Aerial Photography How To

OK, before anyone gets too excited, we should note that this rare World War II Japanese “machine gun camera” did not shoot live rounds, or even dummy bullets. Rather, it was a camera mounted in a rifle-like housing used to capture images of whatever fell within the oversized sight on the device.

Aerial photographer Chris Dahl-Bredine was one such dreamer, and while he’s not sure how big a role the flying dream played in his eventually becoming an ultralight pilot, he’s certain it was a significant factor. And, once he began flying, he reports—as do other pilots (the author included)—that the dream simply stopped. He considered becoming a licensed private pilot so he could fly light planes but once he experienced the thrill of ultralights, he realized it helped him recapture the dream: flying like a bird, wind in his face, view unencumbered by a cockpit.

If you’ve ever wondered why a group of tigers is called an “ambush,” the video below pretty much explains the nomenclature. The clip was captured by China Central Television (CCTV) while shooting aerial footage of captive Siberian tigers in the snow, when all of a sudden one of the massive beasts leapt up and yanked their drone out of the sky.

Nikon is celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary on July 25, and SmugMug Films created the beautiful time-lapse video below to help celebrate the milestone of the iconic Nikon brand and its special relationship with space exploration.