From Dan Smith, Editor, Valley Business FRONT:

Almost immediately when I heard the buzzing overhead, then looked up and saw the small, red, high-winged airplane slowly and carefully circling Wilson Field at Washington & Lee in Lexington, I thought, “That’s Erryn; bet you anything.”

And maybe it was. It had to be him or one of the  planes he had out shooting football stadiums with good crowds on this Saturday. It was W&L’s homecoming game, so a decent crowd was guaranteed.

Erryn Barkett, a financial advisor in Fincastle, has this side business/avocation that takes him to the skies to shoot photos of stadiums for alums and fans of these schools, ranging from small high schools to big universities.

He’s been doing it part-time since 1993, but it took on a different character after 9/11 when getting an airplane into the air over a crowd of people became problematic. Do it without permission and risk getting shot down by a very fast, very mean jet with a star on the side.

But Erryn got permission. One invitation covered photographing Virginia Tech’s game with Miami in 2007. Virginia Tech was thanking the world for its support and Erryn’s escort was comprised of Air Force jets.

The photos Erryn took that day remain his favorite.

You can read more about Erryn Barkett and his photo business in the November 2008 issue of Valley Business FRONT.

The Valley Business FRONT Post is written by Dan Smith, Editor, Valley Business FRONT, a monthly business magazine featuring the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley of Virginia. 

Dan Smith's e-mail signature quotes Kingsley Amis:  "If you can't annoy somebody, why write?'

The opinions Dan Smith expresses are solely his own and are not necessarily shared by Handshake 2.0.