A high flying art

Debbie Hooper appreciates one thing more than a fancy red ribbon, and that's the admiration of her aerial photography peers.

The Port St. Joe photographer received positive feedback and three red rosettes denoting photographic excellence at the Professional Aerial Photographers Association (PAPA) International Aerial Photography Conference.

The conference, held March 3-6 in Sugarland, Tex., united Hooper with aerial photographers from around the globe who practice the high-flying art.

For the third year in a row, Hooper received an invitation to judge, a process she believes helps her grow as an artist.

"You look at the composition, the technique of what other people are doing, and it improves your own work. It makes you more critical of your work," Hooper said.

As part of a four-member panel (a fifth member rotated on when a judge's work was up for scoring), Hooper assigned points based on photographs' impact, composition and technique.

Photographs were placed in a light box that used a combination of fluorescent and incandescent bulbs to simulate daylight.

Hooper earned red ribbons for her photographs "Foot Loose," "Where are the Kids?" and "Tree of Life."

"Foot Loose" is an aerial view of Black's Island, "Where are the Kids?" portrays carnival rides strangely devoid of little people and "Tree of Life" depicts a water body on St. Vincent Island that resembles a tree stripped of its leaves.

Hooper named the Black's Island photograph "Foot Loose" because the island resembles a woman's leg standing on tip-toe.

Round-roofed bungalows run up and down the leg, lending the photograph a mysterious "What is that?" quality.

"When you have something like that and it's a conversation piece, that makes a good image. It had a mystique to it," said Hooper, who hoped the image would be selected for an official critique.

At the end of the judging session, each judge selects a handful of images to critique in front of all the submitting photographers, who submit the works anonymously.

Hooper was delighted when fellow judge Todd Quam selected "Foot Loose" for a critique.

Contacted by email, Quam said the mysterious quality of Hooper's photograph intrigued him most.

"I thought it had a big impact visually as I didn't really know what I was looking at, but it was so interesting. I was instantly trying to figure it out, not knowing what the structures were and why they'd be packed so close together," Quam wrote.

He advised Hooper to enlarge the photo and hang it on a client's wall. "I think it would draw many viewers in close to try to figure out what the scene is."

At the time, Quam did not know he was critiquing Hooper's work, but the secret remained hidden only a short time.

After taking in Quam's glowing praise, Hooper could not hold back her enthusiasm any longer.

"I ran up to him and said, 'Thank you,'" Hooper recalled.

Hooper operates her aerial photography business, JoeBay, with husband and fellow pilot, Jon.

Jon typically pilots the couple's Cessna Cardinal 177RG, while Debbie shoots oblique shots from the plane's windows and verticals through a peep hole in the floor.

At the conference, Jon, a computer programmer, unveiled his Coastal Visions Aerial Photography software, which he described as a sort of "low altitude, high resolution Google Earth."

The software program allows potential land buyers to search homes and neighborhoods from the beaches of Cape San Blas, Simmons Bayou and Indian Pass, all the way up the intracoastal canal.

The touch-screen interface enables users to zoom in on particular locales, which are photographed at three different angles – overhead, right and left.

The program also allows users to download a low-resolution image of any site along the way.

Once the program is complete, Hooper hopes to market the software to area realtors.

When he was not presenting, Hooper took in sessions on aerial video, which he described as the future of advertising and the web.

"Individual websites will be video-oriented in the near future," predicted Hooper. "If you don't have video on your site, it won't be a great site."

The Hoopers are considering updating their website, www.joebay.com, with short clips of aerial video.

The couple enjoyed their recent visit to the PAPA conference, where they reunited with several old friends.

Many aerial photographers made their livings primarily shooting aerial construction progress shots for developers before the housing market took a turn for the worst.

Though some of the Hoopers' friends have gone back to their day jobs, the couple continues to strive for aerial perfection, a task made more difficult by a recent overhaul to their Cessna's engine.

The two-month rebuild has forced Debbie and Jon to rent a plane, which they described as similar to those novice pilots learns to fly in.

The rental has no hole in the floor for vertical shots, and very little elbow room.

Close quarters, but an expansive view.