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Quick answer
The topping out tradition celebrates the moment a building reaches its highest point, usually by lifting a final signed beam with a flag or evergreen tree. Rocky Mountain Photography covers Denver topping out ceremonies with photography, video, and topping out drone Denver footage of the beam signing, crane lift, and crew, delivering edited photos and highlight films.
The topping out tradition is one of the oldest customs in construction. When a structure reaches its full height, crews celebrate by hoisting a final beam or element to the top, often painted white, signed by the team, and decorated with an American flag, an evergreen tree, or both. It honors the workers who built the frame and marks the shift toward enclosure and interiors.
Rocky Mountain Photography, founded in Denver in 2016 by brothers Jeff and Nick Perry, covers topping out ceremonies across Colorado for general contractors, developers, owners, and institutions. Our photographers and videographers work alongside the crew and site leadership to capture the signing, speeches, and lift safely, and our Part 107-certified drone pilots can add aerial views of the structure and the final piece in place.
The custom has roots in older building traditions, where placing a tree at the top of a new structure was believed to bring good luck. In the United States, it grew into a celebration of ironworkers and builders, and the flag became a common addition. Today, a topping out ceremony usually includes the final beam, painted and signed by crew members, owners, architects, and sometimes community members or future occupants. Speeches thank the workers and partners, and the beam is lifted by crane into place while everyone watches. Some projects add a meal for the crew, giveaways, or a time capsule. For concrete or mass timber buildings, the final element might be a last pour or a timber piece instead of a steel beam. Whatever form it takes, the moment deserves strong images.
Coverage usually starts with the beam signing, where we capture close-ups of signatures, the flag and tree, and candid moments of crew members and executives writing messages. Group photos of the full crew in front of the beam are often the most treasured images, so we plan a clear background and good positioning. Speeches are photographed and recorded. The lift is the climax, and we capture it from several angles, including a wide view of the crane and structure, close shots of the beam rising, and reactions from the crowd. Drone footage, when the site lead and crane operator agree, shows the beam reaching the top from above, while staying clear of crane operations. We deliver edited photos, a short highlight video, and vertical clips for social channels.
A topping out lift is a real crane pick, so safety comes first. We coordinate with the superintendent and crane operator on where photographers and guests may stand, and we follow the site's PPE and exclusion zone rules. Drone flights near a crane need extra care. Pilots discuss the lift plan with the operator, stay well clear of the crane, its load, and its swing radius, and may capture aerials before or after the lift instead of during it. Airspace authorization is checked before every flight, especially downtown, where many high-rises are near controlled airspace. Weather can delay a lift, so we stay flexible with timing. After the ceremony, footage often joins ongoing construction aerial photography and construction video for the final project film.
“Rocky Mountain Photography is wonderful to work with! They create so much value with their services.I recommend Rocky Mountain Photography without reservation!”
“If you're looking for the BEST photography company to work with, you've found it at Rocky Mountain Photography! Our company had so much fun getting our head shots taken! Jeff really knows how to get an authentic expression by making the experience fun! We love our pictures!”
Rocky Mountain Photography was absolutely wonderful to work with. We used several of their studio spaces, black cyc wall, white cyc wall, and green screen audio room, to shoot photo and video for our adaptive wheelchair apparel launch. We look forward to shooting with them again in the future!
Rocky Mountain Photography provided an extraordinary service to our corporate events. They captured fantastic photos of our speakers, exhibitors, and sponsored events. They were also creative and went above and beyond what was specifically requested. We’ve hired them several times and would highly recommend them to any event organizer looking for professional high quality media.
“Great service, quality, and speed. In addition to being a great photographer, Jeff is also a great guy to work with. Thanks again man!”
“Our brokerage has sold millions of dollars of commercial real estate across Colorado. Rocky Mountain Photography has been an excellent partner of ours, creating high quality professional media to showcase these various investment properties. They’re consistently reliable, communicative and on-time.”
Had an awesome time working with Rocky Mountain Photography on a shoot! Great communication through the whole process, excellent attention to detail. Would love to work with them again!
“Rocky Mountain Photography is a fantastic business! We used them for professional property photos for two of our commercial properties and were very satisfied with their work and help. They are very responsive, reasonable and talented. The pictures were exactly what we needed to effectively market our properties!”
“Great and thoroughly professional experience.. Quality, timeliness, delivery, and accounting were all best in class. Above and beyond service, can’t wait to work with this team again.”
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It is a construction custom celebrating when a building reaches its highest point. Crews lift a final beam or element, often painted white, signed by the team, and topped with a flag or evergreen tree, to honor the workers and mark the milestone.
Typically a beam signing, speeches thanking the crew and partners, group photos, and a crane lift of the final beam into place. Some projects add a meal for workers or giveaways. We capture each part with photos and video in Denver.
Only with coordination. Pilots work with the superintendent and crane operator, stay clear of the crane, load, and swing radius, and may capture aerials before or after the lift. Airspace authorization is checked before every flight.
An edited photo gallery, a short highlight video, and vertical clips for social media. Next-day delivery is available on many photo shoots. Full speech recordings can be included for your project archive. Crew photos are popular.
Yes. Some projects celebrate with a final concrete pour or a last timber piece instead of a steel beam. We adapt coverage to the form of the ceremony while keeping the same focus on crew, signing, and the final moment.
Request a quote with the date, site, run of show, and whether you want video and drone footage, or book online. We will coordinate safety and timing with your superintendent ahead of the lift. Weather backups are planned.