Dec. 07--ANNA MARIA -- After Troy Morgan got his pilot's license, he soon decided to combine his two passions -- flying and photography -- into a business in 2006.
Photos from the Air, based on Anna Maria Island, has taken aerial photos of beach erosion, weddings, retail locations, and airports.
Some of Morgan's recent assignments have been for the Town of Longboat Key and the City of Anna Maria to document beach erosion in order to apply for FEMA and Department of Environmental Protection funding.
One of his most challenging assignments was taking aerial shots of the Tampa International Airport.
"I needed to get the plane as vertical as possible," Morgan said. "It was at 10,000 feet in strong winds and we had the plane banked almost 90 degrees."
Recently he documented Black Friday traffic patterns for an engineering firm to check the traffic progression for parking lot planning.
Morgan, who usually hires a commercial pilot to fly a Cessna Skyhawk or a Robinson R22 helicopter as he takes photos with his Cannon 5D Mark II camera, starts his pricing at $300 an hour.
"I try to combine assignments when I can," he said. "I also offer incentives." If he knows he has an assignment to fly in a specific area, he'll offer a discounted price to another interested party.
Traveling at more than 100 mph, Morgan shoots using telephoto and wide-angle lenses from a window opening. He keeps a vigilant eye on air traffic.
Morgan usually tones his high-resolution digital shots and releases all legal rights to clients.
His clients are municipal governments, Realtors, brides and environmental firms. Morgan's also considering tapping into the tourist trade by offering sunset aerial photos.
He expects to make around $50,000 in revenue this year, his first operating the business full-time. He quit his part-time job at Best Buy.
Dave Bullock, town manager of Longboat Key, said Morgan has taken photos of beach erosion that were submitted by the town to achieve a permit from the DEP.
"The photos show the progress of erosion over a specific time period, in some cases the effects of storms are eroding the mangroves," Bullock said. "It helps us when we are sitting down with DEP, we can show them what is happening. The company has been very response and the photos are good quality."
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