Shooting fish in a barrel

(Not Aerial)


One of my neighbours puts out leftover cooked chicken onto the garden. This explains the preponderance of Red Kites in the area on a regular basis.

Having faced near extinction, they can be found in plenty of places such as the Beaconsfield / Wycombe area of the M40. I think that they are beautiful birds with their forked tails and colouring and have been trying to photograph them as they circle the house.

I daren't send my Drone up as, if it was to come into contact, it would come second and the kite may also end up an injured first. Instead, I've been trying to capture them with my trusty Nikon and a zoom lens.

And the results have been rubbish.

This is the best so far.. At least you can tell it's a kite

Similar practice efforts of seagulls at the seaside have produced similar results.


Last week, however, I was in London. Whilst half my family were at a meeting, I and my daughter had an hour and a bit to kill so we decided to walk around the Serpentine in Hyde Park. It was sunny, but breezy and we were armed with a bag of bread.

Arm-breaking swans notwithstanding (A Brucie Bonus to anyone who actually knows someone who has had their arm broken), she lined them up and I shot them down. Or rather she lobbed a microscopically small morsel of bread into the air and immediately we were flashmobbed by ducks, coots, pigeons and other birds (plus the aforementioned swans). It was so easy to click away, catching birds in flight, cruising and synchronised dive-bombing. Once the scene had transformed itself into a remake of The Birds we moved on and tried again.

Anyway, whilst not spectacular, I did managed to capture a fair few in flight and, due to sheer statistics, some of those came out well by my standards.

So, the moral is, if you want to practice capturing birds in flight, get the odds in your favour, find somewhere with lots, then bribe them to fly towards you. Even better, give your 8-year old the bread, stand back and prepare for incoming.

Docklands - the Sky's the Limit

I am licenced to fly (safely) up to 400 feet high (120 metres). Most shots need nowhere this height as they tend to be PR Shots and as long as you get an angle on the building or event, then that is ideal. Any higher and it all starts to look a bit 'flat' in the same way as ground-based shots have no depth to them either (which is where Aerial imagery comes into its own). I'm sure that you've looked up your own place on Google Maps - it's interesting, but not something that you would want to print and frame, is it?

Occasionally I need some serious height, mostly when I'm photographing prospective views from a proposed Tower Block.

Providence Tower from Ballymore Group was one of those.

If I'm out in the sticks, this is not a problem. This one is in Docklands, which is also near City Airport and, just for good measure, was during the Olympics fortnight when all the ground and air security was present.

NATS and the CAA are very good with us UAV operators. Obviously City Airport does not want unknown entities flying around their area, especially where, with the smaller Drones, there is not the facility (payload capability) for radio identification nor a 'sense and avoid' mechanism. Rather than taking the easy option of denying us all flights, we can file a 'non-standard flight' plan with them which explains what we intend to do, where and when and, if there is no issue, we will be accepted. On the day we make a couple of calls to advise the Control Tower and London Area Control Centre; they have a copy of the plan and everyone is happy.

The Flight Plan for this work was successfully filed. However a copy was sent to the Olympic Security Organisers as well and I ended up speaking directly with HMS Ocean moored in the Thames who wanted to know what I was up to. Once I had explained what I was doing, where it was happening and what the craft looked like, then everything was fine. Again, a call to them on the day ensured that nothing would be scrambled following any reports of a Drone in the area and I did not run the risk of being taken out accidentally. Drone vs Sidewinder (or whatever is the UK equivalent is) is only going to go one way, let's face it.

I have no idea whether my activities were reported by a passer-by or not, suffice it to say that the shots were taken without incident on a lovely day, with the Dome and Greenwich Park in the distance and were a set of the best shots I've ever taken.

400 feet is a looong way up but the built in GPS and Barometric hold facilities of the X6 locks it into position in 3D space and I can concentrate on the photography. It's not something I can say that I enjoy doing as it's such a small dot at that height and needs excellent weather conditions to prevent buffeting and shaky images but when the results are good you do feel good about the outcome, even if it's somewhat buttock-clenching at the time.

Droneworld - Part II

Following on from the Newsnight article, I was interviewed by Phil Gayle on BBC Radio Oxford the following morning. It was only a short interview but the whole of the Breakfast Show was dedicated to this issue of Drones.

Phil Galye, the Presenter was attempting to stir the listeners up into an anti-drone movement, citing 'privacy issues' and 'Not in my back yard' (NIMBY) concerns. 'What if I were sunbathing in my garden at the same time as you were photographing my neighbour's house?' was one question for example. Are these drones going to peer into bedroom windows?

I only had 2-3 minutes for the whole interview, which wasn't adequate to put the points that I needed across, so here's my ideal interview transcript.

Phil Gayle: Good morning. We are talking about the new rules regarding Drones and that we may be seeing hundreds of them criss-crossing the UK. Are you concerned about your privacy? Do you think this is a good thing or bad? I have in the studio Andy Crowhurst, owner of Overshoot Photos to discuss this with me. Good Morning, Andy.

Me: Good Morning Phil.

PG: So, this drone you fly. What is it used for?

Me: I photograph all sorts of things, anything where an elevated view would enhance the subject. I've photographed private properties as Anniversary presents and also for Estate Agents to help sell it. I photograph photogenic Hotels and Penthouse views from properties that are yet to be built. I've even shot a scrapyard.

PG: So, if I was sunbathing and you were filming next door, would I be in the photo or would you crop me out. It seems a bit of an invasion of privacy.

Me: The chances are that you would be in the photo if I was to shoot the back garden, but usually I'm only shooting the front. In my experience, if I was shooting the back garden you would not fail to notice me and my Client, your neighbour would also alert you. More often than not you'd be round to see the craft. Most people I meet are fascinated by it and I have yet to meet someone concerned about it.

PG: What if I were in my bedroom doing my usual naked exercises - or worse and failed to spot you?

Me: Have you ever tried to look in a neighbours window? - you don't need to answer that - The distance, angles and reflections make it pretty unlikely that anything could see inside and, even then, assuming that the curtains were open, the chances of catching you seem pretty slim. The cameras that I use are pretty limited due to weight constraints and I am there for professional purposes. If someone wanted to snoop, they would be better off up a distant tree with a camera with a decent zoom than hovering a pretty obvious drone outside your window.

I test my drone and cameras out in my garden and the pictures I take of the house do not show inside. Too many reflections.

PG: What does the law say about all this snooping?

Me: With a couple of exceptions, anyone with a camera is allowed to photograph anyone else in a public place. Or a private place from a public place. Or from a private place with the owner's permission. Just because the camera is attached to the Drone doesn't make the law any different, in fact we have more restrictions because of where we are and are not allowed to fly. There are many times more cameras and CCTV equipment snooping on us that the handful of drones that are in existence. You can get disguised cameras the size of cigarette packets transmitting images back to base. That is scarier.

We are professionals doing a professional job and, like all professions, there may be a darker side but the cost of the equipment and the licencing means that you need to be pretty determined to use it for nefarious purposes.

PG: That seems reassuring. Andy Crowhurst, owner of Overshoot Photos, thank you.

Changes afoot in Droneworld

An article on Newsnight last night is saying that the US FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) is being ordered by Congress to open up its airspace to Drones by September 2015.

The UK's airspace regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), told BBC Newsnight that large unmanned drones could be flying in British skies by 2020.

As with most new ideas, feelings are already running high with campaigns to make US Towns and Cities 'drone free' and people voicing their fears over safety - both in respect of loads carried and also drones colliding with aircraft and/or falling out of the sky.


At the moment, the FAA does not allow drones to be used commercially such as for taking aerial photographs at all so this is coming as a bit of a shock to it. Here in the UK we are in a better position. The CAA has recognised that the UAV / Drone field is growing and branching out from the amateur Radio Controlled hobbyist.

Since 2010, anyone wishing to operate a flying object that 'acquires data' (read: takes photographs) needs to obtain a Permission from the CAA, renewable annually. This goes for Drones, kites, blimps, modified RC Helicopters and so on. In praise of the CAA, although it seems to have been initially caught on the hop by the proliferation of this market, it has come up with a set of regulations that are sensible and proportionate to the size of craft and also reasonable in the conditions of use. I have been operating within them for three years and have found the CAA very helpful where interaction is needed and sensibly hands-off where not, leaving me to Risk Assess a shoot on the day. In Canada, for instance each shoot requires submission of a bundle of paperwork for approval days / weeks beforehand which, to me sounds pretty impractical.

To that end I have no doubt that the CAA will come up with a working regulatory environment. It has already stated that anything over 20Kg must be fitted with a 'sense and avoid' mechanism and that it would have to be approved for use in UK airspace in the same way as commercial aircraft.

Privacy

Does anyone realistically think that spying is  not going on already with affordable high zoom cameras and miniature cameras that can be concealed in a space the size of a cigarette packet. A drone is not opening up a new can of worms it is just another platform that could be used for an existing problem.

Safety

Yes, Drones are going to fall out of the sky (they do already), yes they are going to get used inappropriately by someone that has bought one off eBay. Yes, there will be spying on neighbours. We will never get rid of the unlicenced and black market users, in the same way that there are car drivers driving around with no licence and insurance, but by putting a licencing framework in place beforehand and managing it properly the UK can build up a great Drone industry and perhaps lead the world in this burgeoning technology whilst the FAA is still trying to fight it's walled garden.


Do you think this is a step too far? Do you have privacy concerns?
Do you shrug your shoulders and bundle it within the CCTVs and Google Streetview, thinking that we cannot stop it and/or anything that makes the country safer has to be a good thing?

Let me know.


Drone in Newsnight Studio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19436049
BBC Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19397816
FAA Forecast: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/aviation_forecasts/aerospace_forecasts/2012-2032/media/Unmanned%20Aircraft%20Systems.pdf

The First Post

Welcome to Overshoot Photo's Blog

I have been flying a Drone and taking Aerial Photographs commercially since 2009. Even in that short time scale, the market and the regulation has changed rapidly.

In this Blog I will being you my take on the Market, craft, regulations and anything else related. Any interesting images that I shoot I'll publish here with a bit of background info.

Property shoot. I was using the land to shoot a neighbouring farm so shot this as a 'thank you' for using their land

I am aiming for quality rather than quantity so don't expect regular posts although I will endeavour reply to comments in short order. To that extent, all comments will be pre-approved before publication to filter out trolling and spamming. Genuine comments will be as unmoderated as possible, whether positive or negative.

The Gallery contains ground-based images and clipart. At the moment there is plenty of chaff amongst the wheat to get it going but I'm also looking to improve the standard of my ground-based photography as well, with the aim of building up a portfolio. We'll see.