It would be difficult for most individuals to say they know someone who has been able to successfully build a career which combines two things about which they are passionate, let alone build their own business from the ground up (especially one which turns out to be so successful). It also wouldn’t be easy to find someone who can say they’ve met anyone with the job title of “Aerial Photographer.” And, it’s even more unbelievable to imagine that such an individual lives and works in northeastern Pennsylvania. For this installment of the Small Business Series, I was able to interview such a person: Randy Palmer, sole proprietor of NEPA Aerial Photography. After earning an optical sciences degree in Canada, Randy worked as an optician. In this field, he eventually became International Director of Lab Operations for the largest optical chain in the United States, working from their England office (and even owned his own business as an optician, as well). As a pilot, he often found himself taking customers on flights who were photographers wishing to obtain aerial shots during their flights with him. Palmer, who had always been a photographer as well, taking after his dad, saw an opportunity for himself: “Why on earth am I flying these photographers around to take pictures. Why don’t I just take the pictures?” This is how NEPA Aerial Photography came to be. According to Palmer, he has always liked to work alone. He’s always been the one and only employee of NEPA Aerial Photography, and even prior to that, felt like he worked for himself working for the optical chain, travelling back and forth from Canada to England. NEPA Aerial Photography stands out from the rest, according to Randy, due simply to the ridiculous amount of experience (22 years as a pilot and photographer), and to his honesty and dependability, which he points out is proven by the fact that many of his clients are larger and require up to three or four years to complete, projects which he never fails to complete to satisfaction, and by the reviews found on his website. Randy’s services are rather broad, and can take care of any job which can be accomplished using a small passenger plane or with a drone. One deal he’s particularly excited about is a $95 rate for realtors wishing to utilize his services to showcase a property; and, he has a special discount for Wyoming County Chamber members (for more details on this, contact Randy Palmer directly).
Small Business Series - NEPA Aerial Photography
His first flying lesson wasn’t until the age of forty-one, and after that, he says he “just never looked back.” By the end of 1994, he had learned to fly on his own and began taking flights on a regular basis. This marked a transition for him into a full-time flight instructor and charter pilot.
You can call NEPA Aerial Photography at (570) 947-6417, or find them online at nepaaerialphotography.com. Find them on Facebook at facebook.com/NepaAerialPhotography, or connect with Randy Palmer on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/randy-palmer-9278709.
