We wind up printing a lot of aerial photography here because of the LightJet’s amazing ability to image fine detail accurately. This 1920 publication by Herbert Eugene Ives entitled Airplane Photography shows you how far the industry has progressed. Check out the huge camera and mountings they would use on to a bi-wing plane. Not quite the same as a hanging out of a helicopter with a digital camera. Thanks to Make Magazine for the find.

Airplane photography – 1920’s
Here’s a great 400+ page book (free) for download from the 1920’s on airplane photography – Airplane Photography – Google Book Search – Link.