You won’t forget the view on your first flight into Albert Whitted Airport. The water reflects the sky below you, and your eyes follow the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the kiteboarders near Fort De Soto, then north along the beaches. Before long, the dome of Tropicana Field and the downtown high-rises come into view, guiding you back to Albert Whitted. No matter which runway you land on, your approach is over water and boats. Summer days are meant for the beach, but it’s worth seeing it all from above at least once.

“All of it is better from the air,” says St. Pete-based photographer Stewart.

Some views have become local favorites. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the shot everybody wants. The Don CeSar, a pink landmark on the beach, doubles as a waypoint for pilots. And if your flight path lines up just right, you can look straight down Central Avenue, tracing the route from the beach to downtown. Stewart calls it “beach to bay.”

The “beach to bay” shot that lines up Central Avenue from the west coast beaches to downtown St. Petersburg where Albert Whitted Airport sits just along the water.  Image Credit: Stewart

Tiki Tom knows that view well. A pilot for Aero Photo, Tom spends his days photographing construction projects across the Southeast. Launching from Albert Whitted Airport, the company documents everything from new schools and highways to shopping centers and neighborhoods, creating monthly records of projects as they take shape.

It may sound like work for a drone, but airplanes still do the job best. “You can’t cover Louisiana to Asheville with a drone,” Tom says. While drones and satellite imagery continue to improve, airplanes remain the fastest and most efficient way to photograph hundreds of sites spread across multiple states. Sometimes the best tool is still a Cessna.

Whether the mission is documenting a construction project or creating an image to hang on a wall our photographers offer a few tips for good aerial photography.

Good weather

Clouds can cast unwanted shadows across a subject, so photographers often wait for clear skies and favorable light. Composition matters too. Stewart follows the classic rule of thirds, placing the horizon high or low in the frame rather than directly in the middle to draw the viewer’s eye toward the landscape.

The photographer puts the rule of thirds to work in this dramatic shot of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge while a southwest-bound cruise ship adds movement and a sense of journey in Tampa Bay. Image Credit: Stewart

Timing

Sunrise and sunset paint Tampa Bay with warm light, while flying between 500 and 1,000 feet reveals details you simply can’t appreciate from the ground. 

While timing the light is essential, so is timing every maneuver. Images like this depend on seamless teamwork, with the pilot and photographer working to frame the colorful taildragger against the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Image Credit: Stewart

Summer is the perfect time to see Tampa Bay from a new perspective. Whether you’re booking a sightseeing flight, bringing a camera along, or simply spending an afternoon at Albert Whitted watching aircraft come and go, there’s no shortage of beauty to discover. From above, familiar places become something entirely new, and it’s easy to see why pilots and photographers never tire of the view.

July 2026

Nisuka Williams