DRONES OPEN UP IMMEASURABLE OPPORTUNITIES

By Cliff Shipton –Cliff Shipton Photography

To cut a long story short, I have always had a passion for photography but never really did much about it until around 5yrs ago when I decided to buy some good quality camera gear and a couple of lenses. This helped me to start my journey, only as a hobby to begin with, and learn the art of good photography. From here photography has progressed into a lot more than just something to do or a hobby, photography has begun my little business (Cliff Shipton Photography) in the Bega valley and beyond as a very reputable and award-winning photographer. So much so that I have been asked to judge the photography competition at the Far South Coast National Show in Bega - quite the honour! I’ve generated quite a nice little side hustle away from my full time job at Bega Valley Shire Council. Cameras are always in my Ute no matter where I go these days because if I don’t have them then I will inevitably have missed an opportunity to capture something special and everlasting.

I purchased a drone about three years ago and this has been a game changer for me. I can now offer exceptional photography from above. I carry out all sorts of drone photography, from still photos, videos, farm mapping, large panoramas and many other requirements from the air.

I currently have two drone devices I use and each year I spend around 2500 minutes in the air capturing awesome images. I get a lot of requests to drone large and small properties, for photos, videos, searching for cattle, farm survey, checking property boundaries and hard to reach places on foot. I photograph anything from landscapes, seascapes, rural scenes, weddings, portraits, real estate, animals, construction companies, new buildings, silage harvesting, crop harvest and flood events. Wedding photography and imagery is a real hit using drones. If you have approval to operate them over and around people then, in most cases, it’s possible to do.

I’m currently looking to upgrade my current drones to a more advanced model with so many more capabilities which will only increase my ability to capture better quality photography, video and offer farm mapping at a more advanced level.

Drones have so much capability and what they can achieve is endless whether it be just photography, video, weed spraying, search, and rescue, shark spotting over coastal beaches, cattle/sheep mustering, fence line inspections to quantity surveying in construction.

Drones require different levels of licensing and registration, depending on weight of the aircraft, what you are using it for and what you would like to achieve. I operate my drone as a sub 2kg category. All the required information for drones and licensing is available on the CASA’s (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) website.

I have sold many photos from my social media page to people, on which I post almost every day. This is usually photos from somewhere I’ve been, an event, wedding, or anything that I think my followers like to see. I see photography as a semi-retirement plan that I have been working on over the past two years. It’s certainly gone from strength to strength and to think it started with purchasing a camera then hearing friends and family say ‘why don’t you have a go at taking and selling photos for a living’.

My drones and cameras go everywhere I go just about, with a few exceptions of course where there may be restrictions or basically, I need a break away from them.

Recently I have just completed a drones in agriculture course through Tocal College which was fantastic. I have just enrolled into an on-farm mapping and survey two-day course also, as I feel that on-farm mapping is the way of the future.

Drones can help to manage:

• stock

• crops

• fodder

• assets

• irrigation

Along with many other activities from the air. So much valuable information can be gained this way which will inevitably increase productivity across the board.

Photography and drones have opened my eyes to a bigger world out there, even though I have travelled the majority of Australia and been to many places overseas. Photography has taught me to stop, take a breath and appreciate the awesome beauty the earth has to offer.

My photos tell a story from wherever I go, and I have many awesome memories of my travels and adventures through the viewfinder of a camera or my drone.