Go fly a kite

July 11, 2006 11:37 AM

Rake Art. Patterns raked in the sand, then photographed from far above with a kite. (More info on the artist's blog)
posted by Gamblor (25 comments total)

Very cool, and kick ass use of a kite as an aerial photography tool, too!

This guy did a pretty good job with the rake.
posted by drstein at 11:43 AM on July 11, 2006

very cool, esp. this one.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:56 AM on July 11, 2006

Gah! How did I miss that?
posted by Gamblor at 12:12 PM on July 11, 2006

Neat.
posted by Gator at 1:03 PM on July 11, 2006

Clearly the work of the same aliens who make crop circles.
posted by OmieWise at 1:13 PM on July 11, 2006

Very cool. Reminds me of Zen rock gardens, on a much larger scale.
posted by bardic at 1:52 PM on July 11, 2006

Gamblor, Delightful post, those images make my heart sing. Exquisite simplicity. Yes, Zen beauty and impermanence. I love those pictures. They remind me of a short story by Ray Bradbury I read ages ago, called The Picasso Summer. It was about Picasso doing drawings in the sand and a journalist walking behind him on the beach watching these marvelous works of art disappear on the incoming tide.

Such an interesting idea, taking photographs using a kite. Apparently there are others who do this as well with some marvelous results.
posted by nickyskye at 1:59 PM on July 11, 2006

awesome.
posted by crunchland at 2:04 PM on July 11, 2006

Excellent post, Gamblor, thanks!
posted by jonson at 2:58 PM on July 11, 2006

I think I've posted this before but here is some Kite Aerial Photographyfrom the South Pole (with an added bubble panorama bonus)
posted by culberjo at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2006 [1 favorite]

Excellent.
posted by raedyn at 3:55 PM on July 11, 2006

Cool post. What a great way to spend your time.
posted by LooseFilter at 4:34 PM on July 11, 2006

Ooh, very nice, culberjo. Thank you.
posted by Gamblor at 5:30 PM on July 11, 2006

Okay I just gotta ask. How you take a picture with a kite? It's not like the kite knows to stand still and hold its breath before it clicks off a shot. You'd never be sure which direction you're pointing the thing, and they're such a devil to get up in the air without the added weight of a camera on it. You'd have better luck hang gliding over the rake art to get a clean shot, wouldn't ya?
posted by ZachsMind at 6:39 PM on July 11, 2006

ZachsMind, Good question. Here's how.
posted by nickyskye at 7:11 PM on July 11, 2006

And when the NFL finally expands into South America, I have dibs on naming the Peruvian franchise: Nazca Lions.
posted by rob511 at 9:24 PM on July 11, 2006

Today was hard. These help alot. Thanks.
posted by pointilist at 9:38 PM on July 11, 2006

Oh, this is so good. Thank you, Gamblor, thank you.
posted by mediareport at 9:59 PM on July 11, 2006

Neo-Nazca
posted by dirigibleman at 10:08 PM on July 11, 2006

ZachsMind, I was wondering the same thing. Is it setup with some sort of wireless shutter button, or a time delay?

I noticed on his blog that he apparently kitesurfs, too, so I suspect that maybe he's actually snapping them with his own hands, making this quite possibly the most extreme art yet.
posted by Clamwacker at 10:13 PM on July 11, 2006

This art should be done here in South Africa. There are hundreds of miles of deserted, wild , sandy beaches. I got kites, I got cameras, I got a rake. Oopos, I almost forgot, I can't draw to save my life!
posted by Goofyy at 3:23 AM on July 12, 2006

Check put the Pooh Sticks flickr set from the same guy:

When I get the time, whenever I'm near water, I'll beachcomb for bits of wood, feather or anything else that appeals and make some boats.

I apply a set of rules for each construction which vary occasionally, depending on how lazy I feel - eg. I might only build the boat out of stuff that is within reach when I'm sitting down, or I might restrict the use of tools (usually a penknife).

Lovely stuff.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 3:27 AM on July 12, 2006

The first issue of MAKE magazine contained a how-to on kite aerial photography that's got a very low cost of entry. Not as versatile as the ones linked above [single shot per flight, timed with a rubber band and a blob of Silly Putty], but a cheap way to try it.
posted by chazlarson at 7:32 AM on July 12, 2006

Great idea and beatiful results. Very nice!
posted by Me_Korak at 9:23 AM on July 12, 2006

Similar rake art from National Geographic
posted by TedW at 5:46 AM on July 13, 2006