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Posted on 24/07/07 00:44:43 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply  |
Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
I'm planning to expand my (rather small, but growing) business to encompass low altitude (helecopter) commercial photography. There are more than 400 businesses along a single strip of road that I'd like to start off photographing and selling the prints to the business owners. I know that commercial photography doesn't violate any privacy laws since it's a public place, but I would like to also include residential photography. If I were to photograph homes in a newly constructed neighborhood and try to sell prints to the homeowners, could they attempt to sue me or pursue any other means of violating their privacy by me having these photographs? Ultimately, I would like to place the images on my website so the homeowners/business owners can purchase reprints & copies. Would I be required to enable a user id/password to access the images, or could I have them on the website for developers/investors/or other people interested in aerial photography of a given area to be able to access those images; so they can also purchase prints. Lastly, do you think this could be a wise venture? Hehe, I guess the right question would be, if you had a storefront...how much would you be willing to pay for a 10"x8" print of your business from say, 200 feet in the air? Thanks in Advance, --Chris |
Posted on 24/07/07 7:05:29 PM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply  |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Hey Chris. I think you have a good idea. My suggestion is call an attorney's office. ( it's always a plus if you have one you trust. if they know you better they tend to go into more detail ) I would ask what the privacy laws are for that state or county that way before you get started you can do a little ground work in case you may need to create some kind of release form or at least know what your boundries are. _________________ Steve Mac |
Posted on 25/07/07 11:37:37 PM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Thanks, Steve. I've since contacted a lawyer who specializes in photography & his reccommendation was to "Blast away!" Some government buildings & military bases are protected. Basically, only request to honor is if someone calls complaining that a helicopter is buzzing over their home/business and is upsetting the dogs...then, I should move-along... 
He also mentioned to shy away from private property that is hidden in the woods and therefore not visible to the public eye...via a road, etc. |
Posted on 26/07/07 00:43:55 AM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Cool! Good luck! Will we get to see any samples? _________________ Steve Mac |
Posted on 26/07/07 04:56:48 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Well, after 422 photos of nearly 300 businesses, here's a few. I ran out of memory! Taking the photos in RAW as well as 2 or 3 images on some properties consumed more memory than I anticipated. Oh well, lesson learned.  I haven't started post processing just yet. Also, please excuse the watermark. Gotta sell `em first! Cc always welcome!
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Posted on 26/07/07 04:57:21 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#2 I had trouble getting this car dealership in the frame! It's huge! 
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Posted on 26/07/07 04:58:48 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#3 I photographed a number of banks & car dealerships in the hopes they would be an interested target market. I also had a big problem with powerlines. After looking closer at the images, many had powerlines cutting through the front entrance. I wanted the pilot to stay as low as possible (to get the front face of the business) but the tradeoff ended up being all the powerline wires. 
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Posted on 26/07/07 04:59:12 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#4  |
Posted on 26/07/07 04:59:38 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#5 The construction site on the left edge of the frame is a proposed Day Care Center. I'm still surprised there would be enough business between these two centers to compete like that. 
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Posted on 26/07/07 05:00:02 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#6  |
Posted on 26/07/07 05:00:25 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
#7  |
Posted on 26/07/07 05:11:28 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
100% crop of #7  |
Posted on 26/07/07 08:35:23 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Some fantastic images there, Chris - great angles. I'd thought originally you were talking about overhead shots, like Google Earth, but this is much more appealing. Have you approached any of the businesses you've photographed yet? If not, it occurs to me that you could take a slightly different approach. Rather than showing them a photograph of their premises, sort of 'take it or leave it', show them a different business and ask if they're interested. It they are, it will look like you went up in a chopper specially to photograph their location, which should add some value. Just an idea. |
Posted on 27/07/07 03:14:48 AM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Chris, those are great. I agree with Steve. I was expecting a top view but I like the perspective you captured. I have been in a lot of lumber yards that have the same thing done. Especially the big ones. Might be something to consider.What about town parks or businesses that have brochures like campgrounds? Great marketing idea Steve. It's not the deal you get, it's the deal you think you get! _________________ Steve Mac |
Posted on 27/07/07 04:42:12 AM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Thanks for the comments. Steve C, what a great idea! I'm currently waiting on the framing company to finish building the presentation frame. I'm printing the first 50 or so and I'll see what happens. The frame will be completed on Saturday morning, and I'll start selling over the weekend. The way I've figured it, selling 17 prints will cover the cost for all 300 businesses as well as the pilot's rates for 1 hr of flight. (I found a brilliant deal for printing) They're also professional grade 11"x17" prints that ended up costing 1/3 the price of my original plan of 8"x10". Steve M, that's a wonderful tip! I did photograph a lumber yard as well as a number of construction sites. The developers usually use aerial photography of a given site to submit as Progress Reports to the investors and banks. Regretfully, we didn't fly over any parks or campgrounds. Since this is my first try, I focused on concentrated areas of businesses. During the flight, we followed the highway and I clicked a different business every 2 or 3 seconds. We also circled around a number of car dealerships & large churches, which dramatically increased the overall flight-time & decreased efficiency.... Wish me luck! Maybe a prayer or two!!
Oh, I forgot to mention that the pilot is a retired military aviator. So, on the way back to the airport, he demonstrated some military maneuvors. One thing he did was fly about 115 mph ducking, bobbing, & weaving just over the tree-tops and ground. It was a roller-coaster ride like no other! All the while, my door was taken off for the photography! When he finished, I asked him how fast he did this in the Apache and he said, "No less than 150mph otherwise you'd get a rocket up your tail!" I wanna be a pilot...
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Posted on 27/07/07 12:31:05 PM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Those were just a few suggestions. Sounds like you got it covered. Good luck! _________________ Steve Mac |
Posted on 28/07/07 8:03:14 PM |
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tank172
ThreeDee Thriller Posts: 692 Reply |
Re: Aerial Photography -Vs- Privacy Laws
Thanks, Steve. I've just completed uploading the entire photoshoot on my website if you'd like to take a peak. Hopefully, when I start going to the businesses and refer them to the website they'll notice someone elses business that they may know and refer me to that owner. It may cut down on the door-to-door time... Let me know what you think! In the flash box, click on main menu and select the 1_Highway 78 folder. http://www.chrismartindesign.com/portfolio.html |