Aerial Photography Library | Custom Aerial Photography

A rift valley created by the San Andreas Fault contains the Crystal Springs Reservoir, a pair of artificial lakes in the northern Santa Cruz mountains in San Mateo County, California. The reservoir was built and originally owned by the Spring Valley Water Company and was later deeded to San Francisco. Water is piped into the reservoir from Hetch Hetchy and from the Pilarcitos Creek and Alameda Creek reservoirs. This aerial photograph shows the San Andreas fault as it runs toward Point Reyes. Interstate 280 and the San Francisco International Airport are on the right.
Image ID: AHLB2130
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

Originally lit at sunset November 15, 1872, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse has a Fresnel lens which is composed of over 1000 prisms and lenses. The lighthouse and the rocky promontory on which it sits are visible through the fog in this aerial photograph and are preserved as Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, a California state park. Located on highway one 5 miles south of Pescadero, it is an important landmark for ships approaching San Francisco from the south. The lighthouse was originally equipped with a lamp that burned refined lard, which was later replaced by a kerosene lamp and in 1926 by a 1000 watt electrical bulb. The Fresnel lens has a range of 24 nautical miles and is now lit only on special occasions though a rotating 24 inch aerobeacon mounted on the front of the tower is still an active navigation aid. An electrically operated fog horn has also been installed.
Image ID: AHLB8220
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

Designed by Renzo Piano, the California Academy of Sciences living roof covers an area of 197,000 square feet. This aerial photograph of the green roof shows the undulations which are part of the design and draw cool air into the open piazza located in the center of the building. Green roofs are excellent insulators reducing both heating and cooling energy consumption. The roof helps to lower urban air temperature, mitigating the heat island effect, causing cities to be significantly warmer than the surrounding areas. The nine species of native plants growing on the roof were selected for their ability to thrive and propagate in the unique climate present in Golden Gate park. Among the species are wildflowers including the California poppy and the California plantain and a variety of perennial plants.
Image ID: AHLB8220
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

An aerial photograph of Apple Inc.'s world corporate headquarters located at 1-6 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California. This campus occupies 32 acres located in the heart of Silicon Valley at the southeastern corner of Interstate 280 and De Anza Boulevard. Built in 1993 by Sobrato Development Cos, the Apple campus consists of six buildings that total 850,000 square feet.
Image ID: AHLB4633
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

The Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center consists of over 1000 acres in northwestern Sonoma County, California. It was founded by Tarthang Rinpoche, who was born in northeastern Tibet. The Odiyan center has planted over 250,000 trees on the once heavily logged property. A pilgrimage trail across the land owned by the Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center is marked by 108 stupas. The structure shown in this aerial photograph is the bronze Cintamani Temple, which was completed in 2008 and stands 140 tall. It contains sculptures of Buddhas and Bodisattvas which range from 12 to 35 feet tall. A community of 40-50 lay people ranging from 22 to 75 years old reside at the Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center.
Image ID: AHLB7979
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com