Photography Flying Technique - Jan von Holleben

Photoshop First Attempt

Flying People

Flying Machine

Idea for Filming and Greater Understanding

I am planning to shoot some slow-motion footage of flight. To do this i will need a high definition camera, tripod and a subject. I have two subjects looking at organic flight and man made flight.

Firstly I will try to capture a pigeon as it takes flight. To do this I will use some bait like bread after setting a camera on a tripod and then use something or someone to spook the bird into flying. I will the take my footage to the editing suit and use "After Effects" to slow the footage down then export it into "Quick Time".

For the second part of the footage I will be shooting a remote control helicopter taking off. I will do this by following instructions from the first shoot skipping out the bait and spooking steps.

Museum of Science and Industry Research

I went to the Museum of Science and Industry to look at some Aeroplanes and Aerofoils for research and understanding purposes.

Roe Triplane 1 Built by Edwin Alliott

I like the simplicity of this early aircraft design, I focused primarily on the struts in the wing as this is a method I could use when building my own flying machine.


This is and image of a wing, I have been trying to gain a greater understanding of wings and aerofoils. I noticed that from the side all the wings are fairly flat underneath and curved on the top. This means the air has a further distance to travel over the top of the wing therefor it must travel faster, this causes a difference in pressure lifts of sucks the wing upwards.

There was also a section of paintings of aircrafts in the museum. I found these very interesting and technical and some of the water-colour and oil paintings looked very realistic and beautiful here is one one of my favourites.

Ludwig Wittgenstein Flight Project

Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher he was a Professor of Philosophy at the at the University of Cambridge 1939-1947. In 1908 at the age of 19 Wittgenstein came to England the enroll as a research student in aeronautics at the University of Manchester. Wittgenstein would escape from the the city to Glossop in High Peak, Derbyshire not far from where i live in Stockport. It is here in the countryside  that Wittgenstein would walk, contemplate and fly kites. Wittgenstein is seen as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century and played a very important roll in the history of creative thinkers and problem solvers.

Project Outline

I will be looking at flight. My project will branch off in two directions exploring organic forms of flight like birds and manmade forms of flight like aeroplanes.

Contextual Research 

Books- AERONAUTICS, A Science Museum Four-in-One Book, C. H. Gibbs-Smith, G. W. B. Lacey

W. J. Tuck, W. D. O'Dea. 

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD The Evolution of Flying Machines, Allen Andrews, 1997.

UNDERSTANDING AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES, John Cutler, Revised By Jeremy Liber, Blackwell Publishing. 

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Standard Publications.

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry - Aeroplane section.

Craft Magazine - Taxidermy Artist

Internet Research on Flying Machines, Aerofoils, Wright Brothers, Birds, Flight, etc.

Experimental Research

Testing Materials, Building and Testing Flying Machines, Slow Motion Video, Drawings and Plans of Flying Machines.

Resources Required

High Definition Camera, After Effects Program, Balsa Wood, Wood Shop, Pencils, Paint, Glue, Understanding of Aerofoils.