I have always lived in Dumfries and Galloway and was brought up in the Caerlaverock area where I still live, I enjoy filming with my quadcopter in and around Caerlaverock and personally don’t think it gets much better than this with the beautiful surrounding countryside, the river Nith, Caerlaverock Castle and great views across the Solway.It is an ideal place to fly although I do enjoy getting out and around anywhere in Dumfries and Galloway as it provides some great views from high above.
Another favourite place to film would have to be on the various beaches around the area with the wide open spaces if the weather conditions are favourable the results can be spectacular.
I have been flying and filming with the quadcopter for around a year now and I am amazed every single time i go out as it gives me a totally different perspective of the world below. Unfortunately adverse weather conditions are my worst enemy as the equipment does not like damp conditions and it can get a bit scary flying in the wind so I have to choose my flying days carefully.
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At the moment i am using a Phantom 2 quadcopter from Dji with a 3 axis gimbal and a Gopro Hero 3 Black edition camera capable of shooting 1080p video but am hoping very soon to be upgrading to new equipment enabling me to shoot video in 4k and capturing raw images.
The quadcopter is a fairly advanced piece of kit requiring satellite lock before take off and will even return home should it loose communication with the controller or on low battery status. With the current batteries I am using I can film for around 20 minutes per flight.
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I really enjoy the editing side of things, its always a bit of a buzz when I get home and transfer the days footage to my computer to see what I have to work with.
Filming with a quadcopter isn’t as straight forward as lots of people think as there are some very strict guidelines set out by the CAA (civil aviation authority) that we have to follow but i don’t see this as a bad thing as it keeps us all safe although i am sure many are aware following some recent media coverage there are a few out there willing to break the rules which in my eyes will only lead to more strict regulation.
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As the summer approaches I hope to get out to some new locations around this beautiful area we live in.
