Chapter 2
Photography Applications
Susan A. Cochran
Abstract Photographic imaging is the oldest form of remote sensing used in coral
reef studies. This chapter briefly explores the history of photography from the
1850s to the present, and delves into its application for coral reef research. The
investigation focuses on both photographs collected from low-altitude fixed-wing
and rotary aircraft, and those collected from space by astronauts. Different types of
classification and analysis techniques are discussed, and several case studies are
presented as examples of the broad use of photographs as a tool in coral reef
research.
2.1 Introduction
Aerial photography is the oldest form of remote sensing and can be dated back to
1858, when a French photographer, printmaker, writer, caricaturist, and balloonist
by the name of Gaspard-Felix Tournachon (also known as Nadar; Fig. 2.1) used a
tethered hot-air balloon to capture an image of the Bievre Valley in France (PAPA
International 2010; Daunier 1862). Since that time, photographers have placed
cameras on objects ranging from pigeons to kites to rockets and satellites, in order
to capture the ‘‘bird’s eye view’’ from above.
The first time an airplane was used as a platform for aerial photography was in
1909 when Wilbur Wright, who was in Italy for business, took up a passenger
collecting motion pictures of a military airfield near Rome. Aerial photography
S. A. Cochran (&)
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center,
400 Natural Bridges Dr., Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA
e-mail: scochran@usgs.gov
J. A. Goodman et al. (eds.), Coral Reef Remote Sensing,
DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9292-2_2,
Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
29
Photography Applications
Susan A. Cochran
Abstract Photographic imaging is the oldest form of remote sensing used in coral
reef studies. This chapter briefly explores the history of photography from the
1850s to the present, and delves into its application for coral reef research. The
investigation focuses on both photographs collected from low-altitude fixed-wing
and rotary aircraft, and those collected from space by astronauts. Different types of
classification and analysis techniques are discussed, and several case studies are
presented as examples of the broad use of photographs as a tool in coral reef
research.
2.1 Introduction
Aerial photography is the oldest form of remote sensing and can be dated back to
1858, when a French photographer, printmaker, writer, caricaturist, and balloonist
by the name of Gaspard-Felix Tournachon (also known as Nadar; Fig. 2.1) used a
tethered hot-air balloon to capture an image of the Bievre Valley in France (PAPA
International 2010; Daunier 1862). Since that time, photographers have placed
cameras on objects ranging from pigeons to kites to rockets and satellites, in order
to capture the ‘‘bird’s eye view’’ from above.
The first time an airplane was used as a platform for aerial photography was in
1909 when Wilbur Wright, who was in Italy for business, took up a passenger
collecting motion pictures of a military airfield near Rome. Aerial photography
S. A. Cochran (&)
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center,
400 Natural Bridges Dr., Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA
e-mail: scochran@usgs.gov
J. A. Goodman et al. (eds.), Coral Reef Remote Sensing,
DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9292-2_2,
Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
29