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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Many of you have aerial photos of your ponds/ranches/acreages/et al and I'd like to have the same perspective of my place. Google satellite imagery hasn't been updated since I've built my ponds, so I'm looking to contract someone privately to provide photos. There are a number of outfits marketing these services in my area - my questions to those of you who are in the know are:
1. Any clue what I should expect to spend? 2. Any suggestions on questions I should pose to determine the reputible comapanies apart from the standard [may I see a portfolio of your work, references, customers, etc.]?
Any other ideas or direction would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
TJ
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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TJ:
I don't know what it costs, but some things that I'd be curious about is:
What resolution are the pictures? If you get digital copies, can they be blown up for greater detail if needed?
I don't know what you are looking for in a picture, but I think that a couple of pictures that are taken at an angle might be just as interesting as one taken from straight up. You'll be able to see the elevation changes better.
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TJ:
You may have overhead images available from sources other than Google that are more recent. I have found three different sets on-line of our place; the most recent is hosted by our county government.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Lunker
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Hey TJ. Around here where my biz is (Atlanta), there are pilots that take photos of places of biz and then peddle them to the biz or building owner. It is my guess the same occurs around you. I would nose around the airport(s) where small aircraft are housed, and somebody may know who does it. Also did you get a log splitter? If so what did you get? To me it sounded like a perfectly good reason (excuse)to get a tractor.
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Lunker
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What Theo said, or look in the yellow pages under “flying clubs” and give them a call. Some Weekend pilots love a good mission and will do it for free.
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Lunker
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Mapquest's aerial images are about 3 years ahead of Google's images for my place.
I paid a local aerial photography company $275 to take pictures for me. That was 2½ years ago. I gave him GPS points and a street address and he provided about 30 high resolution digital files. He even made sure to ask if there were any special areas of my property I wanted him to get. I wound up having the best shot printed out on 24"x36" paper for a "before" shot. I'll probably hire him again when the new house is built.
I checked online for aerial photo businesses near me. 1 or 2 others were around but this guy was reasonable and he gave me the files. Others charged for their service and provided a few pictures but they either charged extra for the digital files or would not provide them at all.
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TJ, let me offer some insight from a pilot's perspective.
First, the others are right on that most pilots would likely be willing to take some shots for you if they were going to be flying in the area, especially those flying out of smaller airports who are just flying for fun.
Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) strictly limit the commercial use of an aircraft in for-profit operations such as aerial photography, so you may run into an issue if payment is involved if the pilot does have a commercial pilot certificate. My point is that some may say they won't/can't accept payment and, therefore, may not be willing. Others may be willing, so it's just hit and miss. While still a violation of the FARs, something as small as accepting a courtesy payment for taking a pic while already flying for one's own purposes is something that many pilots would likely not give a second thought to doing.
If you go with a professional outfit, expect to pay a fair amount. Most of them factor in the hourly operating cost of their plane which, depending on what they fly, can range as high as a few hundred dollars per hour. Unless they are distributing that cost amongst several clients, you may take the full brunt of their expenses in your single photo mission, so you would definitely want to be clear about that.
Another interesting possibility is to find out if any aerial mapping is being done in your area. Most of the planes that do that work are using higher end equipment that takes good high-res photos and since they are already producing that work for other clients, may be willing to give you shots of your place - assuming your place was covered on one of their runs - at a reduced rate. Examples of this type of operation are timber cruises, 911 mapping, riverbed erosion mapping, large scale land development projects, and the like. Don't know if any of that sort of stuff would be going on around your land, but it's a starting point.
Just a few thoughts to chew on. Good luck. If I lived closer, I'd be glad to do that for ya, but I don't make it to Nebraska all that often!
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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I got a pilot buddy here in town TJ. I'll ask him what he knows about this. He doesn't currently own a plane, but he rents them out every once in a while. Not sure if he's done aerial photography himself though.
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Guys - thanks for your responses and suggestions. I have checked with all satellite images available and nothing has been recently updated, at least for my geography right outside of Lincoln.
Josh, you let me know if you have a connection...no hurry here - if I could work something into a guy's schedule it would be great. Imagine the pricing would be a little more agreeable that way too!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,799 Likes: 68 |
TJ, let me offer some insight from a pilot's perspective.
First, the others are right on that most pilots would likely be willing to take some shots for you if they were going to be flying in the area, especially those flying out of smaller airports who are just flying for fun.
Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) strictly limit the commercial use of an aircraft in for-profit operations such as aerial photography, so you may run into an issue if payment is involved if the pilot does have a commercial pilot certificate. My point is that some may say they won't/can't accept payment and, therefore, may not be willing. Others may be willing, so it's just hit and miss. While still a violation of the FARs, something as small as accepting a courtesy payment for taking a pic while already flying for one's own purposes is something that many pilots would likely not give a second thought to doing.
If you go with a professional outfit, expect to pay a fair amount. Most of them factor in the hourly operating cost of their plane which, depending on what they fly, can range as high as a few hundred dollars per hour. Unless they are distributing that cost amongst several clients, you may take the full brunt of their expenses in your single photo mission, so you would definitely want to be clear about that.
Another interesting possibility is to find out if any aerial mapping is being done in your area. Most of the planes that do that work are using higher end equipment that takes good high-res photos and since they are already producing that work for other clients, may be willing to give you shots of your place - assuming your place was covered on one of their runs - at a reduced rate. Examples of this type of operation are timber cruises, 911 mapping, riverbed erosion mapping, large scale land development projects, and the like. Don't know if any of that sort of stuff would be going on around your land, but it's a starting point.
Just a few thoughts to chew on. Good luck. If I lived closer, I'd be glad to do that for ya, but I don't make it to Nebraska all that often! Wow, thanks for the tips Todd! If you ever get lost or blown off course make sure to have your photography equipment handy - I'd be much obliged!!!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,799 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,799 Likes: 68 |
Hey TJ. Around here where my biz is (Atlanta), there are pilots that take photos of places of biz and then peddle them to the biz or building owner. It is my guess the same occurs around you. I would nose around the airport(s) where small aircraft are housed, and somebody may know who does it. Also did you get a log splitter? If so what did you get? To me it sounded like a perfectly good reason (excuse)to get a tractor. Thanks Rick. I already have a splitter, but it's awfully wimpy [4T Ryobi]. Wish I would have known what I know now before making that purchase. Could have saved the $$ and invested in a real splitter. Currently all I left with is a time consuming kindling maker. ....sigh....
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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TJ:
When the weather turns warmer in the Spring, and you want a hand with some seining, I cold be convinced very easily to take the drive. If you have some of those logs handy I'll show you how I split them on my 4.5t splitter.
FWIW, the latest satellite images that I can find of my place are May 2005.
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Wow, thanks for the tips Todd! If you ever get lost or blown off course make sure to have your photography equipment handy - I'd be much obliged!!!
If it ever happens, rest assured my camera will be beside me! Good luck with tracking down a source for pics.
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Joined: Jan 2008
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TJ:
When the weather turns warmer in the Spring, and you want a hand with some seining, I cold be convinced very easily to take the drive. If you have some of those logs handy I'll show you how I split them on my 4.5t splitter.
FWIW, the latest satellite images that I can find of my place are May 2005. E - let's talk when time allows. I could use some hints on how to get the most out of my Ryobi. I wonder if it could be weakening with age? Sure seems like I used to be able to perform more work on bigger logs. For now I'm getting pretty good with the maul thanks to everyone's guidance.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Moderator Lunker
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I could use some hints on how to get the most out of my Ryobi. I wonder if it could be weakening with age? I've heard about problems like that. Fortunately, my fähnstücker seems to be holding up just fine.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Around here, closer to the corn in the collar counties of Chicago, powered parachutes are kinda popular. A couple of times a year, one of the regional chapters will host a fly-in and invite interested wanna-be's to attend. They offer low cost flights to share in the thrill and set the hook. Bring along the good camera and work a deal. I did a quick google and could only come up with this Nebraska connection: K.Y.T. Flying Club, Inc. 532 238th Street Milford, NE 68405 Name: Tom Troyer or Sean Cramer Phone: 402-761-2320 Email: tom.troyer@plantpioneer.com
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TJ, a great resource for finding airports is http://www.airnav.com. Check it out and you'll find every paved and grass strip near your location. then, it's just a matter of checking around.
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I could use some hints on how to get the most out of my Ryobi. I wonder if it could be weakening with age? I've heard about problems like that. Fortunately, my fähnstücker seems to be holding up just fine. If I had spoken German within the last 10 years I'd probably know enough to recommend Herr Gallus be moderated.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Around here, closer to the corn in the collar counties of Chicago, powered parachutes are kinda popular. A couple of times a year, one of the regional chapters will host a fly-in and invite interested wanna-be's to attend. They offer low cost flights to share in the thrill and set the hook. Bring along the good camera and work a deal. I did a quick google and could only come up with this Nebraska connection: K.Y.T. Flying Club, Inc. 532 238th Street Milford, NE 68405 Name: Tom Troyer or Sean Cramer Phone: 402-761-2320 Email: tom.troyer@plantpioneer.com Yo BSKI - long time, but it's worth waiting for a nugget like this. Thanks - I'm going to see if I can't convince these guys to scramble the squadron before Spring. BTW - Been reading about your project progressing....it's so many galaxies beyond my capabilities and vision and I feel unworthy even responding to your posts. Pathetic, really. But know I am impressed and am encouraging you telepathically. I wish you guys lived closer....
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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TJ, a great resource for finding airports is http://www.airnav.com. Check it out and you'll find every paved and grass strip near your location. then, it's just a matter of checking around. Thanks Todd...man this forum is full of aerial photography experts. Unbelievable.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Thanks Todd...man this forum is full of aerial photography experts. Unbelievable. No sweat. Yeah, I heard rumblings that there may be a forum name change in the works to reflect this other, more prominent focus!
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TJ if your up to a fun hobby, try RC aircraft, they have miniature video-still cameras that can be attached and you can take all the video and stills you want. I'm putting floats and a camera on my super tiger 60 next year and try to get some photo's. http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Airplane-Helicopt...=item4cec07e3f8
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That's pretty cool adiron. Might have to look into that a little further. TJ, I asked my buddy and he didn't have a whole lot of information for me. Guess he doesn't fly very often anymore. He did give me a name of a reputable company in Lincoln though. Prange Aerial Photography. I checked them out online and they look impressive, though potentially expensive as well.
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TJ if your up to a fun hobby, try RC aircraft, they have miniature video-still cameras that can be attached and you can take all the video and stills you want. I'm putting floats and a camera on my super tiger 60 next year and try to get some photo's. http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Airplane-Helicopt...=item4cec07e3f8 Wow...now that is a specialized piece of equipment. Something tells me on my maiden voyage it might find the drink...talk about pressure! I realize it's not very pondy, but can you tell us about your airplane? I think those look incredibly fun, but also like it requires a lot of practice - like an art form, really - to fly one.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2008
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That's pretty cool adiron. Might have to look into that a little further. TJ, I asked my buddy and he didn't have a whole lot of information for me. Guess he doesn't fly very often anymore. He did give me a name of a reputable company in Lincoln though. Prange Aerial Photography. I checked them out online and they look impressive, though potentially expensive as well. Josh - as luck would have it, Doug and I are old work friends and he quoted me $295 for a dozen or so pics on CD. Have no clue how that stacks up to other experiences here...I still haven't heard from any of my other quote requests. I am only 5 miles south of the Lincoln Municipal airport and routinely see planes overhead. You'd think I could get someone to grab a camera and snap me a few pics...but maybe just digging into my pocket and paying for it once would be worth it. Still unsure.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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