What should I check before buying an aerial photography business?

Aerial photography looks like regular photography from above, and much of our photography buyer’s checklist still applies. The difference is the customer and the kit. Drone work is more often sold to businesses than to families, and the equipment changes quickly. Those two things shape what you should ask.

Where the bookings come from

Ask for a list of clients over the last few seasons and how each found the business. Real estate agents, builders, resorts and tourism operators often rebook the same photographer, which is better than one-off consumer jobs. Ask whether any single agent or developer supplies a large share of the work, and whether that person knows the sale is coming.

Aircraft, cameras and software

Drones and cameras date quickly, so ask the age and condition of each aircraft, the repair history and how many batteries still hold a charge. Find out which items are owned outright and which are financed or leased. Ask who holds the editing software licences and whether they can move to you.

Footage, licences and the pilot

The footage library may be worth keeping, but only if the business has the right to keep using it. Read the terms clients agreed to, and ask what the stock footage licences allow. Then ask who flies. If bookings follow one pilot, a handover plan matters more than the equipment list.

Editing and delivery

Ask how footage moves from the field to the client. Who edits, how long does it take, and is any of it outsourced to a freelancer who could walk away? A clear workflow, with presets and templates the business owns, is easier to hand over than editing that lives in one person’s head.