A professional photographer and flight enthusiast from Iowa will take the Freeborn County Arts Initiative to new heights in the next two months with an exhibit of flight photography.

The show, by Adam Glowaski of Ventura, Iowa, opens Tuesday and runs through April 22 in the historic Bessesen building, 224 S. Broadway in downtown Albert Lea.

An artist reception will be from 5 to 8 p.m. March 24.

Glowaski, president of Box5 Media, a marketing company, said his interest in photography stems back to college but has grown in the last few years.

Glowaski said he earned his pilot license about seven years ago and has since been able to get to know many others in the aviation industry and has grown his business to include more aviation-related work.

He enjoys shooting photographs from up in planes.

“It’s a very unique type of photography, a very unique type of art,” he said.

Typically for aviation photo shoots, Glowaski and others coordinate from the ground before they even go up in the air.

“It’s a team effort to get a photo shoot done,” he said. “The top goal is safety. We’re not trying to save any lives with what we’re doing, and we definitely don’t want to risk any. There is some risk to it.”

Someone else usually flies the plane, and he sits in the back or in another position on the plane while taking photographs — all usually while the door to the plane is off.

For safety purposes, he typically wears a harness, and his gear is usually attached to him.

“Every time I go up, I still get that kid feeling inside,” he said. “It’s indescribable — that feeling you get in the air, and you’re free. It’s an amazing feeling I get every time.”

He has photographed as many as six airplanes at any given time.

Being a pilot himself, he said he understands how to communicate with the other pilots during the photo shoots and knows their capabilities.

He takes photographs all over the country, including Florida, Rhode Island, California, Iowa and Minnesota, to name a few.

“I absolutely love doing it,” Glowaski said.

Living in Ventura, he said when he flies himself he does so out of the Mason City airport.

He encouraged people to check out the show.

“It’s something that I’ve found hits and resonates with a lot more people than I thought it would,” Glowaski said. “It’s very interesting and very enjoyable for a very wide audience.”

Susanne Crane, member of the Freeborn County Arts Initiative, said Glowaski’s show provides a perspective few people ever have the privilege to experience and can only dream about.