We had the good fortune of connecting with Sebastian Thoma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sebastian, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking certain risks is important. Being a photographer means you have to invest time and money for photoshoots and go the extra mile to be able to sell your photos. In aviation photography that means I will invest 1000 USD for a helicopter flight to shoot aerial photos before I even know who will buy the photos. In the end, some of them are so good, I sell them again and again over the following years.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
ATCpilot.com started small and was never intended to become a business. Taking photos of airplanes was always a hobby. Together with a friend I thought we would love to see our airplane photos printed on the wall, so we designed an airplane wall calendar. To lower the production cost, we asked friends, family and social media if someone would order one as well. The demand and following business was growing quickly. With ATCpilot.com, I was finally able to start selling my photos to aviation magazines and other media worldwide. Also, I published my first book in 2021 showing aerial photos of airplane scrapyards in all over the world. Taking aerial photos is one of my favorite things. It is a very unique perspective on airplanes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Of course – my favorite place is the airport. So I would take my friend to a cool spot where we could watch airplanes takeoff and land. Even better is renting a Cessna and fly to another airport for the famous “100$-Burger”. There is always a reason to go fly, a burger is just one of them 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents are definitely most important when I look back in time. My father was a helicopter pilot for the air force and got me into aviation while my mum was always supporting me when I was in school and was motivating me to chase my dreams. Also, I have to thank my wife a lot who doesnt get tired of visiting airports while being on vacation and travelling the world with me.

Website: www.ATCpilot.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atcpilot_photography

Linkedin: https://de.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-thoma-a50b56216?trk=people-guest_people_search-card

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATCpilotPhotography/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfosmSC3BCmRfaz9K6hgzLA

Image Credits
Philipp Jahn (Photo of me in flight suit) Others: “Sebastian Thoma – ATCpilot.com”

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