I try & shoot anything I can when I am up there… I make my clients happy first & then it’s a free for all. I’m on the lookout for anything interesting. Old drive in movie areas… a power plant in the middle of Kansas… other aircraft… a Kansas Dust Devil- made from the smoke of a controlled burn… I love it up here.

The pilot- & by the way- The pilot I fly with is retired Air Force… knows the FAA rules better then they do & is just great to fly with. – and he can’t always just, “fly over there & spin in a circle for me.” There are rules with airspace & where we are at a given time & where we said we’d be… And I couldn’t do the job without him.

Kansas City Aerial Photography is more than just getting in the plane & off you go. A good Kansas City Aerial Photographer studies up on the location prior to the flight so that we don’t spend any extra time looking for the target. Then you have to be ready to compose, shoot & check your metering, all at a nice 45-80 degree angle & on a constant move.

I shoot for land owners, construction companies, the US Army Corps Of Engineers, Military installations, Realtors… I’ll photograph you waving from your front lawn if you like.

Here- it’s easier to just look & see for yourself. Enjoy the view & pass me along, won’t you?  Images taken with a Nikon D90 & 70-200mm VRII lens for the bulk of the work & a Nikon 18-200mm VR for the wide shots… such as our lovely city here on the left.

I love when I see something within something else… and one of my favorite things to spot, is a face hidden in an image.  I will stop in my tracks to nab a shot of it – unless I’m shooting aerial photography..in which case I have to see it, shoot it & move on.

These are but a few “faces” I have photographed & are some of my favorites.

Mouse over an image for its title..

Enjoy the “Monkey Farm” aerial- which at a glance, appears to be just that.  See it?  Hang upside down & let the blood rush to your head..  see it now?

The furniture that folks put out on the curb… take a look at “Goldie Dawn” & “Snow Story” & “Green Giant” in this series of images. These old pieces have some personality. Most drive past it. I thrive on finding it.

“Hot For You” is the end of an oil filled radiator.

“Iron (board) Man” was hanging out back stage at the NWMSU winter commencement. This guy was no match for me & my trusty Nikon D90.. 18-200mm VR lens, for you techies.

Just look at the size of the green robot head on the top secret space alien archeological dig somewhere in Kansas. The government scrambled my brain so I’d forget what I saw but I managed to get out with one photo . I have to be on the move constantly now, leaving cardboard cutouts of myself all over town..

The big grinning frog with goofy eyes is really the new Kauffman Center For The Performing arts taken from 2,000′ on a recent aerial outing.

“Snow Story” looks like a gentle old soul..waiting for the pleather hearse to show up.

“Green Giant” is an old side table that has a bit of a robot feel to it. and- the bonus here..  The house was the same color as the table! I can’t plan it any better than this…

And finally… this face in the tombstone was just plain creepy to see across the street. Taken in  Cassadaga Florida.. the town has a haunted history as it is. This old tombstone just adds to the mystery… Don’t stare at this one too long.. I will not be responsible for what could happen.

These are some of the faces I see in the everyday… you should hear what the voices in my head have to say.

Thanks for looking. Pass me along or call me up. I love to shoot real faces on real people. I’ll show up with a Nikon & an eye & my passion.. then the fun starts.

This, to me, is what it must have been like when they built Union Station in the early 1900′s. The excitement of something grand & new that the city will enjoy for years to come. Union Station opened in 1911…and this performing arts center will open in 2011.

As a Kansas City Photographer, I am very interested in the history of nearly everything. This new facility is no different. This is a piece of Kansas City history & I like to document it as often as I can, whenever I am in that part of town. I only wish I could get some interior shots.

Since I document construction work at times, I was drawn to this like a moth to the flame. JE Dunn is building this little gem & they do, in my opinion, just amazing work.

The images start in April of 2009 & end up with a nice little night shot just last week on July 23rd, 2010.

There is this rather large fence that keeps me from getting the actual angle I want but as any good Kansas City photographer would do-

I Make the best of what is presented to me.

Please enjoy the images & the angles I chose to tell the story.

Bright blue days that led to some beautiful contrast with rusted steel & blue sky. Black & white images to give a timeless feel to them.

Steel, cranes, colorful rust & a rocket ready for take off…

There is plenty to shoot in this town…

And this Kansas City photographer loves getting out to shoot it.

The shots from the air give a great perspective. I love when I get to wear my Kansas City aerial photographer hat.

Enjoy these & I’ll see you in the balcony.

Taken with a Nikon D90 / 18-200 VR & 70-200 VRII lenses.

Diggin’ the Nikon…

This week I was once again, a Kansas City Aerial Photographer as I hung out a Cessna 172 in the summer heat to get some shots for a client & then some…

You’ll see here a Limestone farmhouse dating back to the mid-late 1800′s.

Imagine the summer storms that this place has been through. History in a bean field.

There are a nice couple of views of the new performing arts center that’s taking shape on the skyline. It reminds you of Australia a bit…with a different accent.

The new Christopher Bond Bridge is coming along nicely as you’ll take note. The guy in that small crane at the tip top has a great view…except his never changes.

A pristine Kansas farm with a striking set of red out buildings was begging to be shot. This farm looks like magazine or move material. If I could only find it on the ground now.

As a Kansas City Aerial Photographer- you shoot anything that looks interesting along the way. It’s not like you can just go back later that day.

Then, another even closer view, looking into the performing arts center… where I hope to get a few jobs as the Kansas City Event Photographer that I like to be, once it is open.

Lastly- a couple of “faces” looking back at you.

One almost has a monkey peek-a-boo look (to my underdeveloped brain, anyway) and the other- which is a construction site for a church- has what appears to be a giant robot head smiling at the plane.

I love shooting from the aerial vantage point because you see things completely different than the ground or even roof top level…and you can see so much in a small window of time.

Aerials are great tools for construction management…real estate agents…police investigations…property owners, etc. I really enjoy the aerial photography jobs & look forward to my next sortie.

As a Kansas City Photographer, I take pride in using Nikon camera equipment. These were all taken with a D90 & the 18-200 VR lens combo at or above 2100′

Next time you see a blue & white Cessna flying in a circle…wave or lift your shirt. Ya never know…

The construction company, Walton Construction, needed a great image to hang on their wall. The light was beautiful but the winds almost blew us into Nebraska!