Using a Mini 2 for book photography; Pembrokeshire and Dartmoor issues

[ThePhysicist]

Hi all.

I'm writing a climbing guidebook that covers much of the UK. I'm using a Mini 2, both for close up topo shots of cliffs and also wide angle views of the approaches. I have been absolutely knocked out by the quality it's providing.

Across much of the UK it's been really very straightforward, but I'm having problems in two specific areas. There are some really good cliffs on the South Pembrokeshire coast, in the MoD Castlemartin Range East. I didn't fancy getting shot (!) so I've approached the MoD for permission. They are saying yes... for a £600 access fee. I'm trying to negotiate this down. But I have another concern. Castlemartin is in a Danger Area - EG D113. So even if I did obtain permission to fly, would my Mini 2 actually work there? I have some idea that it might not operate if the GPS says it's in a Danger Area. I don't want to spend lots of money (or indeed any money at all) for access and then find that the drone is geo-locked out of flying there anyway! Can anyone advise?

Secondly, there are bylaws covering the Dartmoor National Park. I've done my best to photograph the climbing on the Tors there - this has involved, at times, an 8' stepladder and a lot of stitching photos together! But that's no good at all for the wide approach shot. So I wonder - does anyone have wide angle shots of the approach walk in to Hound Tor, Haytor, Sheepstor, or The Dewerstone, taken before the bylaws were introduced, that they would consider licencing to me? Ideally these would be taken from maximum altitude and quite a distance, and they will need to be printable at a minimum of A5 (portrait orientation, but I can always paste false sky in to make them higher) and 300dpi. But honestly anything will be an improvement over what I can legally obtain.

Thanks, in advance, for any help.

 

[GFields]

Hi all.

I'm writing a climbing guidebook that covers much of the UK. I'm using a Mini 2, both for close up topo shots of cliffs and also wide angle views of the approaches. I have been absolutely knocked out by the quality it's providing.

Across much of the UK it's been really very straightforward, but I'm having problems in two specific areas. There are some really good cliffs on the South Pembrokeshire coast, in the MoD Castlemartin Range East. I didn't fancy getting shot (!) so I've approached the MoD for permission. They are saying yes... for a £600 access fee. I'm trying to negotiate this down. But I have another concern. Castlemartin is in a Danger Area - EG D113. So even if I did obtain permission to fly, would my Mini 2 actually work there? I have some idea that it might not operate if the GPS says it's in a Danger Area. I don't want to spend lots of money (or indeed any money at all) for access and then find that the drone is geo-locked out of flying there anyway! Can anyone advise?

Secondly, there are bylaws covering the Dartmoor National Park. I've done my best to photograph the climbing on the Tors there - this has involved, at times, an 8' stepladder and a lot of stitching photos together! But that's no good at all for the wide approach shot. So I wonder - does anyone have wide angle shots of the approach walk in to Hound Tor, Haytor, Sheepstor, or The Dewerstone, taken before the bylaws were introduced, that they would consider licencing to me? Ideally these would be taken from maximum altitude and quite a distance, and they will need to be printable at a minimum of A5 (portrait orientation, but I can always paste false sky in to make them higher) and 300dpi. But honestly anything will be an improvement over what I can legally obtain.

Thanks, in advance, for any help.

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!

 

[ThePhysicist]

Thank you! I know Birmingham, UK, quite well (although mostly it's an annoyance as it gets in the way of heading north...)

 

[ThePhysicist]

Thank you - that's really helpful. Looks like Castlemartin Range is in a blue Authorisation Zone so I should be able to self unlock. I might trial doing this now for that area, and just check that it works.

So that means it is worth me trying to get the MoD to grant permission for a more sensible fee. They are the actual landowner out there so I guess they can charge what they want... but if every landowner took this approach I'd be looking at £25,000 in fees just to get the crag photos for this book! I wanted to be sure I could actually physically make the drone fly there before I went to the fuss of trying to argue them down.

 

[Lastrexking]

Thank you - that's really helpful. Looks like Castlemartin Range is in a blue Authorisation Zone so I should be able to self unlock. I might trial doing this now for that area, and just check that it works.

So that means it is worth me trying to get the MoD to grant permission for a more sensible fee. They are the actual landowner out there so I guess they can charge what they want... but if every landowner took this approach I'd be looking at £25,000 in fees just to get the crag photos for this book! I wanted to be sure I could actually physically make the drone fly there before I went to the fuss of trying to argue them down.

On the bylaws: there's been the odd occasion when I have decided that grabbing the photos I need quickly and getting out before anyone notices is perhaps the simplest course of action. It helps that I need the crag empty - every climber is another fifteen minutes of photoshop work to remove them - so it's often daybreak - and I can do a whole set of photos in about three minutes. But I'm also conscious that access for climbers is delicate in some places and I don't want any accusation that my drone work has threatened that access, so I'm treading super carefully for the Dartmoor crags.

I hope it works out. Good luck with the book. I hope you’ll share some if your photos with us on the forum. I don’t climb myself, but I know Stannage and Burbage quite well as they’re only half an hours drive.

 

[ThePhysicist]

Thanks. I'd happily post a few photos but I don't know how interesting they will really be - the wide shots are very much intended to help you walk from the car park to the crag and don't have all that much artistic merit! And the topo shots are just closeups of cliff faces, significantly photoshopped to make them as clear as possible...

I was doing Burbage North a few weeks back. Stanage is still on the list!

 

[ThePhysicist]

So here's one (nearly) completed crag overview, which I guess is quite a pretty picture of North Pembrokeshire, where the MoD holds no sway!

 

[Lastrexking]

So here's one (nearly) completed crag overview, which I guess is quite a pretty picture of North Pembrokeshire, where the MoD holds no sway!

View attachment 154338

Brilliant. It’s always good to see drones being used in different ways.

 

[ThePhysicist]

...and this is how the individual crag pages end up!



Until very recently, this was being done from ground level (or in this case sea level, from kayak), or from a useless sideways angle. Or even with pencil sketches...