Our name, Aerial Innovations, can be deceiving. While we do specialize in aerial photography, whether from a plane, helicopter or drone, we also take a TON of shots at the ground level. Primarily these shoots are for in-progress buildings and construction sites. We frequently are hired to track the progress of construction projects from the foundation on up.

We have a great deal of experience telling the stories of our client’s projects (and staying safe on construction sites!). Most of the time we just try to stay out of the way and let the buildings speak for themselves. When taking the final ground photos (the photos of the finished building) we are flies on the walls, using natural lighting, clean angles, and spacial awareness to get the best shots. We continue our minimal meddling in post-production, where we add very few effects/edits to ensure that we most accurately represent the space.

When we shoot, we have a couple of favorite cameras that we like to keep at the ready, but on our most recent shoot we only used the Canon 5D Mark II – EP 24-105mm and the FujiFilm XT10. The Canon 5D is awesome because of the auto ISO function (which allows us to easily switch between indoors, outdoors, and shadows) and the attention to detail. The FujiFilm is a great camera because it is super light and sturdy. There are no mirrors used in this camera, and it has a vintage feel … but with wi-fi. Both of these cameras enable us to take a journalistic approach to our photography.

Recently we took a trip to the site of the new Tennessee State Museum to shoot the laying of the first stone. We are so excited about this museum! There’s something about following a project all the way to the end with a camera in hand that makes us feel like a real member of the team (and in this case, the community).

Telling the story of a building is a unique privilege… obviously we can (and do!) handle some of the broader strokes from the air, but we are able to really exercise our narrative skills on the ground level. This makes us feel like a photography infantry and enables us to get down and dirty with interior shots, shots of the workers and unique angles that show the buildings in all their architectural glory. It’s where we really flex our photojournalistic muscles–telling the behind the scenes stories of iconic buildings from start to finish.

At Aerial Innovations, we’re proud members of the Tennessee community and look forward to having it well-represented by a state museum, heck, we’re even learning things in the process.

*Big thanks for Turner Construction for having us out to photograph your progress!