements in aviation photography today: the fascinating pilots and crew–the people! Moose shares many wonderful stories and adventures along the way, which illustrate how, as photographers, we’re also storytellers, and the importance of bringing out those stories in our aviation photos. Plus, you’ll gain free access to his acclaimed KelbyOne film, Warbirds and the Men Who Flew Them. With this book, your camera, and your passion, your success in aviation photography will quickly take flight!

Alfred G. Buckham was born in London in 1879, and began his career in photography in 1905. His subsequent aerial photography of Britain and Central and South America was both stunning and groundbreaking. This book seeks to tell Buckham's previously untold story for the first time.

The first U.S. Navy aerial photographs were taken in 1913 in support of fleet exercises off Guantanamo, Cuba. Following WWI, a Navy Photographic expedition went north, making the first aerial mapping photos of the Alaskan territory. WWII found Navy shuttermen in the Pacific theatre, performing pre- and post-attack reconnaissance, along with "hitting the beach" to record the war as it unfolded. Shortly after, Navy photographic units were in the Pacific to record early atomic bomb tests. The Navy's aerial photo reconnaissance mission, both at the front end with the weaponless aircrews and the output of thousands of images and photo interpretation, continued to develop through the mid-20th century. The last aerial photo plane in the Navy's inventory was retired after flying to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum Annex at Dulles International Airport in Fairfax County, Virginia. The 74 year odyssey of Navy and Marine Corps aerial reconnaissance photography was finished.