On the eve of November’s presidential election, our team arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, to choreograph an aerial art image of one of the greatest human rights leaders of our time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to convey the message “Keep the Dream Alive”.

Working in conjunction with Amnesty International and its local partners, Circle Up Now will be producing an aerial art experience on the Mississippi riverfront with hundreds of civil rights leaders and their supporters.


As we flew into Memphis on Tuesday, our aircraft serendipitously lined up alongside the river and treats us to a perfect shot of Tom Lee Park, the location for our event this Sunday.


It was almost impossible to find a pilot and copter in Memphis that could provide us with the tools and experience necessary for us to shoot from the sky, but pilot Wayne Bredan has come through. He’s convinced one of his close friends to pilot a second helicopter for the event as well.

Wed. before the event we met with city officials on the riverfront to discuss logistics and permitting.
John shot some photos with the umbrellas that Amnesty has created for the participants of the event as we tried to decide whether or not to include them in the actual image.


We also connected with local artist, Siphne Sylve, who again shared with us her sketch of Dr. King that has been chosen as the official image for the aerial art.


We visited the Memphis College of Art to enlist some of their photography and video students to cover Sunday’s events on the ground. Many of them are enthusiastic and appreciate the opportunity to tell some stories through their lenses. I have a feeling that some great shots will come from this partnership.


We connected with Andrew Withers, son of award-winning civil rights photographer, Ernest Withers, on Saturday night to discuss the aerial image and storyboard angles to shoot from. He and his brother, Joshua, recount stories of being in the presence of Dr. King when they were children.




One last shot of team member Carter Brooks and aerial photographer Jeff Pantukhoff as they position our crane to shoot the time-lapse photography and video of the image coming together on the ground.

Our team is excited about tomorrow’s event. We will be meeting with volunteers, local police and paramedics, the press, and VIPs throughout the morning as we prepare for the event to be held at 2pm.

Wish us luck!

Marc