In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was one name in photography, G. R. Lawrence. He began his career as an photographer's apprentice and quickly discovered he had a gift for it. He formed his own company and began innovating. He was the first to show the world the beauty of the aerial view. He specialized in aerial views and large extravagant arrangements. He is also known for an innovative type of flash photography.

Less than 20 years after Arthur Batut first pioneered kite photography in France, G.R. Lawrence used a train of up to nine large kites to lift a moving slit panoramic camera. The camera weighed 49 pounds and was lifted to a height of approximately 2,000 feet. In the 1910s, he quit photography and pursued a career in aviation design. The Geo. R. Lawrence Company was succeeded by Kaufmann & Fabry.

George Lawrence took photos of San Francisco and the damage caused by the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires.

full resolution image ( 3.7 Mb 7000x2748 96 dpi JPG )

Oblique photo of San Francisco after the 1906 quake.

More Info
http://www.rtpnet.org/robroy/lawrence/