Unsolicited aerial photography...

cowman

cowman

Final Approach
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Cowman
So I am about to relate to you two separate yet remarkably similar incidents that I find odd and are very aviation related.

The first happened several years ago when we lived in WI on a few acres outside of town. My wife called me one day fairly upset because of an encounter she'd had. Some older man came to the door trying to sell us a picture of our property he'd taken from the air. She said she wasn't interested and the guy proceeded to ask my 20-something wife if her parents were home. She informed him it was our home and her parents lived 2 states away. He still pushed asking if something was wrong with the picture... seemingly unable to comprehend that she didn't want it. She finally got him to leave but he said he'd be back to ask me later. Sure enough after I got home from work this old man showed up. I firmly told him no and sent him on his way.... now mind you I might have had some interest if I'd know he was taking the photo and had a chance to pick up the yard a bit first and if he hadn't been so rude to my wife earlier but at that point there was no way. He seemed utterly unable to comprehend that we didn't want to buy his unsolicited photo. Weird, but whatever.... I can't remember if I had started flying lessons at that point or not. Either way, incident over with.

Now, fast forward to just last week. We've since moved to another even more rural property in IL. Once again I'm gone, this time on a snowmobiling trip back up in WI. Some old guy comes to the door with a framed aerial photo of our home. My wife is not interested again(and I should have added before she in charge of all decorative decisions because I don't want to be involved in them). Guy again is pushy... my wife pulls the "my husband is a pilot" card and says we can take our own picture. He comes back with "but he doesn't have a $6,000 camera". That much is true... I never saw this photo but I have no doubt whatever he's doing is going to come out better than my pro-sumer nikon DSLR with the lens shoved out the storm window of my Archer (note to self... try that sometime). Although I also have a drone which I at least hope he isn't flying lower than. So these guys apparently just take pictures of people's homes unsolicited..... and that last bit is the worst. We have horses, chickens, machinery, etc.... there's always some farming detritus laying around I'd want to clean up for a photo. Or at least go mow a penis into the grass out in the pasture or something (note to self, do that before trying storm-window photo). Anyway... where was I? Oh yes, she sent him away after much not taking no for an answer. Is this part of the sales tactic or do most people just excitedly pay for a photo of their own house? Are we that odd that we just don't get excited about having a photo of the building we see literally every day? I really don't know.... I really wonder.

And then being a pilot myself I even feel for the guy a bit. I know how expensive these airplanes are, then he printed and framed this photo and found my home by road... drove here. But is that again part of the sales pitch? Did he pull my address out of the FAA database in hopes of exploiting exactly that? No... I've seen these pictures on the wall of other people's farm houses... I guess I'm just the jerk/weirdo who didn't buy one.

I don't know what to do now either... winter is just ending and it's going to be months before the grass gets high enough to mow a penis into it that can be seen from the air. :rolleyes:
 
I've heard of it before and actually met a photographer who used to do it. It was a much cooler deal before Google Earth. You need to have her sit on the porch with a shotgun like they do in Second Hand Lion.
 
One of my favorite pictures is the framed photo of our house in Pennsylvania that my mom bought from a pilot who knocked on the door. My brother and I are in the front yard in the photo.
 
@cowman where do you fly out of? If coming from WI and now in IL can I assume you're in northern IL. I fly out of 10C
 
I don't see a issue, if you don't want it make it clear and firm,

it's quite nice but I'm not interested

No thank you.

I don't want to buy your photo, have a nice day

And if that doesn't work, maybe something like
I'm not buying the crap you're trying to sell, get off my property before I have you trespassed by the cops and report you as a low flying plane to the Feds, git!
 
When I lived in rural Indiana, I had a guy come by the house trying to sell me an aerial photo. I looked at the picture and just told the guy that I wasn't interested. He offered a small price cut and when I said no again, he just thanked me and left. Not pushy at all.
 
SkyDog58 said:
When I lived in rural Indiana, I had a guy come by the house trying to sell me an aerial photo. I looked at the picture and just told the guy that I wasn't interested. He offered a small price cut and when I said no again, he just thanked me and left. Not pushy at all.
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Same experience as mine when I owned a horse farm...I'm thinking this a rural thing, as I now live in the suburbs, and no one knocks on my door.
 
cowman said:
Are we that odd that we just don't get excited about having a photo of the building we see literally every day? I really don't know.... I really wonder.
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Doesn't explain much, but consider how first time passengers love to see their own home from the air. Maybe the pilot/photographer is trying to use that phenomenon to assist his sales.....
 
il_570xN.831218169_2gho.jpg

Never liked those door to door salesman trying to sell stuff. Unless it's a neighbors child doing a school fundraiser it's always a no.
 
Ryanb said:
il_570xN.831218169_2gho.jpg

Never liked those door to door salesman trying to sell stuff. Unless it's a neighbors child doing a school fundraiser it's always a no.
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Maybe that needs painted on top of the barn.
 
My grandparents used to have a framed aerial photo of their property that I assume was procured through the same kind of door-to-door solicitation (even though they were in rural BFE, Oklahoma). I can't imagine someone caring about it much today, but whatever. It'd be pretty cheap to do with drones these days.
 
When I was a student pilot, way back in the 90s, taking pictures and selling them to the land owner was one of those "how to get paid to fly your plane" add in the back of magazines.
 
That's how some people make a living...they fly an area and photograph farms, then try to sell the prints to the owners.

Just like any business, there are reasonable people and pushy a-holes.
 
Now the real interesting question is: can they legally sell (and make profit off of) pictures of private property that isn't theirs and whose owner did not consent to the photography act or profiteering?

I agree that there will be nice door-to-door vacuum salesmen and there will be pushy ones. Just like car salesmen. Most are scum but some are nice people. Us humans, we vary a lot.
 
I had that happen to me 20 years ago when we first bought the house. They guy was trying to sell just the print to me for $60. I said I'd give him $10. He scoffed and told me that wouldn't even cover his expenses. I informed him that I didn't commission the picture and since I'm the sole target buyer he'd be wise to sell it for $10 or leave with a picture of my house and property that nobody but me would want anyway.

It hangs in my hallway and is a very good "back when we first moved here" conversation piece.
 
BigBadLou said:
Now the real interesting question is: can they legally sell (and make profit off of) pictures of private property that isn't theirs and whose owner did not consent to the photography act or profiteering?
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Do you know of a law that would prevent it?
 
BigBadLou said:
Now the real interesting question is: can they legally sell (and make profit off of) pictures of private property that isn't theirs and whose owner did not consent to the photography act or profiteering?
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The answer is yes, they can. You have no right to privacy from a plane flying over unless they are flying too low to be legal. This would be like saying Google Earth can't let someone zoom in on your property.

This goes back to a discussion I've had on here before. The only thing you're protected from is someone invading your implied right to privacy. In other words, I can look down from a plane and take your photo, but I can't stick my camera over your fence. This will get interesting as drones become more popular. I expect the laws will be revisited.

For a personal example, when I took a photo of your plane, you asked me not to put the N-Number on the internet. I agreed, but legally I can put it up, make a profit off of it, etc. (Not that anyone wants a picture of you, Lou!) You were at a public airport, in view of anyone in the public.
 
I used to have a boat. There was a guy in a helicopter who would take pictures of all the boats and then track you down by registration number and be pushy about selling you a picture of your boat. I laughed once and said not interested but I would be happy to sell him a picture of his helicopter hovering over a heavily populated boat tie up at less than 200ft that really ****ed a lot of people off.
 
Lowflynjack said:
The only thing you're protected from is someone invading your implied right to privacy. In other words, I can look down from a plane and take your photo, but I can't stick my camera over your fence.
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"Got any nude photos of your wife?"
"What the f*, NO!"
"Wanna buy some?"

Nauga,
and the all-seeing eye
 
Not defending pushy salesmen...but, maybe the outcome. We have a farm that's been in the family since the 60's. When we kids were growing up, every few years some guy would come by and try to sell mom and dad an aerial pic of the farm. Every few years they would buy one.

Copies of 3 of them grace my home today, 3 states away. Helps to remember all the work and changes to the home place over the years. I would consider not having them a loss.

Jim
 
Jim Rosenow said:
Not defending pushy salesmen...but, maybe the outcome. We have a farm that's been in the family since the 60's. When we kids were growing up, every few years some guy would come by and try to sell mom and dad an aerial pic of the farm. Every few years they would buy one.

Copies of 3 of them grace my home today, 3 states away. Helps to remember all the work and changes to the home place over the years. I would consider not having them a loss.

Jim
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I remember over the years seeing a photography team show up occasionally at airports I was based at. I was always surprised at how much work this would take, hoping enough people bought them to pay for your expenses, much less make a profit. I remember them telling me they also reached out to real estate companies and big businesses to let them know they were in town. Today drones and google maps would really impact this type of business.
 
Several years ago, I walked into my in-laws rural home on 30 acres with horse barn, pole barn, pasture, creek, etc and see a huge framed aerial picture of the place on the wall. I ask how they got it. Same deal, some random guy shows up with it. My MIL bought it. It wasn't cheap at a few hundred dollars with mats/frame. I shake my head and remind them I'm the guy who flies his J-3 over their house weekly and if hey wanted a picture, they should have said something. One of my very good friends, who they also knew, there was a professional photographer who would have take the pictures for free just to get to go flying. She just kinda had a blank look and my FIL just shook his head at her...he wasn't happy she bought it in the first place...
 
A friend of my wife asked once if I could get a photo of their business property from the air. The building was lost in a fire not long after that. Wish I had found time to get the photo.

My parents bought an aerial photo of my grandmother's house and the farm outbuilding around it. It hangs over my desk in the man cave. Not sure how they acquired it, though.
 
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