KNOW THE RULES — AND THEIR
EXCEPTIONS
Aside from checking that your fellow park-
goers are OK with your drone, you should
also check that it sits OK with the law.
“There are a lot of laws, but there’s also
a bit of flexibility around them in certain
areas,” says Petra.
Before flying, always check on
airshare.co.nz whether drones are
permitted in the area you wish to use yours
in. In controlled airspace, you have the
option of requesting clearance to fly via the
website. But you may not need to request
clearance if you fly a sheltered flight, or
‘shielded operation’, which is when you fly
within a 100m radius and below the height
of an object, shielding your drone from
other aircraft.
Be prepared to justify your drone. In
particular areas, flying your drone will
cause people to raise their eyebrows. When
Petra shot a job in Taupo last year over the
Aratiatia Dam, for which she had obtained
permits, a lot of people approached her
to tell her not to fly there. In a situation
like that, you need to be able to produce
your permits, or otherwise demonstrate
your right to fly in that place, to avoid any
conflict or run-in with the law.
SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Once you’ve mastered the basics of the
controls, had a play with perspective, and
understood where you can fly, it’s time to
consider how to make your aerial shots
your own. While the internet can be a great
source of inspiration, Petra says that it also
means that a lot of very similar images are
produced — as she says, “My biggest piece
of advice in figuring out your own style is
not to get sucked into what everyone else
is doing.”Petra’s own style has a heavy focus on
symmetry; right angles; and bright, bold,
solid colours. She puts this down to not only
her background in graphic design but also
her interests: “Lego, illustration, and hours
of video games.
“Take influence from things you enjoy
— and that doesn’t necessarily have to
be photography; it could be movies, art,
comics, anything really.”Start with subjects you already like; if you’re
into landscapes or architecture, you’ve got
a great starting point. Or, if you want to
start fresh, an aerial perspective has the
potential to imbue everyday objects and
structures with a new interest.
“To be honest, I’ll shoot pretty much
anything; things that I have absolutely no
interest in normally are sometimes the ones
that look best from above,” she says.TANNOWA KO – OSAKA