Ocean City's Summer 2021 Beach Tags Feature Local Photographer

OCEAN CITY, NJ—During the pandemic, drone photographer Brian Kerchner captured images of Ocean City that showcased the beach town from a new perspective. While Kerchner’s photo account, OCNJ Drone, amassed thousands of followers on social media, his photography also attracted the attention of Mayor Jay Gillian.

Ocean City officials decided to feature one of Kerchner's photos on the city’s summer 2021 beach tags, which were made available for purchase on Nov. 21. An Ocean City lifeguard stand is at the center of the photo framed by white sand and a pink sunset.

“I received a call from someone at the city and they said the mayor had seen it, and the group that selects the photo fell in love with it,” Kerchner said.

Kerchner, an Ocean City resident and licensed drone pilot, started taking drone photos as a hobby one year ago, until his hobby evolved into a business in April.

OCNJ Drone’s social media accounts feature aerial shots of Ocean City neighborhoods and vivid sunsets over the ocean—angles that would be difficult to achieve with a regular camera, Kerchner said. In less than two years, OCNJ Drone has collected 13,000 followers between Facebook and Instagram.

People who could not visit Ocean City over the summer due to the coronavirus, have reached out to Kerchner through social media and told him they enjoy seeing his immersive images of the places they could not see for themselves.

“I started to realize as we were putting things up during that really rough time at the beginning of the pandemic, people truly missed Ocean City,” Kerchner said. “I get countless messages and it’s such a cool feeling of people saying, ‘Hey I didn’t make it down this summer and I love the photos you’ve been posting every week.’”

To convert his hobby into a business, Kerchner became a licensed Part 107 drone pilot in April. With the certification, he could sell photos and wall calendars through OCNJ Drone's website.Kerchner's business is booked throughout the next two months due to custom photo orders.

Many of his custom photos feature aerial views of people’s homes that are ordered as gifts, such as residents who are selling their homes or people tearing down houses that have been in their family for decades.

“It’s very sentimental,” Kerchner said. “There’s so many memories people have with Ocean City and people love their homes here. It’s usually a very unique way to capture their happy place.”

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