What is a good plane for aerial photography? I'm a bit of a photographer and I keep thinking it would be fun to try and do some shots aloft.  Only trick is, I'm not sure what kind of plane I would want to use to get those pictures done.  I'd have to rent the plane and the pilot and I'd like to keep the price down as best as possible...  So a purpose built plane isn't such a big deal.

Other considerations


Good view of the ground, though it doesn't have to be straight down (I'm not doing surveying
Stable while banking so I can more easily track shots when the plane is at an angle.
Ability to be held stably at a bank without actually turning the craft, again to help me track my shots.
Low vibration, for the same reason as stated over the last two.
Big windows
Can fly low and slow for if I want to get close to things (within reason.)


Also, a high wing is probably preferred.  Though, if it's exceptionally good at holding a bank, it may not matter.  

If you think of anything else that I should consider to keep my camera from being jangled about, and to allow me to have a good view so I can get some shots...  Please feel free to leave them in the comments.

So, what plane would work best for this mission?
I used to work at a sport parachuting center - we occasionally had photographers rent one of our Cessna 182 airplanes for the same purpose. An advantage of jump planes is the pilots are quite used to odd attitudes (and even odder requests) so a 60 degree bank angle with the door open and you leaning out of it will get a reply of "no problem".

Our conditions were the photographer wears a parachute, a seatbelt, and if the camera goes for a jump that's just too bad for your wallet. 30 minute lecture on what to do if you fall out. Short form: drop camera, grab this handle, pull. And the trip's over if you do anything silly.

You would sit on the floor where the co-pilot's seat would normally be, the pilot will open the door as needed, and you have a clear view out the right rear quarter of the plane. Obstacles are the wheel (front half of the door looking down) and wing strut (forward) - the tail is well out of the way. It's very noisy, but unless your camera is actually outside the fuselage the wind blast is not an issue. Don't change lenses though, and your clip-on lens hood will probably disappear rather quickly.

You can sit on the door ledge with your feet outside and have an excellent, stable field of view with both hands free to operate your camera. I've sat there hundreds of times without a seatbelt, it's no problem even in steep turns. Just a bit odd seeing the ground above the wingtip. Difference is, I don't care if I fall out.