Available: Elevated & Drone Photography Services in Australia

Over the past 5 years I have shot many level view (Elevated Photography) shoots from various cherry pickers – for clients who are developing apartment blocks throughout Melbourne.  Clients use the images to render in the potential views to their advertising and marketing material and for building permit applications.  The most requested format is a panorama, and I also provide the individual images.  I have access to a 25 meter spider lift that can get in and out of even smaller locations that a truck based cherry picker. This means that it can be driven down narrow paths to reach courtyards or traverse through construction sites to reach a central location.  The elevated Photography service is quoted per job and is usually carried out in fine weather unless otherwise requested by the client.  90% of the time there is two parts to the shoot, one during the day and a dusk shoot.  The best time of the year for a dusk shoot is during the summer months when they last longer and the sky is usually clear.   I use this app to make sure they cherry picker is on time and no additional time is wasted.

During the past twelve months I have been hard at work gaining all the relevant licenses and certificates to operate a UAV for commercial purposes.   This will all be complete in august 2015. It will add drone photography services (UAV Photography) to my business.   I don’t expect it to replace the cherry picker but in some cases it will.   I spent some time researching the different UAV’s on the market and decided to go with the Mikrokopter brand on a Freefly Cinestar 8 frame.  It has the ability to fly waypoints around a subject and even shoot panoramas automatically.    So how will this add to my service?  Well in most locations in Melbourne I will be able to shoot level views in areas where the cherry picker was not able to, and shoot aerial views otherwise not visible.  I will also be able to rise higher than 25 meters with less cost than 25+ meter cherry pickers and cranes.  All these factors are dependent on a safety assessment of each location.  It will also depend of legal factors such as “you can’t operate within 3 nautical miles (5 kilometres) from aerodromes” “you can’t operate within 30 meters of people” to name a few.  

Added to my Aerial Photography Services I will have every part of the sky covered.  From 10 feet to 10000 feet.   I am not just another drone operator in Melbourne I am an established aerial photographer with a large client base.   More important than the machines that I use to get the shots is my ability as a photographer to take the best shots, often in high stress situations. 

Aerial Photography For Best Aerial View Of Your Project

How does Aerial Photography help with your construction projects?  I have photographed many projects in Melbourne over a long period of time.  At the moment I have been shooting the construction of the Eastland Shopping Centre in Ringwood since November 2013 on a monthly basis.

As well as other locations I usually shoot the construction progress shoots at the end of each month.  Some projects require that the interval be increased to twice monthly as the project nears the end and the progress gains some traction.  Clients use the images in various ways, some to keep their investors updated, some to keep their customers updated and some for planning purposes.    In the future the series of images will make an excellent historical reference as they do from 100 years ago today.   Obviously throughout the winter months the weather can be an issue so I set the flight to take place anytime during the last week of the month.  Sometimes this is pushed back if the weather is severe, but somehow Melbourne always delivers that one sunny day each week.    Another interesting part of the monthly progress shoots is being able to see how the surrounding land changes during the seasons in Melbourne.  From baron and dusty in the summer to leafless and getting greener in autumn to green and wet in winter.  Wouldn’t it be great if Melbourne had some snow during the wintertime?

I have also had many shoots where the client has sent me an aerial photograph they had taken ten to twenty years earlier.  Usually these are farms or schools but sometimes they have been factories.  This is even more interesting as you can really notice the changes that have occurred in the area.   Changes in the landscape help the farmers monitor erosion and changes in the city help show how fast Melbourne has progressed. 

Twenty percent of what I have been doing over the last 18 months are level views.  This is where a developer needs to show what the potential view will look like for their marketing material.  These occur all over Melbourne from Richmond to Brunswick and Preston.    These shoots are carried out in Cherry Pickers and can take up to 3 hours.  It’s a long day up there especially if it cold and windy.   

The best shoots by far are the low level over water shoots of shipping vessels.  Usually carried out in a Robinson 44 or a Bell Jetranger, we can get as low as 150 feet above the water.   You are sp low you can smell the sea and have a clear view of the vessel.   This is one part of my service I am going to push more over the next 18 months.