I’m in my mid-70s and I retired from the IT industry in 2011, after spending all my working life in software companies which developed computer-aided design (CAD), then geographical information systems (GIS) applications.
After retirement, I joined a project to build a working replica of the UK’s first general-purpose computer (EDSAC, 1949) from scratch, at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. It uses about 3,400 thermionic valves and takes up a whole room. Debugging continues!
In retirement, I also became more serious about photography. I’ve been a member of Cambridge Camera Club for about 15 years. It is one of the larger photography clubs in the country, but when I started drone photography, my flying camera and its images were curiosities. However, the club now has a substantial number of fellow drone enthusiasts.
I got my first drone, a DJI Mavic Pro, in 2017 – a heavily hinted-at early birthday present from my wife. This was followed over the years by an Air 2S, an Air 3S and, most recently, the miniature sub-250g marvel that is the Mini 5 Pro!
Why Drone Photography?
It may seem obvious, but as soon as your drone is just a few tens of feet above the ground, you start to experience a totally different point of view. I find those views are so different, unique and attractive that I now spend much less time on conventional ground-based photography.
I particularly like to find linear or abstract patterns in the landscape (sand quarries are a current fascination) and most of my favourite drone images are taken looking vertically down. I particularly like finding multiple abstract-looking sequences of parallel lines in the the landscape – quite an easy task in the fens! An esteemed fellow camera club member has christened these my “sandwiches“.
You can judge for yourself 🙂
Alan Clarke