Portfolio

Commercial pilot and aerial photographer Chris Boyer has an “accidental career” that emerged from his first career in (take a deep breath) geomorphology—the study of how landscapes are formed—and river engineering. He had a company in Montana that restored trout streams and landscapes. At first he used an airplane to take pictures in the early 1990s with a Canon Powershot Elph point-and-shoot to show clients what was going on with their rivers. Clients loved it. He also needed straight-down shots of his projects, so he developed his own. Around 2000 the nature of the business changed, and he became more of a landscaper. He sold half his company and developed an aerial photo business. “I decided I liked flying more than I liked playing in a creek with backhoes,” he said.