Full Service Photos – From the Ground Up
Jon Wolfe

Nashville, TN - Flying tight turns with a seasoned pilot to avoid power lines and a close mountaintop antenna, Rachel Paul, co-owner of Aerial Innovations, happily photographs a farmhouse below from the open plane window. “I love taking pictures,” she says on the ground, “And flying is a blast, it’s like a magic carpet ride.”

Aerial Innovations, Nashville’s full-service photo company, is busy taking photos of construction, business and traffic sites, environmental spots and the homes of proud owners who want to document their accomplishments. Business partners Rachel Paul and Wendy Alexander are building their client base with gear bags full of enthusiasm, talent and equipment that their new company now employs in Tennessee and the Mid-South.

“Almost anybody that tells me their business, I can think of a way for them to use aerial photography to help them achieve their goals, whether it’s marketing, documentation, environmental recording, or even a gift for their friends.” Says Alexander.

The high flying co-owners met at college in Dayton, Ohio, where their friendship and love of photography continued, but each on a different course. Alexander taught photography in Queens, New York, worked in photojournalism for a newspaper in Pittsburgh, and spent 3 years learning aerial photography in Atlanta. “It was a perfect fit, because I got to use my people skills and photography skills. If a client’s in a crunch, I can get a pilot, shoot it, get my labs to turn it around quickly and meet the deadline. I learned a lot from Sheri, (sp) (her former boss and mentor), about how she treats her clients, her vendors, and pilots. It’s important to be nice to everyone because that ‘s the base of good sales and customer service. It’s all about rapport.”

After college, Paul went to Washington, D. C. where she worked as a photo assistant on shoots for Better Homes and Gardens and even the U. S. Postal Service before going into wedding photography, food and still life, and interior/exterior shoots. When Alexander’s husband came to the Nashville area for a job, Alexander decided it was time to start her own company and called Paul, who was ready to jump in.

“We love what we do,” says Paul, “People like to see themselves in photos and to see their accomplishments. Often we do monthly shots of construction projects so people can show their clients (and future clients) how they handle the steps involved in bringing a project to completion.”

Their start-up company believes in versatility and innovation. “We like to use our passion for photography to help people achieve their goals. The homeowner, city planner, and tourist industry, all use aerial photography,” says Alexander. “Real estate industries, developers, and architects all benefit from what we offer.”

For Example, the company is doing a monthly shoot of a WalMart going up. Businesses use them to survey a market area, and lawyers employ the team for photos used in legal suits. “We shoot intersections where traffic accidents happen, and an environmental company used us to show a ravine eroding near a golf course,” adds Paul.

Aerial Innovations employs seasoned instructors from reputable flight schools and shoot sites from Memphis to Knoxville. “Our clients work all over Tennessee and all over the nation.” Says Alexander, “And they use all types of photography. The contractor’s site we shot today in Nashville is from Chattanooga.”

Their full-service photography company also works on the ground, inside or out, to capture architectural details, sometimes at twilight to highlight a project. They offer video products and cover events like a ground breaking or grand opening. They even do professional portraits and say their work regularly enhances brochures, web sites and award submissions.

Because of their versatility and hard work, they’ve seen their third month of business in the area jump three hundred percent. Says Paul ” We try to be versatile. If you need…enlargements, digital, black and white, graphics, we’re here and ready to fly…”…

For more information: Contact Aerial Innovations at 615-650-2002 or email: Flytenn@bellsouth.net