February 15, 2024
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Drone photographers! Now's the time to collate your best images as the Drone Photo Awards 2024 are now open for entries!
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Drones are unnamed aerial vehicles, controlled remotely from the ground or pre-programmed to fly automatically to a set route.
Drones have been used by the military for years, and are being looked into for other potential uses, such as delivery services, but are also becoming more and more popular for photography or videography purposes.
Drones are increasingly being used for wedding photography and videography, taking areal shots of the location, and even sometimes, bringing in the rings, taking a video of the event at the same time.
It is also becoming increasingly possible to use GPS to automatically plot routes, making architectural photography a whole lot easier.
Other people using drone photography include anyone wanting to take areal shots of their neighbourhood, holiday location or other scene from an angle that would otherwise not be possible.
You can pick up a basic drone, for as little as £50. Anyone can buy a drone, they are available on the high street, though their use is regulated by certain laws.
Not all drones come with a built-in camera, and so you may need to get recording equipment to attach to your drone, such as the Go-Pro.
For personal use don’t need specific permission, as long as you fly under 400 feet above surface-level, and don’t plan to fly close than 50 metres to people or objects. You also should not fly anywhere near an airport. For further guidance on distance see our article on drone photography and the rules. Provided users adhere to the distance guidance detailed in this article, drones weighing 20kg or less can be used for personal use without approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). However, they must be flown within ‘visual line of sight of the pilot and away from people, property and congested areas.
Photographers who plan to use a small unmanned aircraft (20kg or less) for commercial purposes require permission from the CAA. The CAA will ask to see an up-to-date operations manual and evidence that the ‘pilot’ is competent, which will include undergoing a flight test and ground-based exam. See the full requirements.
Drones with an operational weight over 150kg – will also have to pay an Assurance of Airworthiness fee.
‘Domestic’ use of images captured by drone are not subject to stringent controls, but if your images are for commercial use you must comply with the Data Protection Act, if the people in the images are identifiable. See what this entails.
See more drones related news and articles:
February 15, 2024
Drone photographers! Now's the time to collate your best images as the Drone Photo Awards 2024 are now open for entries!
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The DJI Mini 3 has much in common with the DJI Mini 3 Pro that was released earlier this year, but is the more affordable option.
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DJI's new Mavic 3 Classic drone is available to buy from today and features a Hasselblad camera and can fly for up to 46 minutes.
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A Cybernews report has found a leaked DJI database including drones' routes, points of take-off, and models and serial numbers.
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