h. Planning is extremely important in aerial mission, and a joint briefing
may be held with the photographer, the requester, the pilot, G-2 and a photo
interpreter present. Together they will go over the photo request. The request
should show the scale desired, number of prints, period during which the work is
to be done, a map of the area to be photographed and the type of photos needed.
Requests should also include a statement of the desired objective, area of
coverage and whether approaches and surrounding terrain are to be included in the
coverage.
(1) The pilot and photographers should get together and determine the
flight plan, number of passes to be made, altitude, etc.
(2) In short, planning
should
be
done
on
the
ground,
not
after
the
aircraft is airborne.
4.
Planning an Aerial Photo Mission.
a. Army aerial photographic missions are flown to obtain information about
enemy defenses or activities. Aerial photographs can show weaknesses in our own
defenses and aid in the planning of our actions.
b. To get the most from an aerial photographic mission you must carefully
plan each step.
The duration of the flight is usually short, and seconds are
important, especially over enemy territory. You may not be able to reshoot the
mission, so your first attempt must be successful.
Thus, you must plan the
mission carefully before the flight.
c. Map reading skills are very important to an aerial photographer.
You
should know exactly what course the aircraft will fly.
You should have a
map
showing the target, and what should be shot.
Know where the target is on
the
map. The pilot will usually tell you when you are in the area, and point out
the
target, but sometimes he may be too busy just flying the aircraft. You, as
the
photographer must know what you want and how to get it.
d. Be prepared to shoot anything that may seem out of the ordinary.
Keep
your eyes open and stay alert.
Remember, you are the reason this aircraft is
here.
e. To plan an aerial photographic mission, you must define the final
product, then determine the camera system, equipment, and materials required, and
determine the flight pattern.
5.
Define the Final Product.
a. Before performing any aerial photographing, you need a goal. The goal of
an aerial photographic mission is pictures--pictures that meet the needs of the
requester.
When you plan an aerial photographic mission, describing the final
prints by writing out the answer will aid you in your planning.
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