Flying and "Shooting" Combine to Start Aerial Photography Firm
By Sandra Levy

SUFFERN --What do you do if you love to fly planes and you have a flair for photography?    If you're Lee Ross you launch Sky View Pictures, a nine-month old firm which specializes in cosmetic aerial photography.    Ross, who learned photography as a child from his father and who has been piloting planes since 1976, said that unlike aerial photography firms which do surveying or mapping for geological purposes, he shoots oblique photos  choosing an angle that plays up to cosmetic appearance.

According to Ross, who has garnered nine clients in just six months, there is a demand for cosmetic aerial photography from contractors, realtors, attorneys, and owners of unusual real estate.    In the case of an attorney whose client had an accident in Rockland, Ross was asked to do an aerial photograph of the scene. ``The design was a contributing factor in the accident. He asked me to photograph it to show the design flaw," said Ross.    The photographs Ross takes for construction firms are often requested by the firm's banks as documentation of projects that are in progress.    In addition to work for business clients, Ross is enthusiastic when he discusses the kind of work he can do for residents. ``When a resident has an unusual home, I'll photograph it. It's like a portrait. They hang it up. When on a job if I spot something from the air I'll shoot on speculation and knock on the door. They can't get it any other way. It's a view of people's home they've never seen. It impresses them," said Ross, who has had some success in Wesley Hills, Suffern and Montebello.    Noting that a lot of the residential business is speculative and that he often takes these photos  while out on other jobs, Ross conceded that sometimes it's difficult to find the actual house he has shot once he's back on the ground.    

Since his business depends a lot on good weather, it is no wonder that Ross was ``grounded" during this past winter. Noting that he needs a bright sun, clear sky and minimal haze to do his work, Ross said that this past November through March the weather impeded his work. If it wasn't snowing, he had to contend with dangerous winds, cloud covered days, and snow covered homes and grounds.    Not to worry, Ross used the time to play in a band and was busy creating direct mail pieces and brochures.    Drawing upon the Yellow Pages, Ross targeted builders, engineers, realtors, planners, architects, and people who own unusual property such as farms and ranches. In the future, Ross plans to continue to rely on direct mail and word of mouth and doesn't plan to do ``mass advertising". He's already landed some large clients such as Ritangela Paving Contractor, for whom he's photographed runways at Stewart Airport, and SCS Engineers in West Nyack, for whom he's shot The Fresh Kills Landfill.    Ross serves his clients in the Hudson Valley and Bergen County, N.J., usually flies from Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey, Orange County Airport and Stewart Airport.    He became an Army helicopter pilot in 1976. ``I always loved flying. I was also a performing artist, a musician and a photographer. I'm an artistic person. I needed to find a way to afford to keep flying. Flying is an expensive, addictive habit. I discovered there wasn't anyone doing aerial photography. It was a way to fly more and have the cost of flying basically covered. I get to do my thing."    In case you're wondering who's flying the plane when Ross is shooting, there's always a copilot to take over. Ross hires copilots from a stable of 13  freelance commercial pilots.

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