Like this: the aerial photograph of a military base was taken in the early 40s (during WWII) which at the time was considered classified, but if you compare satellite photos taken now: the surroundings are completely different (no signs of a former government facility) as the base closed down in the 70s then demolished. What sits there today is nothing but suburbia and a strip mall (should the photos be released even if its this old?)
Who owns the air rights and how far.
Are the photos taken 50 meters, 500 meters, 5000 meters, or 50 km off the ground?
Would you eat dinosaur meat if you could, and why?
A think a key nuance to the question is, was the photo taken from public airspace? The Supreme Court has affirmed, over and over, the right to photograph and film/video record anything in public, including privately-owned spaces visible from public spaces.
Declassification is a separate issue, and hinges on ongoing security concerns. It’d be hard to make a compelling case for decommissioned and redeveloped site aerial photos still being somehow sensitive.
