AVIATION FINE ART BY TOBY HARRIMAN

Aerial Gateways is an ongoing project that looks at airports and aviation from a perspective rarely experienced, directly from above. Through coordinated helicopter flights ranging from 500 to 6,500 feet, I capture the movement of aircraft as they arrive, depart, taxi, and rest at the gate, revealing the intricate choreography that keeps these systems in motion.

This series is as much about the process as it is about the imagery. Every photograph involves coordination with air traffic control and experienced helicopter pilots, often within minutes of timing to align aircraft, light, and airspace. I’m drawn to that challenge, the precision, patience, and unpredictability that come together in a single frame.

From above, airports take on a completely different identity. Runways and taxiways become geometric patterns, terminals stretch like living structures, and the surrounding neighborhoods, water, and landscapes form part of the visual story. The result is a mix of documentation and abstraction that transforms infrastructure into art.

Aerial Gateways marks the beginning of a long-term effort to photograph major airports across the United States. This first collection is an introduction to that larger vision, a study of how aviation connects people, places, and the landscapes we move through every day.