The Project at a Glance
- 3,500-seat football and soccer stadium
- Eight-lane competition track
- 1,200-seat gymnasium
- Glass-lined weight room
- Hydrotherapy training areas
- 60-yard indoor turf pavilion
- Wrestling and cheer facilities
- Team meeting rooms and classroom spaces
From above, the full layout becomes clear — how each building connects, how athletes and spectators move through the campus, and how the fields, structures, and landscape work together. That’s the role of architectural drone photography on a project like this.
The Team Behind It
This wasn’t a solo effort — and it shouldn’t look like one.
- Architect of Record: Davis Architects
- General Contractor: Bear General Contractors
- Local Architect: McCOLLOUGH ARCHITECTURE
- Structural: MBA Engineers, Inc.
- Civil: Sawgrass
- MP/FP: HHB
- Electrical: HCC
- Landscape & Field Design: HNP Landscape Architecture
- Ground Photography: Steven Gray
- Aerial Photography: Mike Haytack
- Primary Client: Orange Beach City School System
Steven handled the ground-level architectural imagery. I was asked to extend that coverage into the air so the final documentation would feel complete — not fragmented.
When roles are clear, the visuals are stronger.
Partner Highlights
- Davis Architects created a campus that feels unified instead of pieced together. The aerial views reinforce that planning.
- BEAR General Contractors executed a large, multi-structure project cleanly — which shows clearly at elevation.
- HNP Site Plan & Design shaped the field layout and circulation patterns that only truly reveal themselves from overhead.
- Steven Gray captured the architectural details and human-scale experience. The aerial coverage supports and expands that narrative.
When every discipline looks good, everyone benefits.
Why Aerial Matters on Projects Like This
On large school construction projects — especially across Florida and the Alabama Gulf Coast — aerial photography helps teams show:
- Overall site planning
- Building relationships
- Field layout and geometry
- Circulation and access
- Scale and investment
From the ground, you experience a space.
From the air, you understand it.
Both are necessary.
How the Aerial Work Was Handled
All flights were conducted as FAA-compliant commercial drone operations, with controlled airspace planning and intentional altitude selection to:
- Keep the campus readable
- Show structural alignment
- Capture clean light direction
- Avoid distractions from surrounding development
This wasn’t about “getting it from above.”
It was about capturing it correctly.
The Bigger Picture
While this project is in Orange Beach, similar architectural aerial photography services are provided throughout:
- The Florida Panhandle
- Pensacola
- Destin
- Gulf Shores
- Mobile
- The broader Gulf Coast
Whether the client is a large architectural firm, a regional contractor, or a smaller local builder, the goal stays the same: Deliver imagery that makes the entire team look strong.
Final Takeaway
This athletics complex wasn’t just a construction project. It was a coordinated effort across architecture, engineering, construction, landscape, and media. Aerial photography played one role — but an important one: it helped show the full scope of the work and elevate every partner involved.