Latitude Image and Andrew Buchanan Take Us for a Ride in the Skies.
Seattle-based architectural and landscape-design aerial photographer, Andrew Buchanan, recently turned the lens on himself to show us a behind-the-scenes take on working from the skies.
Standing in front of his preferred aircraft, the Robinson R-22 helicopter, Andrew begins his behind-the-scenes video by emphasizing the importance of prepping properly for the shoot. “Every successful shoot starts by scouting the location,” he says. “Since there aren’t any street signs in the sky, identifying adjacent landmarks is key.”
Andrew shows us how he works to figure out the sun location and how he meets with the pilot beforehand to review the flight path. As the helicopter warms up, we see Andrew prepping his equipment: a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II body with 24-105mm lens and a gyro stabilizer. “Even with built-in image stabilization in my lenses,” Andrew says, “I find [gyro stabilizers] crucial to great images.”
Once in the air, the helicopter ride carries us through the blue skies of Seattle, Washington and while the video camera records the surroundings, we’re offered stills of the vistas as seen through the artistic eyes of Andrew himself.