Aviation photography: can you turn a passion into a profession?

In an age when flying is widely accessible, plane spotting has become a common phenomenon. Aircraft enthusiasts travel all over the world to capture aviation images on their cameras, from photos of airports, aircraft and observation decks to cockpits, mountains and beaches. 

Imagine taking pictures of Airbus A380 or Antonov An-225 on a daily basis. But while plane spotting is just a hobby for some, it can become a paid profession. 

AeroTime spoke to Mindaugas Kavaliauskas and Vytautas Kielaitis to find out more about their passion for aviation photography.

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Mindaugas Kavaliauskas

Art photographer, author of travel’AIR and A-spot photo books, and executive director of the Lithuanian Aviation Museum, he is currently based in Kaunas, Lithuania.

“Paradoxically, I would not call myself an aviation photographer.”

Kavaliauskas introduces himself as an artist, who started his career as an art photographer and later became a curator and art manager. But following extensive travel and long hours spent at airports, Kavaliauskas developed an interest in aviation in early 2000.

“At the turn of the century, I became a frequent flyer and continued to be one up until the worldwide lockdown.”