Aerial Capture

Website url

Here's the url of my website m-clark.co.uk (unfortunately matthewclark.co.uk was already taken)

More Images

Video Storyboard

The storyboard that I made before making my video. It made filming a whole lot easier knowing what I needed to do rather than thinking of it as I was filming it. All the film will be done in stop frame motion.

Feedback

"Matthews project is a new and exciting development on photography. I feel this method is unique and would create a range of individual and interesting photos which would never be the same twice. The way the camera is to be used in the air it created very different photos from what would normally be seen and I specifically liked the low quality photos that it had taken.

People want to see photos straight after they're taken and don't want to wait ages on them being developed. However, I feel this takes away the excitement and fun of getting photos developed and I love the way Matthew's camera incorporates this.

I would be extremly open to the idea of using this camera at any other family events and possibly consider the use of it at my wedding." User tester, Penny Clark.

I have also recieved some feedback from people I have tried to contact to get some user testing with them but due to various reasons this fell through.

"I think it's a great idea, arial photography is pretty hard to do unless you own a helicoptor or a giant crane, and there's so many places that have not been shot from above. I'd still like to help you out if it's digital, I'm not that snobby. Cheers" Lomographer Jamie Mellor

I also posted my press release onto the photography forum that I have been using throughout the project. This can be found at: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=224085
What I found from this is that I targeted the totally wrong people. The regulars on this forum would consider themselves as professionals with all the expensive high end photography gear and these were not the people that I had been designing for. A lot of the comments were very negative where they didn't see the fun, amateur side of the concept and were not very open to the the low quality images.

Another place that I tried to find some feedback from lomo users was on Flickr. There is a LOMO discussion group where I made a post about my project to get some feedback from these creative analogue photographers. This wasn't as popular as I thought it would be but there were some comments. The post can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/lomo/discuss/72157623846096525/#comment72157624042771000

"I SIMPLY LOVE IT! great to use it at open concert :)!!! " Lomographer Lasere_84

"Very cool! I would definitely be interested in something like this if the price is right.You should contact some of the big on-line kite companies. They're mostly into Kite Aerial Photography, but they're also interested in stuff like this for options for when it's not windy."
Lomographer Gabriel Velasco

I have also had some great feedback from blogs and websites that Aerial Capture is featured on. These comments vary where people will criticise the camera whereas others will want to know how to buy one.

Someone from the BBC has approached me about my technique and if it could be used to capture images for a documentary they are doing. Unfortunately because my camera is only a concept and not a fully finished product I don't think they will be able to use it. But still waiting to hear back and see what they say.

Example Images

Press Images

These are the images that I used along side my PR release. I wanted to show a variety of images that would allow the product to be conveyed as best as possible. They show the camera in the air, the reel being used, a white background setting, product details and a non studio setting. Some of these images were taken when I tested the product out for the first time.

Press Release

Here is the full version of my press release. I have used this when promoting my work on websites such as Coroflot, Open-Output, Design Spotter and Behance network. It has made it's way from these websites onto various others such as Wired, Yanko and eventually Core77 without me having to approach them.

Matthew Clark
11D Dudhope Street
Dundee
DD1 1JT
T: +44 (0) 7905856174
E: m.y.clark@dundee.ac.uk

23/04/10

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

Digital camera with built-in balloon.

Product designer Matthew Clark has designed a new camera concept that takes digital domestic photography to the next level.

Aerial Capture is a lightweight digital camera with a built-in 3 foot balloon allowing families of all ages to take great playful aerial photos from 20 metres high that are colourful with a stylistic contrast.

Research by Matthew gave him an insight into how continuous technological advancements in digital cameras are making everyday photography easy, where technically perfect images are produced. He feels this is slowly taking the fun and magic away from domestic photography.

This exciting camera is flash free and to be used in bright light shooting conditions at various special occasions like weddings, birthdays, festivals and special events where it’s bound to catch everyone’s attention.

The camera has an attachment to inflate the balloon with helium letting the camera take off into the sky. Kept tethered to the user with a hand held reel, a simple flick of a switch triggers the camera. Being fun, unique and simple, the lo-fi outcomes means that hundreds of striking photos can be taken and stored on the internal memory which can be easily accessed from the USB cable.

After first being exhibited at his University of Dundee degree show in May, Matthew Clark will be exhibiting this robust, vividly coloured aerial camera at New Designers in London later this year.

-ENDS-

Notes to editor:

• Matthew Clark is a young hard working designer who will be graduating this year where he hopes to make the transition form academia to industry.

• He designs and makes stylish products that are playful, meaningful and finished to a high standard with easy to use interactions while also ensuring they have been designed with users in mind.

• Crossing the boundaries between design, engineering and other design disciplines, the product design course in Dundee allows students to design, make and showcase their creative products. With briefs set by leading industry companies such as NCR and Microsoft, the course ensures students are capable of working with companies both globally and locally.

Press Enquiries
Matthew Clark
E: m.y.clark@dundee.ac.uk
T: +44 (0) 7905856174

Testing

For my user testing I decided that it would be appropriate to take it back to my family. This is where I would feel more comfortable and get more out of the testing session rather than if it was with some random people. They have also been used at the start of the project so I thought it would be appropriate to take this back to them as it they are still relevent to the project.

Since my user group has been focusing upon famiies and domestic photography it was great to take along to my brother and sisters birthday to test it out. It gave a good feeling as to how it would be used in real life.

Although the camera was too heavy for the balloon to lift, it was still able to take images and the interaction experience was still the same. There is also a good range of generations to work with in my family from my grandad down to my neice which gives me a good user testing group full of varied opinions.

What I found was how amazed everyone was about the size of the balloon, this seems to draw people into the project immediately. The balloon didn't take as long to inflate as I had expected and was approximately 1.30 - 2minutes and uses one full disposable helium cylinder that is enough to fill 30 9" balloons.

Although the balloon was used in a garden and not as open as it is intended for, it worked very well since it was a warm day with sun coming and going. After explaining to everyone how it worked, which they catched onto very well they wanted to know more about how it was made and how it works which I found very interesting.

After the camera and balloon was all set up I stood back and observed how some of them interacted with it and questioned what to do with it. When using the switch, it was simple and where they found it satisfying and easy to control with one hand. If the balloon had lifted higher then I think the impact of the results would of been greater but the wau everyone wondered what the camera was catching was exactly what I was trying to embody with the camera.

Watching the smiles on everyones faces as they interacted with the reel and watched the balloon (as someone held it up) was a joy to watch. And as it was a windless day, controlling the balloon was not difficult to do and they said that they felt in complete control with the reel and that if the balloon had enough lift that it would not come loose and float away.

This was a successful day testing out Aerial Capture where the interactions and the experience with the camera were correct and the users could see the potential of using it for other events like weddings, parties etc and were amazed by the creative results that they had produced.

The results can be seen in the post example images.

Human Tetris