Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 25, 2009
Aerial photographers offering elevated perspective of Chattanooga
David Laprad
In most cases, a photograph is the work of an individual. Ansel Adams, Anne Geddes and Annie Leibovitz labored alone, conceptualizing an image, composing the shot, adjusting the lighting and pressing the shutter button. Like a painting, a photograph is almost always the consummation of one person’s efforts.
That makes Warren-McLelland Aerial Photography in Chattanooga a little unusual. There, two people share the photographic process: pilot Michael Warren and photographer Matt McLelland.
“Neither one of us is more important than the other one. Michael couldn’t do it without me and I couldn’t do it without him,” McLelland says. “I click the shutter button, but each picture is as much Michael as it is me.”
Warren and McLelland work with Realtors, developers, business owners and homeowners to provide an elevated perspective on a variety of subjects. With Warren at the controls of a Robinson R44 and McLelland using a variety of Nikon Digital SLR cameras and lenses, the two take photographs of everything from commercial ventures to personal property.
McLelland says the use of a helicopter, as opposed to an airplane, can be the difference between a good aerial photograph and a great one. “When you shoot through the window of an airplane, you have to aim down if it’s a high wing and aim up if it’s a low wing, so there’s a lot of maneuvering to get a shot,” he says. “You don’t have that with a helicopter. We just remove our front doors and enjoy an unencumbered view.”
The ability to hover is another plus, McLelland says. By stopping in midair over the Walnut Street Bridge, for example, the pair were able to take photos of this year’s Head of the Hooch. Another time, they captured images of a wedding on Lookout Mountain.
“We were hovering on the back side of the mountain, and right after they said their vows, we dropped into view and got a nice aerial shot of everyone, with Chattanooga in the background,” McLelland says. “I didn’t have to worry about missing something because I was moving a hundred miles per hour.”
The Robinson has allowed Warren and McLelland to take on other unique assignments. About six months ago, for instance, a land surveyor working on a project near Hamilton Place for the Hyatt Group hired them to take photographs of the future site of a hotel from 80 feet in the air. “We landed there, picked him up and spun 360 degrees, taking pictures the whole way,” McLelland says, grinning.
While business clients and homeowners pay the bills at Warren-McLelland, the two men also seek out opportunities when elevation, light and subject matter all gel into the perfect moment for a one-of-a-kind photo. Case in point: Bonnaroo.
“We went on the spur of the moment and took some amazing pictures,” McLelland says. “I uploaded six of them to a CNN Web site called iReport and got 58,000 page views. From there, 14 people purchased photos as a keepsake.”
Clearly, a huge geek factor is in play at Warren-McLelland. Warren is an accomplished fixed and rotor wing pilot with thousands of flying hours earned over 25 years, while McLelland picked up his father’s broken SLR camera when he was 9 years old, fixed the light meter and has been capturing the world on bits and bytes ever since.
Before launching their business, Warren and McLelland would often go up in the Robinson to take pictures casually. Over time, McLelland’s hand became steadier, the pictures got better and people started making requests.
“We were thrown for a loop one day when someone handed us a check,” McLelland says. “As word about what we were doing got out, we decided to make a legitimate business out of it.”
Although a helicopter offers aerial photographers many advantages, its one downside is cost, which is much higher than using an airplane, McLelland says. To offset the price somewhat, he and his partner try to schedule multiple jobs for the same flight, lowering the cost for each client.
While Warren and McLelland love taking aerial photographs, it is a part-time venture. When Warren isn’t flying over Scenic City, he tends to a number of businesses around the Chattanooga area, while McLelland works at Kenco Logistics Services. Both men are going to keep their day jobs, too, as each one has a family and there isn’t enough business to allow them to take aerial photographs full time.
While McLelland hopes to grow the company beyond its current level, no matter what happens, he and Warren will be teaming up to take pictures for years to come. “We’re just two guys who love to fly, love photography and enjoy spending time together,” he says.
For more information, visit www.warrenmclelland.com.
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