Elevated Element, the husband and wife aerial photography team of Terry & Belinda Kilby have released a book, “Drone Art: Baltimore.” The artists use custom built unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to capture images of iconic sites around the Baltimore region from a fresh, bird’s eye perspective. An exhibition opening and book signing will be held Friday, Oct. 25, 2013 at 5:30 pm on the observation deck of the World Trade Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The show will hang through November. “Drone Art: Baltimore” is a collection of beautifully composed fine art aerial photographs, and describes how the authors’ passion took flight. The couple aim to change the connotations of the word drone, by making unique art and teaching others how to safely build and fly UAS.
“Drone Art: Baltimore” explains how two people with distinct backgrounds and areas of expertise joined forces to create exciting images of familiar Baltimore subjects. They call the project Elevated Element, and with it hope to inspire others to become makers and apply technology in new and exciting ways. They describe how the creative process evolved from simple modifications of store bought RC helicopters to designing and building their own unique drones capable of carrying larger high resolution cameras.
Many nations are well ahead of the U.S. in using UAS for beneficial civilian purposes from farming to search and rescue. Elevated Element strives to reinforce the positive possibilities of drones here in the US, by using theirs for fine art photography. Proving more than a novelty, their work has been recognized internationally and used by media outlets such as National Geographic, CBS Sunday Morning and The Baltimore Sun. Such great interest has prompted the creation of their first book, “Drone Art: Baltimore.”
Elevated Element represents the combining of emerging technologies and traditional fine art. Terry Kilby, a mobile software developer is the engineer and maker among the pair. Belinda Kilby is the eye of the team who has worked for the last ten years as a visual art educator for Baltimore City Public Schools. Beyond building and flying, they also promote STEM education, by teaching area students about aerial robotics. What could be more engaging than intriguing imagery and flying robots?
“Drone Art: Baltimore” is currently available on Amazon and will arrive in brick and mortar shops in the coming weeks. The supporting exhibit is on display through November.
Source: Beverly Hills Courrier