Interesting, I would have to see more photo's to see why it is better higher, I would think a lowerpicture would make the home look bigger, but I may be wrong. I will check out the group. Thanks.

This is the first time I heard of pole photos, I like the perspective!

Take care!

RJH

I'd be interested in a list of sources for pole photography supplies.

Stan Barron (in Austin, Texas) recommends you hire a "cherry picker" (crane with basket) and take the shots from there.  Or better yet, for those who don't care for heights, hire a photographer to do it.

Leave it to Kentuckians to go out on a limb, LOL. The photo is a fine one, but I can't imagine hauling around a 50 foot pole.

Doesn't google earth or maps allow you to print an aerial view?

Interesting, How does it work for the view finder and seeing the picture you take from 50 feet up?

Definitely a different perspective. I like it. How do you prevent camera shake that high up off the ground?

Good Post!

Ross: Don't use my photo as an example of the expected results. Go look at some of the examples in the PAP group. There's a great post there related to when to use PAP and when not to use PAP.

RJH: Thanks for the words on encouragement. Good Luck to you also.

Eric: Check out the PAP group, or better yet; Lee Jinks blog. He has many great examples of what you can use for a pole and references for supplies. The benefit of having your own setup is you control the environment, time of day, etc. My setup cost me about $35 but I found the pole for free. Not  sure how much a bucket truck and operator would be just for one house. But I'm sure it would be close to the retail cost of an entire setup of your own.  

Vicky: Does this qualify for "you might be a redneck if......... your standing in the neighbors yard with a camera on a 50 ft pole"?. if it does, I'd fit right in. :-) Actually, the pole (Hastings Hot Stick) is telescopic; the base is about 6 ft tall and 2 1/2 inches round. It's fiberglass and probably weighs about 10-15 lbs. It would fit in most car trunks or any SUV. I'll take some pictures of my setup so ya'll can see it. Or go to Lee Jinks Blog, he has some good pictures of his setup in action.

Heath: Yes, most major metropolitan areas are covered by Google earth but the angle is very high and the resolution is no where near the quality I would want to use for marketing a property.

Mary: The camera I'm using (Cannon Rebel XT) is not ideally suited. The XT does not have "live view". Any Camera with live view and remote shutter release would work great. you just need a monitor, Like a 6" battery operated TV with A/V input. I've seen them on eBay for $25. With the XT, I have to take a picture, look at it on the laptop screen and then adjust the angle if the subject is not framed properly. In my first attempt I took a picture of the street and the bottom half of the house, slight adjustment of the pole and the next shot was framed but crooked. All together I took 4 pictures. Even the best picture had to be "straighten" after the fact with my photo editing software.

Michael: It does sway a little but the shake seems to be minimal. I used a partially manual setting so I could get a RAW image. The XT will not take a RAW image in the fully automatically setting. In full daylight you can assume the camera will select a fast shutter speed, so "shake" should not be a problem. I'm just a novice and still have a lot to learn check out the PAP group for some expert advice.

Thanks for all the great comments!

Looks great! Lose the cats and brighten up the dark areas would be the only improvements I would suggest and those are both minor. Thought you captured a good balance between the blue sky and lots of lush green grass.

As for those asking about poles, there is a Pole Aerial Photography subgroup here with tons of info. I use a swimming pool pole (the kind that you attacha brush to and brush the pool). It has holes in the end for the brush clips and I can strap my camera to the end using those holes and cable ties. Set the camera for a 10 sec timer (actually my camera has an adjustable timer that I can set time and # of shots), click the button and run that thing up as fast as you can. With my height and the pole, I can get up to 18-20 feet. Throw in a compact step ladder and I can get another 2 feet or so and still fit it all in my car.

Works great for larger properties like the one photographed here or properties with views or open space behind - not so much for tract homes on an interior 7000 sf lot. Also works great for all 2 story houses where getting up a little gives better perspective on the house although for that limited use you only need to get up to about 10-12 feet.

Eric: I would love to lose the cats. Want one? :-) I agree, I need to spend a little more time lightening the darker areas. They didn't look that dark in Paint Shop. Thanks for the comments.

I hate cats.

I would love to see a picture that you took from the ground to compare the looks.  I think the picture looks great!

Great photo.  I really like the colors.

Very cool.  any ideas on where to get a hot stick cheap?   I am definitely going to experiment with this concept. Maybe I will try it with my 15' crappie pole.

Pole photography is so beautiful.  I wish I was talented enough to do it.

Lee: I took this shot at dusk, in RAW format. You just can't get better light for outside shots then dawn or dusk. Thanks for the comments.

Joe: Try what I did, Go to your local electric company maintenance garage. The pole I got was retired because the bottom section was shattered. I just wrapped it in duct tape and you'd never know the difference.

Barbara: It has really not been that difficult. A 30 ft pole is easy to handle. Give it a try!  

How Creative, we have some people working on remote control helicopter cameras, but have not seen it work yet.

Glenda and Steven: Helicopter Camera would be awsome. I'n not sure how big of a RC copter you'd need to lift an SLR camera but it sure would take the boundries away from any restrictions that using a pole might have. If you have any info, please post it for us.

Doug, there are several sites where you can find R/C AP info, but one of my favorites is aplanding.  These guys are real nerds and geeks.

Interesting.  I would be so afraid that my camera would fall and break.  I'm off to check out the PAP group.  Can any camera be used or does it have to be the Rebel? 

Any camera will work.  In fact, a point and shoot will generally work better because you can get a video out from the camera to a monitor where all but the most recent Rebel do not have a live view video out.  The only problem is that you need a way to trigger the shutter.  Setting a 10 second shutter delay will work just fine.