How did you become interested in drone photography Roger?
"I have long been fascinated by aerial photographs, traditionally taken from an aircraft or helicopter. So I became particularly interested in the genre when drones arrived on the scene."
How did you decide which drone to buy?
"I started to watch their development, from quite rudimentary and sometimes very expensive pieces of equipment to the user-friendly machines of today.
Then in the summer of 2018 the Chinese company called DJI introduced their Mavic 2 Pro drone fitted with a 20 Mb Hasselblad camera, a 1-inch sensor and a 30-minute flight time."
What about training to fly a drone?
"Before making my purchase I enrolled myself on a 1-day one-to-one drone course, having never flown a drone before.
I found this to be very beneficial, particularly as my instructor didn't need to teach me about the photographic side of the course, and I could concentrate just on flying the drone."
"This was much easier than I expected due to their sophisticated electronics, GPS acquisition etc.
Having completed the course I purchased my own Mavic 2 Pro. I bought three batteries with it, which gives me nearly an hour and a half of flight time."
Can you explain the rules governing drone photography in this country?
"The use of our airspace is controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and any drone weighing over 250g must be registered with the CAA. This is done online by taking a 20 question exam and paying a £9 fee.
Safety is paramount when flying any aerial device, and drone use is covered by the Drone Code, which is available online at Dronesafe"
Finally Roger, what in particular do you enjoy about it?
"Photographically speaking, the great thing about drone photography is the ability to look at subjects from a totally new viewpoint, particularly the 'top-down' type of image.
It has become my latest photographic passion!"
Image titles:
Left - 'Autumn Drive', 'Morning Mist at Tick Fen', 'A14 Junction' and 'Edge of the World'
Right - 'The Tiny Planet of Papplewick', 'Praa Sands', 'Entering the Eye' and 'Three Ways'
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