PRODUCTS    AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMMISSIONS

	AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY using aircraft and helicopter and shot on 21 megapixel digital SLR. Please ask for a quote as every job is different, but a typical price for a non-urgent, 1 hour commission with airplane is £360 and helicopter £1260 (Exc.VAT) with images supplied on CD.
PLEASE NOTE: Aerial photography prices are shown EXCLUDING VAT. Please add the current rate of VAT to calculate your flight cost.
	HELICOPTER AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY The very best platform for precise aerial photography. Less time required than fixed-wing aircraft, with more time to compose the shot, hover and shoot through open door for unrestricted view.
HARNESSED SHOOTING The shot above shows the actual position I use for shooting from a helicopter - strapped into a safety harness bolted to the floor. Being outside the open door in this position, I can gain the very best view below and around.
	At work in a Cessna Aerial commissions are carried out to your exact briefing. Just contact us to discuss details of site(s) to be photographed and check if we can assist. Once you give us your go-ahead, we will begin making flight arrangements and confirm with you.
	At work in a helicopter
A deposit is required when booking an aerial photography job (normally 50% of first hour rate). We do not have our own aircraft - we hire the plane and pilot as and when needed and pay the associated fees (landing fees, taxes, insurance etc.). Flights can be cancelled any time up to 24 hours before we fly and any deposits paid will be refunded. Your aerial photography will be carried out in acceptable flying conditions (no fog, rain or low cloud), but we cannot guarantee perfect sunny days. In the event of poor weather, we will contact you with the option to postpone or cancel. Unlike ground based photography where the photographer can wait for clouds or haze to clear - we can't. We have strict air traffic control and timings to adhere to. If your job is time critical and must be shot in poor weather, we will do the best job possible under the circumstances. Once all flying arrangements have been made and aircraft booked, we fly to the site and shoot it as we find it. Weather can change between take off and landing. We cannot take bookings for perfectly clear sunny days - they are almost impossible to arrange and we could be waiting and re-arranging indefinitely. This is even more difficult when you consider that we need to coordinate Photographer, Pilot, Aircraft and Air Traffic Control (ATC) Clearances. Many of our stock photographs have been shot on those 'lucky weather' days that we could only wish for, but not planned. Immediately prior to take off, we are in the hands of ATC and have to abide by the rules of the air. This may mean a delay in take off/landing, height restrictions, operating restrictions, no fly zones etc. Once on the tarmac, we are committed to the hire and associated fees, which are non-refundable. We will provide at least 25 images on disc, but normally a lot more, which are yours to do with as you wish with full reproduction rights. On a recent multi-site flight we took over 700 images in two hours, as the client wanted as many as possible - fast & furious! We supply unedited images, so that you can have the full resolution, unaltered file to make your own adjustments as desired. We can carry out post editing if required at extra cost. The helicopter is the more expensive option because we have to use a twin-engine helicopter and considerably more to hire. However, the benefit is that we can fly directly to the site(s) and hover to compose the shots. Also, the photographer can be strapped in a harness and sit outside of the open door for unobstructed views of below. Urgent work is deemed as being within a week, or a specific time/date. Non-urgent is more than a week, or no specific time/date. Lower priced jobs can be arranged if you wish to share the flight time with other clients (and if it is possible). We call this 'grouping' and each client pays for their share of flight time. However, this can significantly increase the waiting time for a flight and you may need to compromise on time and date. Timings are from tarmac to tarmac (Take off, to landing) and any extra time is charged pro-rata in 5 minute increments. Extra time can result from ATC delaying landing etc. Therefore, it's a good idea to aim to land approx. 5 mins early to help avoid extra fees. Minimum aircraft hire is 1 hour.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY PRICES Aircraft: £360 per hour (exc.VAT). Extra time @ £30 per 5 mins (pro-rata). Helicopter: £1260 per hour (Exc.VAT). Extra time @ £105 per 5 mins (pro-rata). Minimum 1 hour hire. Extra time charged in 5 minute increments. Timed from ATC clearance for take-off, to touch down. (The tower tell us the exact time we were airborne).