Aerial Photography Of Africa By George Steinmetz

For taking photos I rely on one camera body and a couple of lenses. Digital cameras have made my life much easier, as there is no film to change and many of my Canon lenses have image stabilization built into them. They also get exceptional results with higher ASA settings than I could use with film, which lets me shoot in dimmer light. I prefer zoom lenses in flight as they save me from having to change lenses often. On a motorized paraglider there is nowhere to put anything except for a few zippered pouches strapped into my flight harness. Flying this kind of aircraft is an exercise in minimalism, and anything that adds weight or complication detracts from airworthiness.
Flying for me is a little hectic, as I have to pilot while I take pictures. Because it’s so light, it’s safer in emergency landings than almost any other aircraft. The complete aircraft with fuel weighs less than 100 lbs (45 kg.) and I land on my feet, with my first steps being skid marks. There is no wheel to get stuck in the sand or bounce on irregular terrain. I’ve had my share of mishaps, like landing in the ocean while photographing whales, or getting dragged across a dry lake in a sand storm, but generally speaking, if I had used any other kind of aircraft than this for what I’ve been doing, I probably wouldn’t be alive today. One always has to fly prudently, and this is a stripped-down aircraft with no back-up systems. If the motor quits for any reason, you simply glide to the ground with a 7:1 glide ratio; seven units forward for every unit down. I have a firm rule never to fly over an area where I can’t make an emergency landing. This means no large forests, big cities, volcanic rocks, or large expanses of water without a safety boat. The glider is quite stable in calm conditions, thus I try to limit my flying to early morning and late afternoon, which also provides the best light for photographs. Turbulence and high winds are to be avoided, as the wing could collapse causing catastrophic results. After more than ten years and thousands of hours of prudent flying, this has never happened. I do this kind of flying because it gives me the opportunity to photograph remote areas in a way that they have never been seen before, and in a way impossible with any other kind of aircraft. I’m a photographer who flies, not a pilot who takes pictures, and I always have to balance my desire for getting a unique image against the realities and unknowns of each situation.