Shooting from a helicopter over NYC

Tonight I had another great opportunity to take my photography to new heights...literally. I was shooting another ad for the Lexar "Focused on Photographers" campaign. This time I was harnessed to a helicopter (with the doors removed) and shooting the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Vincent LaForet while he was shooting photos of New York City. We hovered at 1300 feet over the Empire State Building at sunset and also flew over to the Statue of Liberty to shoot there as well. It was cold and windy, but very fun!

Before getting on the helicopter, we put on our harnesses and prepared all the camera equipment. I carried two camera bodies with different lenses since it is not advisable to change lens or memory cards in an open helicopter above the city (I actually did change one 16GB card - holding it in my teeth and them handing back to the assistant in the chopper). We were in the air for about an hour, from just before sunset until dark. If you haven't ever done this, I recommend it. :)


I actually prefer flying over New York as opposed to driving through it. The sites are better and there aren't any people in your way.

Taken after we landed, this is the assistant, myself, Vincent LaForet and the pilot.

My favorite part of the trip was after we landed and I called home to check in with the family. My daughter, Ali, answered the phone and after I said hello, she said "Hold on dad", put the phone down, and yelled "DADS ALIVE!!!!". :)