No sooner did the snow stop blowing from last week's blizzard than we at The Day started thinking about the next best way to show our readers the impact of the storm.

This was done on the ground by going to the areas hardest hit and showing the efforts at digging out and recovering. And Wednesday afternoon, once the winds had subsided, it was done by taking to the air to get photos that would show a wider view, and a different perspective on the overall effects of the storm.

More than a few readers have wondered how we got those photos. Was it a helicopter or a drone? It was neither of those. It also was not a camera strapped to a hot air balloon or a kite. The photos came from me, my camera and a Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft.

<hardreturn>While a drone, or a small unmanned aerial system in the parlance of those who advocate for the civilian use of these small, remote-operated aircraft, might be useful in some ways, for the moment it would be illegal for The Day to be operating one. The Federal Aviation Administration is still in the lengthy process of drafting rules for the commercial use of "drones" and this includes the use by journalists. The National Press Photographers Association has joined a host of other news organizations in submitting a <a href="http://blogs.nppa.org/advocacy/2014/07/16/nppa-other-media-groups-submit-comments-to-faa-in-support-of-exemptions-for-use-of-suas/" target="_blank">series of comments</a> to the FAA in support of rules that would allow such use. The FAA also recently <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/01/15/news-media-drone-research-partnership/21802707/" target="_blank">announced</a> that it would allow a select set of news outlets use "drones" for the purpose of helping research the issues raised by such use.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>In the meantime, the decision to add aerial photos to The Day's coverage means a call to <a href="http://www.chester-charter.com/" target="_blank">Chester Charter</a> to charter one of their pilots and aircraft for an hour or two. Once in the air I rely on my years of experience flying over the region to spot landmarks and navigate to the places I want to photograph.<br class="hardreturn" />

<hardreturn>The strategy on Wednesday was to start circling New London and get a look at how the snow-clogged narrow streets looked from 1,000 feet. My pilot expressed some question as to whether it would look like much from the air. "Two-feet might not look any different from two-inches from a thousand feet," was his comment. I cannot say I knew for sure, but we certainly already knew what two-feet of snow looked like from the ground level, so it was time try the aerial view.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>In the end, I think you'll agree, the sheer volume of snow did indeed stand-out as quite dramatic, even from one thousand feet.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>Of course, not unlike flying a day after hurricane Sandy back in 2012, the challenge then comes from the lingering effects of the weather. The temperature was, as we all know, rather chilly. At one thousand feet it's a little colder. Photography looks better if I'm not aiming the camera through a window, so we have to open the side window of the Cessna. My pilot cranked-up the cabin heater every time we opened the window, which was a good thing in general, but the heating vent under my seat was right where I braced my leg when I turned my torso to photograph and after a few minutes it grew a bit more uncomfortable than the cold.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>Then, there was the wind. I'm used to doing aerial photography in less than idea conditions (see hurricane Sandy), so I was not phased by the frequent bumps knocking my lens off target. But, one moment stands out on the flight. Winds were in around 30 knots (almost 35 mph) which is significant. At one point, while making a turn to get me the angle I wanted on something I found that despite the very clear bank of the planes wings and the roar of the engine, the subject was not moving into my viewfinder as I expected. I looked up to turn and ask my pilot for a little more turn to get me where I wanted and noticed the place was sliding quite sideways. With the wings banked for the turn the wind we were turning towards was driving us a little off course. Fortunately my pilot knew what was happening, compensated and a few moments later I was making the photos I wanted.<br class="hardreturn" />

<hardreturn>We progressed from New London to Norwich where the narrow streets of that city were on my agenda but after seeing those streets mostly cleared and the blanket of white just not quite as visually striking as New London's I moved us on to the city's prominent sledding hill at the municipal golf course. I was not disappointed, with dozens of tiny sledders visible on the slope and a striking pattern of tracks through the snow to really make the image pop.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>while circling Norwich I also noticed the pattern of light and shadow at the nearby Yantic Cemetery which led to the striking photos on which so many have commented in the ensuing days.<br class="hardreturn" /><hardreturn>The last stop would be Stonington, where I new the Governor would be visiting that afternoon to view the snow clearing efforts in the crowded streets of the Boro.<br class="hardreturn" />

<hardreturn>All that said, I though you might like to see a few more of the photos taken on that flight. A few are directly storm-related, and a few just struck my fancy.<br class="hardreturn" />