Aerial Photography....check it out here:

http://groups.msn.com/AerialPicturesbyDerickVeliz/mosaerialphotography.msnw

Check this link:  http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu.gt/pagina.asp?nom=dveliz 

Sponsored by The Office of

Michael Rosenfeld, Architects

Tips and lessons learned for aerial photography:

Well, more than tips I think the first thing to do is to have a very good airplane/helicopter, set it up to be reliable, no bad connections or wimpy joints, very light but strong.

Second thing is get familiar to the airplane's (heli's) flying characteristics, (with the extra weight of the camera on board check CG). Learn stall speed as much as possible, practice short landings (very short approach) with all kind of wind directions and surfaces (dirt, gravel, asphalt, sand, tall grass). Practice to fly the helicopter and hover towards you, (G2 helps a lot).

Establish a TARGET, and views, this is very important to get a good photo, look in the view finder and get an idea of how far away you need the camera to be to get your target within the camera's frame.

Study wind direction for:
-take off and land
-where and how to aim your camera on the airplane
-flying pattern
-how high do you need to climb
-how far
-how long you can fly
-much better to fly with 4 or 5 mph winds or less.
-in small areas (take off & landing) some times if the wind is in the right direction is much easier with 10 to 15 mph wind.

Study light conditions:
-once again you have a target judge sun orientation, direct sun: too bright, sun in the back: dark surfaces
-depending on you target, an overcast day would be best for pictures with no shadows,
-take as many photos as you can per flight

"What type of camera?"

Cameras should be light, I'm using:
-Sony Cyber shot 2Mpixels
-Sony Cyber shot 5Mpixels
-Canon Elph LT APS
-Olympus Epic 80 35mm

On digital cameras set up for land scape, and for film cameras block the flash and use asa 400 for film. 

My set up:

95% of the photos
I'm using a Wingo:
-Hacker B20 15L
-18amp ESC
-9x5 folding prop
-10x500 Nicad (I have been thinking about Lipo, but is not worth it)
-2 hs-81 for elevator and rudder

For small areas where Wingo can't fly:
Slow Stick from GWS
-Astroflight 020 3.7:1 gearbox 11x5 apc slow-prop or
-Razor 350 6.6:1 gearbox 12x6 apc slow-prop
-TP 3s 1320 Lipo

I have done some aerial videos, not a lot of commercial use but fun with kids and educational programs.

check this other site and look in Gallery / Videos

http://www.omr-aerials.com/new/home.php?ver=flash

these videos are old.

I'M FLYING A SMALL ELECTRIC AIRPLANE IN THE RANGE OF "PARK FLIER" THAT MEANS YOU CAN FLY FROM ANY PARK OR PARKING LOT, MY AIRPLANE WEIGHTS ONLY 26oz AND FLIES AT SPEEDS OF 10-20mph THAT GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLY AND LAND SAFELY FROM VERY SMALL AREAS, AND VERY LITTLE NOISE FROM THE 9in PROPELLER SET UT FACING BACKWARDS TO PREVENT ANY DAMAGE IN CASE OF A CRASH (HARD LANDING), SOME TIMES I CATCH MY AIRPLANE IN THE AIR WHEN NOT ENOUGH AREA TO LAND.

 "What altitude do they fly at? "
MY AIRPLANE CAN FLY UP TO 1,300FT HIGH (IF THE WEATHER IS GOOD), BUT EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON THE TARGET, IF IT'S A SMALL HOUSE A 50FT HIGH WILL BE GOOD, IF THE TARGET IS A BIG HIGH SCHOOL THE AIRPLANE NEEDS TO FLY AROUND 800-900 FT HIGH.