Aerial photography is the taking of photographs from above with a camera mounted on an aircraft, balloon, rocket, kite, skydiver or similar vehicle. It was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Nadar in 1858. The use of aerial photography for military purposes was expanded during World War I by aviators such as Fred Zinn.
Aerial photography is used in cartography, land-use planning, archaeology, movie production, environmental studies, espionage, commercial advertising, conveyancing, and other fields