Producing Portraits of Property
Fred Emmert Air Views communicates progress and possibilities
While stationed in the Panama Canal Zone during his U.S. Air Force service, Fred Emmert got his first taste of aviation. He joined an off-duty flying club at the Albrook Air Force Base, on the Pacific side of the canal, earning a private pilot license prior to discharge. Upon returning to California, Emmert used the GI Bill to obtain his Commercial, Instrument, Flight Instructor and Instrument Flight Instructor ratings. This start segued into becoming a visual communications provider—an aerial photographer.
Meanwhile, he developed a career in real estate appraisal and consulting. His friends in the industry heard of his aerial photography and frequently called upon him to supply aerial photos for them. And so began a weekend side job that eventually turned into a full-fledged business venture.
Origins of Fred Emmert Air Views
“Lloyd DeMers founded Air Views in 1966, and he was ready to retire in 1988. We had a friendly competitive relationship. Lloyd called and we went to lunch. He wrote a number on a paper napkin (I forgot to keep that napkin) and we struck a deal,” says Emmert.
Combining DeMers’ time with Emmert’s, what is today known as Fred Emmert Air Views has just passed its 50th year in business with over 450,000 images archived. This includes Emmert’s work displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the United States Golf Association.
Emmert delivers engaging imagery that defines, documents and explains real estate to the marketplace. He works in the Pacific Southwest area of the country, concentrating in the Southern California region. Fred Emmert Air Views’ clientele includes appraisers, brokers, developers, contractors, lenders and property owners. His work is also represented on corporate walls.
Plane Specifics
Emmert flies high-wing Cessna airplanes because he captures oblique aerial perspectives, photos looking down at a 30- to 45-degree angle. A high-wing configuration provides a clearer view for better aerial photography than is possible from a low-wing airplane.
About 80 percent of the photography Emmert captures is from an altitude of 1,000 to 5,000 feet. “Shooting site-specific projects at a lower altitude results in property portraits,” says Emmert.
Monitoring Projects on Two Air Base Sites
A couple areas that Emmert has photographed are projects on the sites of two military air bases that closed just over a decade ago. Marine Corps Air Station Tustin and the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro are significantly on their way to becoming commercial, housing and recreational facilities. Orange County Great Park in Irvine consists of hundreds of acres that are part of the former military base at El Toro. Ten thousand homes are in different stages of completion.
“Sometimes the small lots give me the feeling that houses are being built elbow to elbow—right next to each other,” says Emmert. He estimates these projects will take probably 10 or 15 years to complete.
Petroleum Storage Tanks Demolished
Emmert has documented a number of projects that have required photographs over several years. “There’s a site at Santa Fe Springs that I’ve been shooting for three and a half years,” he says. “When we started, there were petroleum storage tanks that were the ugliest I’ve seen. The 50- to 75-year-old tanks, no longer in use, were decaying,” he adds. The four-year project documents the demolition of the tanks and three industrial warehouses going up on the site.
That particular job, like most tasks, cycles on a monthly basis. The lender, who’s providing funds to the developer, allows a monthly draw from the loan. Aerial photographs provide documentation of what has transpired in the last 30 days. “We become the eyes of the lender, especially when the lender might be in Chicago, Boston, New York or somewhere else,” says Emmert.
The Building of the Los Angeles Coliseum
When asked what his favorite mission has been, Emmert responds, “I would have to say doing something that shows dynamic change within our communities.” At the moment he is monitoring construction of a 22,000-seat soccer stadium being built adjacent to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This stadium will host a professional soccer team owned by lead investor Magic Johnson. A number of famous Hollywood personalities also have a stake in the team. This facility will even serve as an event and concert venue.
Progressing to Digital Photography
Emmert prefers today’s digital zoom lenses that allow the photographer to take overviews and close-up views all at the same light without having to change lenses. “Going back 25 years, I carried six lenses in the airplane. Every time I needed a wide-angle or a zoom while flying at 120 mph, the perspective would change and we’d have to go around a second time,” he says.
Prior to the 2000s, Emmert used a medium-format Pentax camera that took 120 film and produced negatives that were 2¼ inches by 2¾ inches. The process of getting the photos to the customer was long and drawn out. Buy the film, shoot the film, and take the film to the lab. Return to pick up the processed file, show proof prints to the client, back to the lab to print the client’s finished order, pick up prints and deliver the final order. It was a three- to five-day cycle. Not anymore.
With the advent of digital cameras, Emmert can fly in the morning and deliver the images over the internet that same afternoon. He can enhance the picture with street location graphics, outlining subject property along with call-outs showing tenant brands. Marketing people and the brokerage community use this type of product to entice prospective tenants to a new shopping or commercial center.
Communicating Through the Photograph
“There are several ways to communicate. You could write a story. You could give a verbal account. Or you could use photographs,” says Emmert. “If a photograph is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, then one photograph can tell a whole story. Visual communication is the quickest way to study, analyze and present real estate to the marketplace. Aerial photography helps in making quicker decisions with a better understanding of real estate,” he continues.
“Google Earth allows anyone to look at pictures of anywhere on Earth. But, Google Earth is updated periodically. Current capture is what Fred Emmert Air Views provides to people that need today’s property conditions and statuses,” asserts Emmert.
Keeping up with changes in the marketplace, real estate, zoning and the news remains a focus for Emmert, and he can tell when Google Earth is lagging. “It’s my nature to be an investigative person. That’s something influenced by my Air Force training,” he says.
Fred concludes: “My pitch is this: If you’re at the top of your game as a broker, lender or developer, we want to be on top of your game providing a visual perspective that can be understood in the marketplace.”