Pigeon takes photo, photographer takes credit.

The first non-human photographer was probably one M. Arthur Batut’s kite, which was equipped with a slow-burning fuse contraption that told the kite when it was high enough to snap a photo. The kite took its first photo in Labruguiere, France in 1888.

A remarkable invention by M. Batut, and all the more interesting because of its departure from traditional photography — there was no viewfinder, no person behind the camera looking at the image being recorded. 
A few years later, in 1903, Julius Neubranner created the first breast-mounted camera for pigeons. According to Prof. Paul R. Baumann, the lightweight camera recorded images at 30-second intervals as the pigeon flew. The photo above captures not only a landscape but the bird’s wings, a veritable signature of the pigeon, stamping his name on photo history.

Pigeon photographers were used in many capacities. This image comes from the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

Fast forward 100 years or so — enter the new solar-powered, limited-edition, GPS-equipped, photobike from Purple Pedals!

It automatically takes photos, sends them to a Flickr photostream, and sends its location to Yahoo via GPS. Some photos from the bike:

The pigeons are in awe. More info here.

Only slightly related — In my research, I came across these AMAZING pigeon photos from the National Pigeon Association (click to see more!). They totally made my day.

 

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