© Proehl Studios




Steve charters a helicopter out of Sonoma County at least twice a month for assignments in the Greater Bay area. Four times a year he flies projects in Southern California and in the fall he photographs hospitals, campuses and solar projects in the New York metropolitan area.  Colorado and Arizona are two other regions that are frequented  on a regular basis.

The beauty of a helicopter is that there are no altitude restrictions. This makes it possible to fly at extremely low altitudes where roofscapes can be minimized and the horizon line can be seen. This 30+- degree angle is what architects love to render when they are visualizing future buildings. Many of Steve's aerial images look like architectural models and it's always fun when clients remark about the resemblance to their drawing. Designers also enjoy seeing their work "in plan" so a sharp crank of the helicopter puts him in a straight down position for another perspective.

In the case of solar projects, the emphasis is on the panels, but if there are structures involved the architecture must also be considered.  If it is a large ground array it is beneficial to show, if possible, what the solar panels serve.  Fixed and tracking panels have different criteria for shooting times with regard to showing context.

A client always gets the full digital shoot ready for high speed download via Steve's FTP site--often times the same day as the shoot.