Hovenweep Castle, Utah

Contributed by H. Scott McCann

Scott is an avid kite aerial photographer from Maryland. He teaches photography at Anne Arundel Community College, has designed KAP camera equipment, and pursues KAP throughout the United States. He took the following shot of Hovenweep Castle, an Anasazi ruin from about AD 1300. He used a Nikon One Touch camera controlled by an intervalometer of his own design (McCann 1999).

The Anasazi were native Americans who built a remarkable number of structures in the four corners area and abandoned them for unknown reasons about AD 1300. This is Hovenweep Castle, a major Anasazi structure in extreme southeastern Utah. Photo © H.S. McCann.

Scott uses an 11-foot "Grand Delta" from "Into The Wind." The KAP rig hangs about 50 feet (15 m) below the kite on a Picavet suspension. Camera tilt and pan are adjusted manually on the ground; the shutter is tripped by an automatic timer every 27 seconds. It was very gusty at Hovenweep and many of the images were blurred by camera motion, but he obtained a couple of excellent pictures.

Photograph of Scott showing his KAP rig and delta kite. Photo © K.D. McCann.

Related Websites

Hovenweep National Monument--National Park Service.
Hovenweep National Monument--good ground photos.
Anne Arundel Community College, Maryland.

Reference

McCann, H.S. 1999. Camera conversion. Aerial Eye 5/1, p. 10-11, 26.

For further information, contact: Scott McCann.

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