Aerial Oblique Photography - Vertical / Planometric Photography - Architectural Photography - Interior Photography - HD Aerial Video
Video Stabilization - Post-Production - 3D Compositing - Graphic Design - Printing - Lamination - Mounting - Service Areas

Drone Photography

If you need aerial images below 400 feet above ground level, then drone photography is for you. Drones allow us to get as low and close to the subject as possible. Drone photos are subject to FAA rules and airspace...some locations cannot be flown with a drone without FAA authorization. Luckily we have a Wide Area Authorization for select locations around the Indianapolis International Airport.

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drone oblique aerial

drone oblique aerial


standard airplane oblique aerial

Standard Airplane Oblique

Oblique is defined as a view from the side of an aircraft at an angle towards the subject rather than directly overhead. Standard obliques are generally shot at altitudes between 1,000 and 3,500 feet above the ground - are a great way to get close-up views that highlight a single building, construction site, intersection, residential development, or small property. These kind of shots can be achieved with airplane and helicopter.

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airplane oblique aerial


Helicopter Oblique

Low obliques are taken from a helicopter at altitudes less than 1,000 feet above the ground. Most of the time we can get as low as 400-500ft. "Low" refers to the angle from the aircraft to the subject. They provide dramatic aerial views that emphasize the vertical dimensions of the subject. Low obliques usually require the use of helicopter because of altitude restrictions. In some cases, an airplane can be used for these views, but must be in a non-congested and safe area.

 

helicopter oblique aerial

helicopter oblique aerial


high airplane oblique aerial

Steep / High Oblique

Steep / High obliques are taken from an airplane at altitudes ranging from 2500 to 17000 feet above the ground. "Steep" refers to the angle from the aircraft to the subject. They provide wide aerial views that emphasize the overall size of the subject/area. High obliques usually require the use of airplane because of their ability to climb faster. In some cases a helicopter can be used for these views.

high oblique airplane aerial


Vertical / Planometric and Georectified Photography (Scroll Down for More)

We have a true aerial survey camera that requires the 22” diameter hole in the belly of our Cessna 206. This camera assures accurate vertical photography (called a planimetric view or “spot shot”) that is capable of capturing 6” pixel resolution with good clarity. Mapping larger areas is accomplished by shooting a series of vertical images with uniform overlap for mosaicking with georectifying or orthorectifying. Precision aerial mapping requires using special GPS navigation equipment.

1 - Foot Resolution
Half Meter Resolution
1 - Meter Resolution
1 foot resolution vertical example
half meter resolution vertical example image
1 meter resolution vertical example image

mapping aerial


Architectural Photography (Scroll Down for More)

Architectural photography gives a distinctive professional and "high-end" look to the subject. Architectural photography is readily identifiable by the parallel vertical lines from one edge of the photo to the other.

Ground Based Architectural Photography

Above All Photography also has you covered on your exterior ground shots. We combine the best camera, lenses, and tripod with talented photographers who will get the job done right the first time. Its aim may be to show construction progress, a new building, house, new signage, or just the natural beauty of the building and surroundings.

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disney complex architectural photograph

architectural exterior


elevated bucket truck architectural photo

Elevated Architectural Photography

Above All Photography also has you covered on your elevated exterior ground shots. Its aim may be to show construction progress, a new building, house, new signage, or just the natural beauty of the building and surroundings.

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Interior Photography (Scroll Down for More)

Interior photography is no easy task and should be left to the pros. When taking interior photos, lighting plays a major role and affects the white balance of the final image. Most of the time low light is a big issue inside office buildings, construction sites, warehouses, etc, so using a flash and tripod is mandatory. In low light situations, the shutter remains open longer which can result in blurred images if not done correctly.

Interiors

Above All Photography also has you covered on your interior shots. We combine the best camera, lenses, and tripod with talented photographers who will get the job done right the first time. The aim may be to show interior decor, a office, living room, or just the natural beauty of the building and surroundings.

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home and office building interior photo

warehouse interior photo

HDR

High Dynamic Range Imaging is a technique using multiple exposures of the same scene to expand the dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a photo. Aerial HDR Photography is a skill that most aerial pros still cannot accomplish. AAP has the software and knowledge to merge 3 sets of exposures with great results, producing a well balanced image that engineers and artists alike will appreciate.

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Aerial Video - Take a look at our services video below or... click here to view all of our demo reels

Aerial video, at a professional level, is an expertise requiring completely different equipment and editing production skills. Above All Photography has made the investment in broadcast HD camera equipment (Panasonic HDX-900 with a Canon HD Zoom lens), two K-12 "Kenyon Laboratories" gyro stabilizers (purchased from Aerial Exposures, Inc. in New York City, NY), and extensive video software training on location by Adobe Systems. Above All owns a portable helicopter/airplane mount that acquires incredible stable aerial video. We also specialize in post stabilization for those clips that look like they were "shot on rails." Our most popular platforms are from a Robinson R-44 helicopter and our Cessna 206 airplane.

 

3d Compositing using Autodesk 3D Studio Max & Syntheyes

We have entered the world of 3D compositing and animation;  integrating aerial photography / video with elements rendered in 3D Studio Max.  Our customers can now present photo realistic designs to investors, clients, etc. without even breaking ground at the project site.  We use Syntheyes to acquire the camera path from the raw aerial video, then import into 3D Studio Max to create the geometry and material maps.  Finally we import all footage and rendered images into After Effects CS5 to composite all of the elements. Take a look at our latest demo reel below.  Be sure to click full screen and watch in 720P HD!




Graphic design - Video Editing/Post-Production - Printing - Lamination - Mounting

In order to enhance the visual impact of our aerial photography products for our clients, Above All Photography has experts trained in graphic design. In the case of routine still photography, we can simply add site labels and road signs or overlay artistic renderings of structures over photographs. Custom brochures are also possible.

With regard to video production at Above All, we have the expertise to produce a final video with both graphics and music. Most of the broadcast quality HD video we capture is for professional video production clients who hire us to shoot aerial video for their editing and production needs. We simply capture the video in one of many formats and deliver it to them. Producing "rock solid" Aerial video is difficult because of the constant movement of the helicopter or airplane. Above All Photography, as far as we know, provides the only stabilized aerial broadcast quality HD video in the Midwest. We shoot out of the rear (door is off) of the Robinson R-44 helicopter. Our mount is tailored to shoot out the left and right sides of the helicopter, but we can only shoot video out the right side of the airplane.

We can also laminate prints with several different lamination surfaces including “dry-erase”, which is becoming more popular for presentations. Above All has a 60” mounting machine that assures perfect mounting of prints.

More Information about Services and Service Areas

Above All Photography was created with the idea of becoming the best aerial photography service provider of aerial images.

We serve the commercial real estate industry, residential and commercial developers, shopping mall developers, retail centers, attorneys, engineers, construction industry, architects, and those who need stock photography.

Why do Above All's clients choose us? Because we get the job done, done well, and on time! We have the right equipment, the right team of talent, and will go out of our way to deliver exactly what is needed. Several reasons for our success are attributed to having our own pilots and airplanes thus being able to take advantage of good weather when it is not forecast. Being located in the Midwest is always a challenge for this reason. We are prepared to go several directions at the same time which is especially good when we have large multi-state assignments with multiple sites requiring both aerial and ground shots. There are only a few aerial photography companies that can service a hundred or two hundred sites within a month. The benefits to the client who is marketing a multi-site property is consistency, a known quality level, and dealing with only one photography company. Above All Photography routinely accepts assignments covering twenty or thirty states.

Do we always fly every site in these situations? Not always. However, the advantage to our client for us subcontracting a site out to another aerial photographer is that they deal with only one company who is responsible for the quality, timeliness, and consistency of the entire project.

Video Projects and Video Service Areas

We take aerial video assignments around the United States and Canada for professional video production houses that need to supplement their client's video presentations with aerial footage. From California to New York to Ontario....we have you covered.

Aerial footage has a number of purposes such as showing an overall picture of the area to lead into movie or simply show a city skyline. Our more traditional clients can have other uses such as showing a short video of a specific piece of real estate and the surrounding area with graphics and demographics with their sales message. They can either send a DVD to a prospect or stream the video over the web. One client has had Above All Photography shoot video in Austin, TX and Louisville, KY of the views that prospective tenants would see from different floors of a high rise building.

Another civil engineering company has us shoot aerial video of interstate interchanges that need to be redesigned and updated for DOT use. They take our aerial video footage and import it into a 3D animation program where they add the proposed new designs complete with moving traffic. The purpose of this is to have a realistic moving model of the new road system to illustrate at hearings and meeting what the impact will be to the local property owners affected in addition to the city and state governments.

A utility company has Above All shoot aerial video footage in counties where they are promoting economic development to showcase the area. They send the videos to companies all over the world to attract them to move to their areas.

A major Hollywood producer hired Above All to shoot the aerial video portion of “The World Figure Eight Championship” stock car race in September 2008 for a feature movie starring Jessie James that they are releasing in February 2009. That involved over five hours of continuous “Broadcast HD video” from our regular R-44 helicopter. This was definitely our biggest challenge since buying our broadcast HD video system. The Hollywood producer was impressed that Above All Photography had a Panasonic HDX-900 camera because it was the same as what they were using to cover the ground and tower angles. This live event was shot from one hour before dark to 11:45PM.

Another night Broadcast HD shot was for the Indianapolis Colts showing the new Lucas Oil Stadium with its roof opened during the grand opening.

Another video production studio had Above All video a golf course community in the Chicago, IL area to promote all the amenities of the area.

A video producer in Columbus, OH had us shoot aerial video for a corporate promotional video and a future commercial of a roofing company project on the tallest building in Columbus, OH. One sequence was a choreographed sequence by about 20 employees on the top of the downtown skyscraper.

We recently shot an hour of Broadcast HD Stock Aerial Video over Chicago, IL showing the Chicago Skyline, including footage of Miegs Field (that is no longer an airport), Navy Pier, Soldier Field, McCormick Place, Sears Tower, and the museums.

Other broadcast HD stock aerial video that we have shot during the past year includes roads, buildings, business parks, skyline shots, state fairs at night, college campuses, oil refineries, steel mills, industrial parks, airports, shopping centers, construction of a huge warehouse, Dayton, OH, Columbus, OH, Indianapolis, IN, and many other video scenes.

Another application for aerial video we are doing for an engineering firm is shooting before and after footage for their marketing and promotional uses.

One last thing we can do for clients is simply shoot a lot of random video of corporate campuses, housing areas that may be at risk during storms or floods, and finally, potential homeland security targets that may want to have video documentation in the event of a problem.

Custom Aerial Video Photography Maps Surveys Production Lamination Printing Mounting