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Aerial views of a property or accident location can bring the case alive for a jury and allow the witness to explain movements of people or vehicles, or the relative locations of objects of importance. Whereas ground views show how objects appear from a particular vantage point, aerials show the relationship of objects and features to each other, such as traffic lanes, buildings in a burned-out industrial complex, or the layout of a parking lot to be used in a security case.

Vehicles can be digitally retouched out of aerial photos for a clearer trial presentation.

Our photography is done from both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. In many parts of our tri-state area, we are dealing with air traffic from three major airports, and many times we can get into an area with one type of aircraft and not the other. Our aerials are photographed with the door off of the helicopter and the window open on the airplane, even on the coldest of days. Quality is our goal, even if it does take all day to thaw out! Helicopters allow the most flexibility to get in perfect position to create just the right view you need for your case, and the ability to hover lets us wait until the roadway clears for best visibility of the traffic lanes. Vehicles can also be retouched out to totally clear the road for a clearer trial presentation.

This video of a railroad bridge, from a property dispute, was taken from a television news helicopter for steady footage.

All aerial photos are made with larger medium format cameras, to assure the sharpest enlargements for time of trial. For aerial video, we work either hand-held with a gyro adapter or we rent a television news helicopter for rock-steady footage when needed.

Aerial photos can be annotated on overlays with color tone, captions, property outlines, or vehicle paths as needed for the case. Aerial photographs can also be magnetized, and we can make all types of vehicles for use on the exhibit.

We also have a large library of existing aerial photographs of just about any location you would need, made on dates that could be close to the date of your matter at hand. These are precision vertical views that can be enlarged to scale for reference purposes.

On most assignments, we try to visit the location on the ground, often with the client, to get a clear idea of the general nature of the area, locate landmarks for spotting from the air, and to identify property bounds.

As often as possible, we like to cluster our assignments for clients. This allows us to spread the flight time fees over more than one file, resulting in savings for the client. We encourage you to call us if you are thinking of using aerial photos. Your name and case caption is added to the list and you will be called when we get other assignments in the same area. We will never fly an assignment without checking first, in case the matter has been settled.