Angles and heights: the choices that make an aerial photo
An aerial photo is two decisions before it is anything else: how high, and at what angle. Get those right and the image answers the viewer’s question. Get them wrong and a handsome building turns into a gray roof.
- Low obliques, roughly rooftop height. The camera looks across at the building. You see the facade, the entrance, the windows and the street. This is the angle for storefronts, homes and anything where the front of the building sells it.
- Higher obliques. The camera rises and tilts down. The building shrinks and its setting appears: the river, the park, the freeway access, the neighborhood. This is the angle for context, and for commercial listings where location is the pitch.
- Top-downs. The camera points straight down. Lots, rooftops, site plans and parking read like a map. Contractors, brokers and planners use these more than anyone.
The legal ceiling is set by the FAA: under 14 CFR 107.51, a small drone may fly no higher than 400 feet above ground, unless it stays within 400 feet of a structure and no more than 400 feet above its top. Most of the best property photos are taken well below that limit. Going higher is not the same as seeing more.
Most sets mix all three. A listing might open on a high oblique that shows the lake, then move to a low oblique of the house and a top-down of the lot lines. We agree that mix before the flight, so nothing important is missing when the pilot lands.
Detroit light by season
Light changes more than anything else across a Detroit year, and it decides when we fly.
According to U.S. Naval Observatory data for Detroit, the sun sets at about 9:12 p.m. on the June solstice and at 5:03 p.m. on the December solstice, with sunrise near 7:58 a.m. that day. In practice:
- Summer gives long evenings and green canopy. Late-day light is warm, and there is time to catch both golden hour and twilight in one session.
- Fall brings color to tree-lined neighborhoods, parks and campuses, and an earlier sunset. By mid-October the sun sets before 7 p.m.
- Winter keeps the sun low all day, so shadows run long and facades stay side-lit. Twilight comes before most offices close, which makes lit windows and signage easy to catch. Snow can make a skyline; slush and gray skies rarely help.
- Twilight in any season needs planning. Part 107 requires anti-collision lighting visible for three statute miles during civil twilight and at night, according to 14 CFR 107.29, and we fly with it.
Orientation matters as much as season. East-facing glass looks best in the morning; west-facing buildings and skyline views look best late in the day. Our property prep guide covers what to do on the ground before we arrive.
Resolution, files and sizing
Every use needs a different file, and the wrong one shows. Listing services set their own upload limits, websites need small files to load fast, and a web-sized image printed on a banner looks soft.
We deliver aerial stills in sets organized by use:
- Full-resolution files for print, signage, press and investor decks. Tell us the largest print size in advance and we will frame with room to crop.
- MLS-ready files sized to your listing service’s upload requirements.
- Web versions compressed for fast page loads.
- Social crops in vertical and square formats, framed so the building still reads on a phone.
Editing covers exposure, color and perspective. We keep skies and horizons honest, because a property photo that does not match the site on a tour costs trust.
What aerial stills are used for
- Listings. Luxury homes, lakefront property and anything where the lot or the setting is the selling point. See real estate drone photography.
- Commercial property. Frontage, access, parking and surroundings for brokers, owners and leasing teams. See commercial real estate aerials.
- Construction. Repeatable angles from fixed positions on a schedule, so progress compares frame to frame. See construction progress aerials and our construction progress guide.
- Events. The scale of a festival, market or venue from above, flown within the rules for crowds.
- Brand and press. Headquarters, plants, destinations and districts for annual reports, press kits and campaigns.
When you need motion too, our drone videographer page covers aerial video.
Where we photograph
We are based in Detroit and shoot across the region, from Grosse Pointe and Birmingham to Troy and Ann Arbor. Each local page lists the airport, airspace and launch rules for that city, and the full list is on our Michigan drone photography page. For every other kind of aerial work, see our drone and aerial services.
Book an aerial photo shoot
Send the address, how the photos will be used and your date window. We will check airspace and permits, pick the time of day for the building, and send a fixed quote. Get a quote.