Posts from May2014

• High in the Sky Over Seattle for Aerial Photography and Video of Duwamish River Industrial Corridor

Posted by Leonard on May, 22, 2014

I’ve been working on a story about heavy metals in industrial stormwater runoff entering Puget Sound, specifically zinc. The story is being produced for regional environmental NGO The Pollution Prevention Resource Center. Through PPRC, we were able to connect with another national nonprofit out of Wyoming called LightHawk that connects recreational pilots with environmental projects that could benefit from a unique aerial perspective. So Lighthawk connects pilots across the country with photographers and filmmakers, journalists, policy makers, funders and others to get up into the air to survey areas of particular focus or concern. Yesterday, I was privileged to connect with pilot Linda Chism who is an engineer with Alaska Airlines professionally, but a pilot in her free time who also has a personal connection to and interest in the Duwamish River, one area of focus on this project so it was a natural match.

I met Linda at her Auburn Airport hangar where she keeps her Piper Super Cub two seater plane, and after a quick safety walk through and explanation about the aircraft, we were up and over Seattle to start filming. In communication with the Boeing Field air traffic controllers, we, One Delta Bravo, broke straight west and out over Vashon Island and Puget Sound, over the West Seattle ferry dock and up the West Seattle coastline, up and around Alki Beach and heading south, down the Duwamish River industrial corridor. This b-roll will help to educate viewers of the video with a unique perspective connecting industrial stormwater pollution with our local waterway, complementing interviews with local pollution prevention advocates, scientists, and experts featured in the piece. Stay tuned, the piece should be finished in the coming weeks.