Q: How long have you been taking photos/ what got you into photography?
I’ve been shooting for about 15 years. I originally thought I wanted photography to be my career and then discovered how much more I enjoyed it as a hobby. I’ve shot a bit commercially, done some weddings, but I mostly keep it personal now. I do have a degree in it, so I guess you could say I have a degree in Instagram now 🙂
Q: What do you do for a living?
I work for Google, focused on merger & acquisition integration strategy.
Q: How many times have you been up in a helicopter?
Three, all with the amazing FlyNYON team!
Q: If you could fly and take photos over any city, which would you choose and why?
My gut says Dubai, but my heart says London. I think London is one of the most photogenic cities on earth and I love the way the Thames carves through it. You’ve got the amazing architecture, the London Eye, the Tower Bridge… so gorgeous.
Q: What programs do you use to edit your photos?
I’ve started editing a lot on the go on my iPhone now that wifi is standard on most camera bodies. I love Enlight because it lets me do spot adjustments to certain areas of a photo, similar to Lightroom. I also use VSCOcam to adjust color. When I’m editing at home, I’m pretty traditional, Lightroom + VSCO presets.
Q: What do you shoot with when you go up?
I’ve been going up with a Sony A7ii and their 28mm f/2 lens + GoPro Hero 4 Black mounted to the hotshoe.
Q: What’s your favorite building to see from the air?
I think One World Trade Center is absolutely beautiful. When you’re up close to it at night, it completely takes your breath away. I never get tired of photographing it from different angles.
Q: Who are some of your favorite Instagrammers / photographers?
I’m a big fan of a few of the FlyNYON regulars like @beholdingeye, @meetfrancois (who I met at FlyNYON), @dave.krugman and of course, @ch3m1st. I also can’t forget one of my original favorite instagrammers over in the UK, @naomiatkinson.
Q: What was your most memorable FlyNYON Flight?
I’ve flown after dark, during the day, and most recently took off 5 minutes after sunset on a clear night. It was the PERFECT time to fly. Just enough light, with an amazing orange to blue gradient sky. It gets more challenging to shoot as it gets darker, but the experience is totally worth it.
Thanks for sitting down with us John!
Interested in taking your own epic shots from the skies above and showing them off to your friends, check out FlyNYON.