Exploring New Perspectives: My First Steps Into Drone Photography
30th June, 2025
Most of the photos we see—and take—are captured from head height. It’s the natural result of how we hold cameras: at eye level, ready to shoot. This perspective feels familiar and accessible because it mirrors how we view the world in everyday life. In my own work, I’ve leaned into that familiarity. I want viewers to connect with the subject and content of a photo, not get distracted by the mechanics of how it was taken. That’s why I usually stick to grounded, believable perspectives and usually avoid visual distractions like excessive shallow depth of field or dramatic lens flares. Simplicity and clarity tend to guide my style.
Because of that, aerial photography wasn’t really on my radar—until recently. With the price of second-hand drones falling to a point I couldn’t ignore, I decided to give it a go and see what new creative possibilities it might open up.
Drones offer a completely different vantage point, and that’s part of what makes them so exciting. But it’s also easy to fall into the trap of flying one up, being wowed by the view, and snapping photos without much thought. I want to avoid that. Instead, I’m trying to be more intentional about how I use the drone. Whether it’s shooting straight down to isolate a subject, or capturing wide panoramic scenes to emphasise space and location, I’m exploring how these new perspectives can enhance the content of the image—not distract from it.
New technology comes with new learning curves. For example, location scouting takes on a whole new dimension when you’re planning on shooting from above. Drones also have very limited battery life so my usual slow and methodical photography style needed a shake up to get the most out of a drone.
This is still a new area for me, but one I’m excited to experiment with further. As always, my goal remains the same: to create photographs that invite viewers to engage with what’s in the frame, rather than how it was captured.
