Say Yes To Everything To Open Up The Best Aviation Experiences
April 18, 2026
I Say Yes To Everything Photography-Related
I am Kevin Lush, owner of Kevin Lush Photography in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation. This month’s photography topic is “say yes to everything.” I wrote the following article for a professional plane spotting group I belong to in Chicago, Illinois.
When I first started as a professional photographer in 2007, I had zero experience. Today, thanks to my wife’s support, my hard work, and my “say yes to everything” attitude, I have photographed 246 weddings, 300 engagement sessions, 125 high school and college seniors, several commercial photography jobs, six airports, and three private jets. Had I not been open to requests and ideas, I wouldn’t have had such amazing experiences and clients.
Most of these jobs have not been related, so networking hasn’t gotten me the other gigs. What each opportunity did was to provide invaluable experience and a portfolio I am very proud of. Because each aviation opportunities has been a different companies or locations, the hiring person may not have had any contact with the other companies. I can only imagine the amazing jobs I could get if company A could talk directly to company B.
Over the last month, I spent several hours plane spotting from the Big Blue Deck parking garage at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW.) I highly suggest you take an easy road trip there – you’ll catch plenty of regional departures in the afternoon and enjoy great views.
Say Yes To Expand Your Aviation Photography Credentials
If you’re interested in expanding your plane spotting photography or pursuing it professionally, private jet opportunities should be considered. While Chicagoland airports offer great proximity to commercial jets during takeoff or touchdown, the inclusion of private jet photography can enhance your photography portfolio.
After I wrote several aviation related blog posts, a commercial charter company in Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport (LUK) hired me to photograph its new Embraer Praetor 500. Several months later, they hired me again to photograph the grand opening of the new Embraer authorized service center. Embraer flew in several corporate jets just for the event. Later this year I am scheduled to photograph their new Embraer Praetor 600. Additionally, in the past month, two separate aircraft brokers hired me based on my plane spotting work. Again, at LUK, I had full access to photograph a Learjet 45 and Cessna 525.
Did I have experience photographing corporate jets? Absolutely not! Was I excited to try it, knowing how well I photograph commercial jets? Absolutely! I showed up at all three jobs armed with my equipment, a plan, and all my aviation knowledge. My love of aviation was shared with office workers, executive assistants, and maintenance personnel. Showing everyone that I knew aviation showed that I wasn’t just any photographer. Asking questions of my “handlers” gave me more insight into the owners and operations of each aircraft.
In Conclusion – Just Say You’ll Do It!
Lastly, we love aviation. We have our favorite aircraft. So, here’s a challenge… find a general aviation airport near you and ask around for leads. Do it for free or offer the images to the FBOs or maintenance bases. Many photographers say you shouldn’t work for free, but plane spotting is free. Look what it led me to. Say yes. It will pay unexpected dividends for years.
Say yes to it all. Who knows where you’ll land.
Update April 2026: I photographed the P&G Procter & Gamble aviation department at Lunken Airfield because I said “yes!”
