PREVIEW

AssetID: 31344180

Headline: Britain From Above

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: Lake at Skipwith Common in North Yorkshire. Skipwith National Nature Reserve is one of the last remaining areas of lowland heath in the north of England. "From around 100m up in the air this lake looked to me like a ghost," says David.... A photographer has captured sky-high views of Britain. David Hopley's images offer a God's-eye view of the landscape thanks to his use of a drone. The 45-year-old's architectural background means his stunning pictures, mostly taken in the North, make precise art of rural, coastal and everyday scenes. His work range from isolated lakes in North Yorkshire to the ramshackle order of an allotment and a car breaker's yard. Elsewhere are canal boats and a lock, a massive stack of logs, and the impressive spectacle of wheatfield harvesting. One amazing picture shows trees in an X shape in Thetford, Norfolk. Only one of the images was taken without a drone: an incredibly well-timed shot from London Tower Bridge's glass walkway which managed to capture a tourist bus and a speed boat. David, an Architectural Technician from York, explains: "A year or so ago I saw an image on social media taken with a drone, it was a top down shot of a barn located on the intersection of four fields. It was a simple shot and to be honest, fairly unremarkable, but I found the concept intriguing. I work in architecture and as such I’m aware of how developments and structures are designed, not just in elevation but in plan form too. Mulling over the photographic opportunities which would lend itself to this style of photography, I could visualise one scene which might work well when taken from above. This being one of a lock on the canal near where I live. This image is still one of my favourite photographs I have taken to date. "Drone photography has literally given me a world of new opportunities to create unique landscape images and has completely changed my approach to landscape photography. Quite often it is impossible to visualise a top down shot until I am flying above it. There are uncountable hidden textures and patterns in the landscape which could never be seen at ground level. More often than not, I will head out to a location with no idea what I will be photographing. Once I have launched the drone, I will quickly scout out the location looking for features which could make an interesting image. Using the drone allows me the freedom to search the landscape, which might otherwise be inaccessible by other means. A great deal of exploration can be undertaken over a wide area during a 15 minute flight. "To paraphrase Greg Whitton, a landscape photographer whose work I admire, he said: "Is the only thing making the shot the weather conditions? Would the scene have merit without them?". Of course lighting can be an important consideration but the principal of what he said stuck with me. I'm aware that just because the drone can get to a unique vantage point I otherwise couldn't, it doesn't necessarily guarantee a great picture. Subject matter and what I leave in and exclude from a shot is more important to me than getting up at say 4am to catch the vibrant morning colours of a sunrise."

Keywords: Aerial Photography,Camera,DJI Phantom 3 Advanced,David Hopley,Drone,Fields,Flood,Lake,Landscape,Marshland,North Yorkshire,Places,Pond,Scene,Season,Skipwith Common,Spring,Tree,Vegetation,Water,Woodland

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