A Different Perspective - aerial photography
Paul Rigg tells of his initiation and love of drone photography
‘We photographers often talk about shooting at a different perspective to get the slightly different or difficult shot…This opportunity landed in my lap a couple of years ago (almost literally) when I was gifted a drone fitted with a camera.’
‘A whole new photographic world opened up and I began thinking what a drone could achieve that a land based camera could not and realised that living in Wessex many of the locations that make this area famous are suddenly open to a completely different approach, producing brand new photographic opportunities. Stone circles, white horses, hillforts and burial sites all become accessible. All the normal photographic skills apply to aerial photography with a few new considerations thrown in and being airborne is definitely not the panacea for great shots.’
Ladybower reservoir by Paul Rigg
Badbury crop circle by Paul Rigg
Beach shadow by Paul Rigg
Cerne Abbas Giant by Paul Rigg
Yarnbury Castle by Paul Rigg
Hackpen white Horse by Paul Rigg
‘The practicalities. There are areas that drones are not permitted to fly but these are clearly marked maps contained on phone apps: prisons, military facilities and built up areas for instance but as a landscape photographer I’m always looking for areas away from these. You need an Operator ID (£11.33) and a Flier ID (an easy driving test) neither of which are difficult to obtain but I am happy to assist any club members navigate the process. Cost; how long is a piece of string? To get started the second hand market is awash with used drones going cheap and it should be possible to get a decent 2nd hand model for under £200 – a fraction of the price of a new lens. Even high quality drones with excellent cameras on board can be had for under £2K.’
‘Within the established camera club community there’s a fair bit of antipathy towards drone images and they tend not to do well in club competitions but I’m sure that will change over time and shouldn’t detract from the fun of flying your camera around the skies.’
