Wild Blue Yonder – sky above construction in west end Montreal (1960s/1970s)
Toronto. Even before airplanes, photographers took aerial shots. Hot air balloons were the basis for the first aerial shots. Perhaps Nadar was the most famous hot air balloon photographer, taking photos shortly after the art was invented.
When airplanes began (around 1900) photographers snapped them: experimental, military, commercial or private, etc. Once aircraft became popular, they replaced the balloons for aerial shots of earthbound objects.
In the mid 1900s, pros would take aerial shots of farms and farmland to sell prints to the owners. A few decades ago, professional photographers would join pilots in small aircraft to photograph buildings and potential locations.
One professional, George Hunter, spoke to the PHSC in January, 2003. George was famous for his aerial shots of industrial facilities, images at dusk for magazines, etc. In 2003, like most professionals, George used film. But unlike most, he scanned his best shots and adjusted them in Photoshop. A visionary and a daring photographer working in the wild blue yonder…
