About Dave Koch
I grew up around aircraft. My father worked on rocket fuels, and he’d bring test batches home so we could burn them off in the backyard. We’d watch the X-15 and the XB-70 fly out of Edwards Air Force Base. That was normal life for me — and it never wore off.
Today I’m an aviation photographer with 30+ years behind the camera, the last decade of it focused entirely on aircraft. My work has appeared in Aviation Week, Bloomberg, and Corporate Jet Investor, and I’ve served as an expert source for Reuters. I photograph for brokers, charter operators, completion centers, and aviation brands worldwide — aircraft sales, charter marketing, completions, aviation architecture, and brand campaigns.
From the Newsroom to the Ramp
I spent 15 years as a television news photographer, and it put me in some remarkable places. I covered Minuteman, MX, Atlas, and Titan missile launches. I was inside the Space Shuttle Enterprise during a visit to Vandenberg Air Force Base. I once flew backseat with the Blue Angels. Along the way, I was part of an Emmy-nominated breaking news team and earned a Golden Mic award for coverage of a major wildfire.
That career taught me how to work fast, stay calm under pressure, and get the shot right the first time — skills that matter just as much on a ramp with a Gulfstream on a tight turnaround as they did chasing breaking news.
After television, I built photography businesses across landscape, architectural, commercial, and real estate work before focusing entirely on aviation. Architectural photography taught me to control light and space in a way that translates directly to aircraft interiors. Real estate photography sharpened my eye for the kind of imagery that actually moves a listing.
Specialized Aviation Imaging
My work includes aircraft interiors and exteriors, sales photography, charter branding, completion documentation, aviation architecture, airport facilities, Matterport digital twins, and immersive 3D virtual tours. Assignments have included business jets, Boeing Business Jets (BBJ), Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), commercial aircraft, FBOs, aviation campuses, and emerging aerospace programs — photographed inside active hangar, ramp, and operational environments.
I approach every project with controlled lighting, clean composition, and an efficient workflow built to produce imagery that supports the business objective behind it — not just a pretty picture.
Based in the United States, I travel nationwide and internationally, with logistics coordinated around aircraft availability, operational schedules, and client objectives.
Who I Work With
- Aircraft brokers preparing aircraft for sale
- Charter operators building premium fleet presentation
- Owners and operators documenting and marketing aircraft assets
- Completion centers and aviation service providers needing accurate visual documentation
- Marketing teams and agencies producing aviation campaign content
Curious what working together actually looks like? These case studies walk through real projects — from aircraft sales listings to charter branding — showing the situations clients faced and how the photography helped solve them.
Why Clients Hire Me
- Extensive experience photographing aircraft interiors, exteriors, and operational aviation environments
- Comfortable working in hangars, on ramps, and around active aircraft operations
- Precise control of reflections, cabin lighting, window balance, and interior symmetry
- Television news background, comfortable working fast under deadline pressure
- Able to produce still photography, motion clips, and 3D virtual tour content in a single production
Featured In, Recognized By
My aviation photography has appeared in Aviation Week & Space Technology, Bloomberg, Corporate Jet Investor, PetaPixel, and other aviation and business publications. I’ve also served as an expert source for Reuters, providing analysis on aircraft imagery, telephoto lens compression, reflections, and image authenticity.
On the fine art side, I’ve received Utah Best of State honors five years running — Nature Photography in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, and Commercial Photography (RE Photography Utah) in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
I’ve also appeared on a few photography and business podcasts talking about specialization, pricing, and building a sustainable creative business — including PhotoBizX and Shooting Spaces.
A Side Project That Took On a Life of Its Own
In 1999 I started The Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB) as a personal list of Disney animated features. It grew into one of the largest animation reference databases on the internet, and in 2006 the Reference and User Services Association named it one of the best free reference websites available online. It has nothing to do with aviation, but it says something about how I work — when I get interested in something, I tend to go build the definitive resource for it.
Let’s Work Together
If you’re planning an aircraft photography, aviation marketing, completion documentation, or virtual tour project, reach out. Most projects begin with a short conversation to align on aircraft, location, timeline, and production approach.
I handle every project with professionalism, discretion, and a clear understanding of how to present aircraft and aviation facilities at the highest level.
