an aperture setting of ƒ64 and the zone system of exposure,” Dost said. “He recognized my passion for and understanding of the golf landscape, and next thing I knew, I had the job.” With none other than
Clint Eastwood as her boss, Dost delivered the most compelling visuals she could create. Eastwood would be one of the first of many happy customers. Using such a tremendous
opportunity to launch her career, Joann proceeded to work for the USGA and a growing roster of golf magazines, photographing both tournament play and the courses played. Dost dove into her new
career, ditching her golf game and instead devour- ing photo technique books. Dost taught herself all she
own creative interpreta- tions soon sparked the idea of getting up in the air as she had in her youth. Dost wanted to see and capture course overviews and the unique graphic composi- tions of individual holes from above.
Dost likens the thrill of
aerial photography to the intensity of playing as a professional golfer. “It requires total concen-
tration and an acute aware- ness of your surroundings,” she said.
Dost has logged so many hours of airtime over the last three decades (in six different countries) that she is fluent in air-traffic control jargon. She’s mastered the necessary safety precautions, understands air currents and wind speed, how to position herself in the chopper, and
Maybe part of what appeals to Dost is that childlike feeling of being superhuman—or maybe she gets along so well with pilots because she worked with caddies all those years as a golfer. Dost enjoys seeing the course from the air with owners, architects, superintendents, golf pros and caddies. A client’s or caddie’s familiarity with the course can help her zero in on specific holes, while an owner or superin- tendent might have insights from the air impossible to glean otherwise. “From the air, you can
see watering and growth patterns invisible from the ground,” says Dost. “The aerial perspective is very helpful for superintendents to see where improvements
DOST LIKENS THE THRILL OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE INTENSITY OF PLAYING AS A PROFESSIONAL GOLFER.
could about composition, lens choice, filtering tech- niques and camera settings. She photographed using 35mm and medium-format film cameras to hone her craft.
As Dost had learned
from workshops with Ad- ams, the image is rendered in three stages: first is the visualization—an ephem- eral experience of “seeing;” second is the negative— the indelible underpinning of the work; and finally is the print—the lasting out- ward manifestation of the creative process. As Dost mastered the
technical side of photogra- phy, she coupled her train- ing with her player’s vision of course architecture. Her
56 /
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has established her own pre- and in-flight methodology. Dost has worked with
pilots at Specialized Heli- copters in Watsonville for more than a decade. As owner Chris Gularte joked, “I could put Joann in the air with a rookie pilot and she could train them.” Dost is always ultra- efficient with her air time, and has a knack for making challenging lighting condi- tions work, when others would require multiple passes or end up scheduling a second shoot. “Flying a helicopter is a little bit like playing Super- man,” Gularte said. “You have the ability to fly where and how fast you want, and even pause in midair.”
can be made and visually verify agronomic conditions as a whole.” Just before the opening
of Pacific Dunes, Dost shot the course from the air and invited then-superintendent Ken Nice along for the ride. Since, she has enlisted a caddie at Kiawah Island Resort to “co-pilot” and assist her in identifying the various courses and holes on property. She also makes sure to bring along Pebble Beach Head Pro Chuck Dunbar. The drama of the
landscape and danger of the flying conditions make coastal aerials most memo- rable for Dost. In 1992, she captured an aerial photo of the tiny seventh hole at
Pebble Beach, which graced the cover of the U.S. Open book produced for the cham- pionship. Widely published in editorial features, Dost’s early aerials of Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand contributed to the recognition of these now- popular courses. In 2012, the Golf Channel declared one of her images of Cypress Point to be “One of the top 10 in- delible images of the game.” Photographed anywhere
from 100 to more than 2000 feet in elevation, aerials dis- tinguish themselves distinctly from ground-level images. Geographic features become visual lead-in lines or take on almost abstract qualities seen from these bird’s-eye angles. Dost has photographed around the globe, interpret- ing lowlands, mountains, and seascapes through her lens high above the ground. Now in her third decade
photographing from the air, Dost is still propelled by her passion for the flying experi- ence and aerial photography technique. She has incor- porated that significant first flight over our nation’s capital into a signature part of her camera artistry. And with ev- ery flight, Dost aims to take golf landscape photography to new heights.
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