Aerial Photography

Aerial Photography by Simon Kirwan

Aerial Photography by Simon Kirwan

Lightbox Aerial Photography operates from City Airport Manchester, formerly Barton Aerodrome, utilising dedicated Cessna 172 fixed-wing aircraft, equipped with GPS for accurate site location and identification from the air, and fully qualified instrument-rated commercial pilots. We shoot on state-of-the-art high-resolution digital camera equipment, producing images which can be reproduced in any printed media at any size, and we can advise on all technical and creative aspects of producing succesful digital aerial images. We cover Greater Manchester, Liverpool & Merseyside, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, and the whole of Northern and North West England, the Midlands, and Wales, on a regular basis, and further afield by arrangement. Our commercial pilots operate in full compliance with Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic Control regulations, and specialise in flying aerial photographers.

We carry out commissioned oblique aerial photographic surveys for construction, architecture, advertising, marketing, local authority, editorial, corporate, and publishing clients. We also have extensive picture archives of aerial images covering North West England and Wales, available for publication. As well as operating all over the United Kingdom from our home base at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester, and other airfields throughout the UK, I also operate all over Europe. We are currently working on projects in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, and have extensive contacts in the aviation industry in all major European countries.

Aerial photography in countries outside the UK can be problematic, due to the many restrictions that exist regarding the type of aircraft allowed to over-fly major cities, or security-sensitive areas. We can advise on these issues, and by liasing with our local contacts, can usually suggest a solution. If possible, we will charter Cessna 172 fixed-wing aircraft, as these are widely available, and suitable for aerial photography, but it is often necessary to charter helicopters, either single or twin-engined, to comply with local flight regulations.