Kanyon Studio documents construction progress across San Diego County from the air with a Part 107 licensed pilot, repeating the same positions and altitudes on every visit so the sequence reads cleanly from groundbreaking to completion. Recurring monthly visits are quoted flat per site; a standalone aerial session is $450. Updated September 2026.
Most construction photography is taken when someone remembers to take it — a phone shot from whatever angle was convenient, filed nowhere in particular. It answers the question of that afternoon and nothing else.
A documented sequence answers questions you have not been asked yet. What did the site look like before the excavation. When was that trench open. What was the grade at the property line in March. Those questions arrive during change-order disputes, insurance claims, and permitting reviews, and they arrive long after anyone could go back and photograph the answer.
The same images do double duty. Investor and lender updates land better with an aerial than with a spreadsheet. Marketing for the finished project is stronger when you can show the ground it came out of. And a leasing campaign that begins before topping out has something to show.
Flying a drone for any commercial purpose in the United States requires an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107. Hobby rules do not cover paid work, and a property photographed by an uncertificated operator is a liability sitting inside your marketing.
San Diego complicates it further. Between the international airport, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, North Island, Montgomery Field, and Gillespie, a large portion of the county sits in controlled airspace where flight requires prior authorization. Knowing which side of an invisible line a property falls on — and getting clearance before the shoot day rather than discovering the problem on it — is most of the job.
Every flight is planned against current airspace, checked for temporary restrictions, and authorized where authorization is required.
On the first visit we set the positions, altitudes, and headings that will be repeated every month. Consistency is what turns a folder of photographs into a record.
Monthly is standard. Bi-weekly during heavy phases, or milestone-triggered around pours, framing, topping out, and closeout. You set the cadence.
Dated, labelled galleries, sized for both slide decks and permitting files, with ground-level detail coverage where the aerial cannot see what matters.
A single documentation visit is $450. Ongoing coverage is quoted flat per month against the visit schedule and site size, and that rate holds for the life of the project — so the budget line does not move when the build does.
If you already have a ground shoot booked, aerial coverage is $250 added to the same visit.
Kanyon Studio is a Certified California Small Business (CA DGS/OSDS Cert. No. 2053136), which makes public agency and CSU/UC work directly awardable under the SB Option and carries a 5% bid preference on competitive solicitations.
A single aerial documentation visit is $450. Ongoing monthly coverage is quoted flat against the visit schedule and site size, with the rate fixed for the duration of the project. Aerial added to an already-booked ground shoot is $250.
Monthly is the common standard and is enough to build a usable record. Bi-weekly is worth it during excavation, foundation, and framing, when the site changes fastest and disputes are most likely to arise later.
Yes, with the site's coordination. Flights are planned around crew activity and crane operation, and flown under FAA Part 107 rules. Sites in controlled airspace require prior FAA authorization, which is obtained before the visit.
Images are delivered dated and organized, which is what makes them useful as a record. Whether a given file satisfies a specific permitting or evidentiary requirement is a question for your counsel or the reviewing agency.
Yes. Kanyon Studio holds California Small Business certification (Cert. No. 2053136), making it eligible for direct award under the SB Option and a 5% bid preference on competitive state solicitations.
Tell me the property and the date. You will have a flat quote back within 24 hours, and clearance sorted before the shoot day if the site needs it.
