Aerial photos of your property display a totally unique view normally
unavailable to ground-bound mortals! They are attention grabbers!
Whether used in a lobby for wall décor, or on a brochure or sales
publication, they showcase your property in a very special way. For
insurance records, architectural planning, and future legal disputes,
they can prove invaluable. For real estate marketing, they are almost
essential.

However, to make the best use of aerial photography, there are some
things you should know ahead of time. There are two basic types of
aerials:

Verticals are map-like shots, facing straight down like a site plan.
They are used for site analysis, land use & planning, environmental
investigations, eminent domain cases, property disputes, accident scene
reconstruction, etc. They require an aircraft specially equipped with a
vertical camera mount.

Oblique photos, on the other hand, are shot from various angles to the
ground through an open window in the aircraft - never through the
reflective, closed window. These are the scenic, glamour shots. They
can be either tight on a building, or they can be area views out to the
horizon with your property prominently placed. They are used for
marketing, corporate brochures, sales portfolios, construction progress,
wall displays, investment packages, publications, websites, insurance or
legal records, etc.

Once you know the type or types of aerial photography needed for your
purposes, the weather is the next major hurdle. Good visibility is
exceedingly important and not always easy to judge from the ground. For
this reason, without a crystal ball it isn't usually possible to plan a
date very far in advance other than the season of the year.

From your perspective you will want to schedule the shoot when the
grounds are picked up and someone isn't washing his truck in the
driveway. However, from the photographer's point of view the major
importance is whether the site needs to have morning or afternoon light
or perhaps an overcast sky if it faces north, and how hidden certain
angles may be by trees. Also it is important to know if you want full
or empty parking lots and what the hours of operation are. It is best,
once those details are worked out, to leave the timing to the
photographer if possible. You can usually be called with a heads-up
notice earlier in the day of the shoot if necessary.

Expect and insist upon excellence. Good aerial photography isn't an
accident. It is the result of good planning, good equipment, and
experience, and it can be yours.