Aerial Views and More…..

My friend, Ron, flew up from NC this past week for a visit. He took me up in his plane on Wednesday morning and I got some awesome aerial photos around the area. It was a beautiful day for it – nice calm winds, bright blue sky……I had a really nice time.

Taking photos from an airplane is very different than taking photos under normal circumstances. You are moving through the air 500 or so feet above what you want to photograph going roughly 100 mph and it is not as easy to identify what you’re looking for. So, there is no time to “frame” the shot, focus, and get the right perspective and angle. Also, you’re shooting through a window and it depends on the sun and other factors whether or not you get true colors or a “foggy” effect. Also, zooming in isn’t always the best option cause the camera is more sensitive to the movement when zoomed in, so the photo tends to be more blurry……but, I still did it in a few shots because getting a closer photo was worth the risk of blurriness! I find the best way to do it is to set the camera on the “action” setting and start clicking as we approached and just keep snapping shots until we passed the object and see what I got when I download the photos. This time, I had a lot better luck than I did the last time I went up with him a couple years ago. I think we flew a little lower, so it was easier, and I am much happier with the results.

Here are a few of the over 200 photos I took!

Ron’s plane is a Eurofox / Aerotrek light sport aircraft

Ron and Frenchy talking as Ron preps the plane for flight

All strapped in and ready to go!

As we were waiting for the engine oil was getting up to temp, I snapped this shot of an old cobblestone school house beside Frenchy’s runway

Frenchy watching us taxi for take off

Heading toward the runway

A farmer working beside the runway

Otter Creek Cemetery can be seen in the lower center of the photo

Erie Canal and farm land

Farmer working his fields

Waterport, NY – Lake Alice

Waterport bridge over Lake Alice

The Parkway and Lake Ontario shoreline

Approaching Point Breeze from the southwest

Looking back at Point Breeze and Oak Orchard River from over Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario shoreline

Point Breeze from a distance – approaching from the east

The Oak Orchard Lighthouse – zoomed in, so a bit fuzzy

Point Breeze

Point Breeze – the lighthouse and break walls

Marsh Creek bridge

That huge building is Intergrow – the hydroponic tomato facility!

Approaching the Village of Albion from the north

Village of Albion

Zoom in of the Orleans County Courthouse

Flying over the Courthouse Square

Rear shot of the church I attend – Albion First Baptist Church – trees prevented getting a good shot of the front of the church.  St. Joe’s Catholic Church beside it.

I was excited when I downloaded this photo — I was able to capture the entire Historic Courthouse Square! In this photo, you can see the Orleans County Courthouse – domed building just right of center – and ALL SEVEN historic churches that surround the square: Start with the tall steeple church in the upper left across from the courthouse – Albion First Presbyterian. Then, move to the right to find the former Albion First United Methodist Church (now North Point Chapel) – the large brick building just above the courthouse dome. Look across the street to the white church to the right of the courthouse – Albion Free Methodist Church. Then, look at the right side center of the photo to the church with the pointy roof – that is the Pullman Universalist Church. Across main street from there is the St. Joseph Catholic Church complex of buildings. The two toned steeple building beside the catholic church is Albion First Baptist Church (my church). And, last but not least, is the square bell tower building almost exactly in the center of the photo across from the courthouse is the Christ Church Episcopal Church. I thought this was a really cool capture!!!

This photo captures both downtown Albion lift bridges on the Erie Canal – Main Street Lift Bridge in the lower left corner and the Ingersoll Street Lift Bridge in the upper right corner of the photo!

Eagle Harbor Lift Bridge – Erie Canal

My cousin’s house

Mount Albion Cemetery…….the cemetery has so many trees you really can’t see any of it from the air!!!

But, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument does peek out from a clearing in the trees to be seen!

Zooming in made it fuzzy, but it was worth it…….

All three Albion Central School buildings – the closest is the Elementary School, the middle one is the High School, and the far one is the Middle School

The football field / track and the baseball field behind the schools

Albion’s water tower and most of the prison complex

Woods and farm land……..a perfect representation of much of Orleans County

After we landed, we went out to the Rez to fill some gas cans for Ron’s plane. We stopped by the Medina Falls on the way.

So happy that two days after this photo was taken, our region was approved to move to Phase 2 of NY reopening and I was able to get a hair trim/color and took care of my bangs and roots!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Frenchy’s runway this morning before Ron took off to return home to NC

The windsock at Frenchy’s shows a light breeze……perfect for Ron’s return flight! As it turned out, he left at the right time cause a little later in the day it got rainy and windy……..he got home about 2:00 in the afternoon and said he stayed in good weather for a smooth flight the entire way!

Waiting for the engine oil to heat up!

And off he goes!!!

Lift off!!!

It was a great visit…….this was just a day or so picked out of the week he was here. I had a trip planned to visit Ron and Lisa earlier this month that was canceled because of the Covid 19 concerns…….maybe I’ll get to reschedule it this fall! We’ll see!