Career Overview: What I Do As Aerial Photography
There are some vistas that can only be seen from the air. While drones have made aerial photography more accessible than ever for hobbyists and hobbyists alike, sometimes the only tool for the job is the Cessna and the full-frame camera.
The ability to combine a passion for flying and photography has given Mark Holtzman a unique career as an aerial photographer. This is, of course, a little more than just flying and taking pictures, but after all the mundane aspects of doing business have been eliminated, Mark can fly away with the camera in hand and take up his photographs. We spoke to him to find out a little about his work and how he eventually found his niche in the sky.
First, briefly describe who you are currently working for and how long you have been doing this.
My father introduced me to photography when I was very young and I became a pilot when I was 17 years old. Many years later, I decided to combine my two passions and become an aerial photograph. I didn’t know anything about aerial photography, but I started marketing and learned along the way.
What prompted you to choose your career path?
My journey began as a longtime musician, beach lifeguard and paramedic. I went into the family business to help me after my father died, but after many years I had to go out and do something that excited and challenged me.
What do you actually spend most of your time on? I suppose you will probably have to carefully plan your routes, do maintenance and the like.
I spend at least a couple of hours on the ground every hour in the air. Flight planning includes: finding a location to shoot, studying airspace restrictions, checking the weather, and preparing to fly. After the flight, I have to process all the photos and give them to the client.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
It’s all about just flying, but that’s not all, as with any business. This is a unique job and people always want to hear about it.
What’s your average uptime?
Due to weather problems, I can work every day, including weekends. I start around 8 am and often work late. The days are changing: marketing, preflight, flight, handling and billing.
Above: Mark discusses his work at the Annenberg Center for Photography.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
Many online programs have made my life easier, especially in the areas of marketing, flight planning and accounting. Over the years, faster computers have helped as well, as the file sizes in cameras are much larger than before.
What are you doing differently from your colleagues or colleagues in the same profession?
I spend time talking to a client to find out what he wants to achieve with aerial photographs. The more information I get about their needs, the better what they want will be for them. Each aerial photo is unique and I try very hard to make my clients happy with the final product.
What’s the worst part of a job and how do you deal with it?
When you like what you do, there aren’t really many bad parts, but I’m not a huge fan of refueling my plane. I’d rather have someone else fuel it!
What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
I probably fly and take pictures, but I like talking to my clients and learning about them.
What plane are you flying on? Is there a reason an airplane is especially good for your photography?
I fly a Cessna 206, a single-engine aircraft. It is large and stable with room to move around. We have a hole at the bottom of the plane for vertical photos and a large window from which I can stick my head out for tilted work.
What kind of camera are you using?
Mostly Canon equipment, but sometimes I also use Nikon. I buy the best lenses for both and it really matters.
Do you usually fly alone or do you have a co-pilot?
[I] almost always takes a co-pilot for safety reasons. [I] do not recommend flying alone, for both safety and security reasons. Photographers who fly and shoot alone usually don’t have the quality I like in photography.
How do you feel about drones / quadcopters making aerial photography more accessible?
There is definitely a niche for drones. They are great for videos from low heights, but most of them have small cameras, so the photos are not of the same quality. They are not very cost effective as you have to travel to each location and tune, while I can fly multiple sites in a day. The drones fly lower, but I have found that lower is not necessarily better. And, of course, they are not currently legal for most commercial purposes.
Do you usually work with clients or sell individual photographs? Simply put, how do you usually make money?
On the commercial side, I work with clients who hire me to shoot a project. I sell a lot of stock photography for both commercial use and art.
What advice would you give to those who want to become your profession?
There is a large learning curve for flying and photographing from an airplane. It may be dangerous. You need to know your limits. We fly 100 miles per hour over crowded places, so safety is number one. However, the perspective you get from an airplane is something special.
If you want me to talk about what I do, I was talking about aerial photography in the Annenberg Photography Space, which can be accessed on the Internet .
This interview has been edited for clarity. Photos by Mark Holtzman .