Amish Farm Drone Aerial Image Vacation Picture Photographer
This image was captured over Amish farmland in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania during one of three visits I made to the area during 2021. Under a crystal clear cloudless blue sky I launched my drone over the landscape to capture the unusual pattern in which this field had been planted. As an adventure travel photographer a drone is often an indisposable tool, allowing the image maker to see things from an entirely different vantage point…in this case a "bird’s eye" view. As an artist who most often reaches his destinations by his preferred mode of travel (two wheels…motorcycling) my equipment kit is, by necessity, kept to a bare minimum. After all, there’s only so much room on my BMW sport touring motorcycle in which to stow gear. The custom-fitted camera bag that rides in the top case of my motorcycle normally carries just two Nikon mirrorless camera bodies, two Nikon Nikkor zoom lens and my DJI Mavic drone. I am an FAA certified Part 107 UAS (drone) pilot, having undergone all the study and testing required by that governmental body to legally carry out commercial aerial photography projects...I love adding images with an unusual point of view to my written works. As a writer and author I tend to write pieces that are accompanied by photographs that tell the story. This image wound up in my book "Road Work: Images and Insights of a Modern Day Explorer" - a work that achieved #1 bestseller status on Amazon in their road travel category. ..It sometimes takes this high altitude vantage point to convey the beauty of the land below. Often times the sheer size and beauty of a given location can’t be adequately captured by a camera at ground level and a drone becomes necessary to record an image that truly encompasses Mother Nature’s beauty below. On certain commercial photography assignments drone photography is a given. I have used my unmanned aircraft to capture scenes for architects, site planning engineers, resort operators, residential housing developers and others...Drone photography has also added a new dimension to my personal projects…many of which revolve around my two-wheeled motorcycling adventures these days. Even the most well-designed scenic overlooks, on some of the nation’s most beautiful byways often fall short in providing a vantage point that is capable of fully documenting the lands over which they look. I often find myself sending my drone another two, three or four hundred feet into the air at some of these tourist enclaves to fully capture the majesty of the landscapes on display...Drone photography does come with its limitations and restrictions of course. Weather plays a big factor in the prudent pilot’s decision making. High winds and wind gusts can result in a lost or damaged aircraft; or at the very least limit the time (and the distance) at which one can remain aloft. There are also governmental restrictions (as well there should be) regarding where it is legal to fly…commercially or recreationally. As a licensed pilot one is expected to know, and abide by, all these flight restriction regulations; and to know when it would be more prudent to keep your craft grounded. There is no doubt, however, that drone photography adds an entire new dimension to the avid travel photographer’s body of work. Give me a call if you think your next location project could benefit from an exciting aerial point of view.