Nadar’s Aerial Photography: Science, Ecstasy, Projection

Abstract

Félix Nadar is the legendary inventor of aerial photography, the origin of the aerial images which are widely used today in various fields. Focusing on his aerial photography and aerial experience, this article reveals the contradictory tendencies in his aerial view. His view is first of all a question of scientific application. He found in aerial photography applications in military reconnaissance and cartography. But Nadar’s aerial view is also linked with romantic ecstasy, stemming not only from the spectacular perception of looking down from the balloon, but also from the sublime sensation he experiences in the sky. Both these views are possible only because of geometric projection, an intrinsic principle of photography and the human eye. The principle of projection of photography enables reconnaissance of the referent and its cartographic measurement through photographs. Because of the principle of projection, Nadar felt a sense of ecstasy from the balloon. Nadar’s dialectical aerial view is symptomatic of the diverse aspects of aerial viewing that will appear after him, and the functions and geometric properties of his aerial photography go beyond the realm of that genre and can be applied to many other photographic fields.