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Old 24-10-2008, 12:22   #31
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Canibul,
I don't know if your aware of a company that is in the business of taking photos by helocopter called "boatpix". They have been making a living by taking pix on major events (like sail rallies and photos of yachts underway)
So there is a market for that too. Good luck.

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The boatpix guys fly out of the Lake Worth inlet (Palm Beach) most every weekend and then send inquiries to the mailing address of the boat registration. If they can afford to fly around on a helicopter and take pics, then it seems you could certainly generate some cash with your idea. Maybe ask the folks at the Boy Scout marlin tourney for next year? I think it's at Provo. The sportfish guys are better funded!
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Old 28-10-2008, 17:37   #32
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Canibul - Yup - definitely a market. There is a Brit ex-pat who started taking pix of boats entering Elizabethtown harbor on Bequia is St. Vincent & Grenadines. He bounced along in an inflatable with a camera in hand shooting away, then came along side later in the afternoon with proofs to show. If you ordered he'd drop off prints the next morning. Did well enough that he trained a local to help him. I often have guests who want a pic of the boat they chartered on, and I have a couple myself. Adding the overhead perspective is cool! You would, however, have to get clearance from local authorities to run your business in their country, and not all would welcome you I'm afrade.
Give it a try!
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Old 25-02-2009, 03:20   #33
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I recently started learning to fly a remote control helicopter, I had a similar idea. Heli I have in mind has very smooth flight will carry up to 15kg which is way more than I need for fitting a camera but I'd have a lot more control than I would with a balloon. I have a fairly cheap but VERY good color laser printer which prints up to A3 photo quailtiy pictures on photographic paper which I intend to take aboard, I as planning to offer to take ariel pictures of smaller resorts and hotel complexes that they could then use in their advertising. My brother used to 'cold call' on houses trying to sell ariel photos of the property taken by a plane, an A3 size picture was £300, I'd be happy selling 20 pictures at £15 than not being able to sell any at £300.

For full time live aboard like I plan it is obvious I'll need as many 'Irons' to put in the fire as possible, what's possible and allowed in one country might not be in another so I'm constantly looking for more new ideas but anything illegal is definately out of the question I want to spend my retirement on a 30x9 boat with fresh air and sea views not a 6x6 cell with gray walls :-)
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Old 25-02-2009, 13:36   #34
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Pat, let us know how that laser printer likes the moist air on a boat, many of the toners will clump up or the moistue will affect the electrostatic transfer making for some tint in areas that should be white.

Still, if international trends have followed the profitable ones in the US, here we can send our digipix to any drugstore chain and they'll print them on genuine photographic paper for less than the cost of inkjet or laser printing. And of course, better quality too. You can always sell the draft on the spot--and have the real thing mailed to them afterwards. Or posted on a source like Shutterfly, where it can be ordered for a price. (Some of those allow you to sell the images per print, so the customer can always go back directly for more.)

What link would you use to see what the camera aloft was seeing? Blind shots wouldn't be composed very well, I'd guess.
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Old 26-02-2009, 02:58   #35
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I'm really thinking of pushing the boat out (so to speak) I was looking into other means of taking good pictures and solving the problem of a link and came up with this

Draganflyer X6 Six Rotor UAV Helicopter Aerial Video Platform

Really gonna take a chunk out of my budget (about £8,000) but it does bring a lot more flexibility and possibilities to the ariel photography idea, would just have to make sure I didn't take it anywhere where I could be accused of spying. Might have to just stick to the bayliner for another summer and spend the time covering all the UK marinas and estate agents that want property photographed.

The printer as I said was VERY cheap so I'll try it till it breaks then probably go with your idea, and or perhaps present a portfolio of samples and a selecion of pictures on my laptop, copy them straight to CD and later post out one ready made print of the buyers choosing. Thats my favorite thing about digital - if the customer doesn't want the picture I haven't wasted money getting it developed just to disgard.

The X6 IS I admit a bit extravagant but I am an avid wildlife photographer and even if I wasn't planning to up stakes and head off into the sunset I'd be very tempted.
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Old 26-02-2009, 04:25   #36
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Finding this thread is too funny!

Hi all! I'm an amateur filmmaker, and this thread is really funny to me. Ya see, I built an R/C camera pod that hangs from a kite and downlinks video to the ground for control purposes last year. Flys off a medium size para-kite. I'm upgrading the Pod to HD video this year, and I'm taking it with me cruising next. My boat is beginning to resemble a "mini" Calypso. Anyone here familiar with Yves Gélinas, and his wonderful movie "With Jean-du-Sud Around the world"? He flew a 16mm camera on a kite back in the 70s, and brought home some awesome footage...UNDER SAIL!!! There is a whole following in kite and balloon photography, and there was even a magazine:KAP Background - The Aerial Eye .Famous photographer George Lawrence photgraphed the 1906 San Fran earthquake from kites. Well, I've already given away WAAAAY too many secrets, and I'm gonna shut my trap!

BTW, dont get too attached to any R/C plane or helicopter you fly FROM a boat. It's only a matter of time...
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Old 26-02-2009, 05:01   #37
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BTW, dont get too attached to any R/C plane or helicopter you fly FROM a boat. It's only a matter of time...
It's already happened fortunately it was a cheap one

If I go for this expensive model I'll keep it away from the water when possible, but I do like the GPS positioning that keeps it in one place without need to touch the controls and lets you concentrate on framing the shot. I had thought about the helium blimp but was worried about losing one of those to the wind - though obviously I suppose an attached fishing line would be light enough not to effect flight too much and secure it
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Old 26-02-2009, 07:54   #38
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I knew a guy who paid for his commercial pilots licence by taking pictures of the large planes landing (747's and the such), then approaching the pilots and stewardess's with a proof offering to sell. He found that his sales were in the 90% range, as very few pilots had a picture of themselves in the planes they actually flew. I cannot see why this would not work with boaters, however the sales rate may not reach 90% though. Anyways everybody knows someone who could sell ice to an eskimo, so in the end it's all about price and how well you sell yourself and the product.
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Old 26-02-2009, 08:19   #39
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Excocet, these days if one hung around a runway with a big telephoto lens taking pictures of the pilots in their planes...You'd quickly and regularly have big new friends in uniforms. Everyone's a wee bit paranoid about these things, I know birdwatchers who regularly have to explain why "two people with binoculars" are found in various places.

"DragonFly X6 Military Applications" Well, it is nice to know a civilian can buy such tings, but oh yeah, that's gonna start a world of pain, unless you're flying it into Waziristan.
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Old 26-02-2009, 11:54   #40
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I knew a guy who paid for his commercial pilots licence by taking pictures of the large planes landing (747's and the such), then approaching the pilots and stewardess's with a proof offering to sell. He found that his sales were in the 90% range, as very few pilots had a picture of themselves in the planes they actually flew. I cannot see why this would not work with boaters, however the sales rate may not reach 90% though. Anyways everybody knows someone who could sell ice to an eskimo, so in the end it's all about price and how well you sell yourself and the product.
I think that sounds doable - especially for a Cruiser with a boat who can move from area to area and take good "action" shots. And with Digital little waste for film. Probably not cost effective for the onshore locals to bother trying - especially waiting for "good" days.
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Old 28-02-2009, 01:20   #41
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At $16,000 for a draganflyer, I would make sure there is a market for it!
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Old 01-03-2009, 12:31   #42
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Are you kidding me? You need to ask if it's a good idea? It's genius! Especially in areas where there are a lot of charters. In Vancouver, there's a company taking photos from a high-tower on their boat. They charge a fair bit & are busy all summer, last I heard. If you were in the Philippines, I'd hire you to do all of our beach properties. As well, I'd suggest you market it to various government tourist bureaus. Much cheaper than hiring a plane.
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Old 01-03-2009, 14:41   #43
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Bankaboat is right. Also, the press departments (Public Affairs) of the shipping companies buy a lot of pictures of their ships (especially cruise ship and ferry operators). Quite often, they charter aircraft to do press packs on vessels. Then, there's magazines, press libraries such as Popperfoto and others. Sounds like a cracking business idea to me.
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Old 06-03-2009, 06:08   #44
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The herring fleet is just starting to get geared up here on Vancouver Island. Now I know that if I head out in my dingy (or Boat) and took pictures of the boats at work with their boat name nicely framed in the picture, and then approached the captain with said photo, betcha I get a 75% sale rate (guess it kinda depends on the price, I don't know, say about $50). I would think that I could do the same for all the tankers that ply the waters here, problem there is finding the Captains of said tankers. As far as trying to sell a photo to a cruiser, good luck, I think they would head out in the dingy and snap a few photo's themselves, I know I have. Anyway, think I will see if I am just blowing smoke outta my butt or not, head out today or tomorrow and see about selling a few photo's and let you all know how I made out, let see if I do get that 75% success rate or not?
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Old 06-03-2009, 07:53   #45
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A 75% success rate....only if you accept paying in buckets of herring.(G)

And if they don't scoop you up in the trawl nets, they tend to get upset at small craft hanging about in their paths.

But seriously, nothing ventured nothing lost, ergh, gained. It would be interesting to hear if any of them do buy the photos from you!
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