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Isle Of Wight Drone Photography and Aerial Videography
(Please note: I'm not currently taking on private commissions for drone work, but I do have a library of footage of the Isle of Wight)
Some time ago, I told Mrs Guru (and my accountant) that a drone was an absolutely essential tool for 'creating content' for Isle of Wight Guru. I made clear that it was certainly not a toy that I would 'soon lose interest in' just like my hoverboard, pogo stick and Hungry Hippos.
To prove them both wrong, I spent hours putting together videos for Isle of Wight Guru's Youtube channel. I complemented the footage with music, which has contradictorily been described as 'bland' and 'discordant' (I had to look that one up).
Since then, literally several people have viewed my work. And some of them aren't even related to me. Many people have kindly taken the time to leave abusive comments.
Here is a selection of some of our aerial videography of the Isle of Wight, which can also be found on our Youtube channel.
The Youtube stuff is compressed to death, but feel free to get in touch if you are looking for higher quality footage for your website or TV programme. Our footage is filmed in 1080p and 25fps. I have a flyer ID and an operator ID with the Civil Aviation Authority.
To prove them both wrong, I spent hours putting together videos for Isle of Wight Guru's Youtube channel. I complemented the footage with music, which has contradictorily been described as 'bland' and 'discordant' (I had to look that one up).
Since then, literally several people have viewed my work. And some of them aren't even related to me. Many people have kindly taken the time to leave abusive comments.
Here is a selection of some of our aerial videography of the Isle of Wight, which can also be found on our Youtube channel.
The Youtube stuff is compressed to death, but feel free to get in touch if you are looking for higher quality footage for your website or TV programme. Our footage is filmed in 1080p and 25fps. I have a flyer ID and an operator ID with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Tony the drone near St Catherine's Lighthouse
Compton Bay and Freshwater Bay
Compton Bay and Freshwater Bay are both in my top five Isle of Wight beaches. The Compton Bay visit was early morning, hence the lack of people. If you look carefully, you will see me wearing a silly hat. I plan to return to Compton Bay on a sunny evening at low tide, when the beach is at its absolute finest.
Meanwhile, the Freshwater Bay drone footage is made up of two visits on the same day (we have a holiday apartment overlooking Freshwater Bay so we spend a lot of time there). One was early morning, but I returned later when the sea was more sparkly. I abruptly stopped filming when my mother informed me that I was getting a look from a scantily clad sunbather. This section did not make the edit but we may release a 'Too Hot For TV' DVD one day.
Meanwhile, the Freshwater Bay drone footage is made up of two visits on the same day (we have a holiday apartment overlooking Freshwater Bay so we spend a lot of time there). One was early morning, but I returned later when the sea was more sparkly. I abruptly stopped filming when my mother informed me that I was getting a look from a scantily clad sunbather. This section did not make the edit but we may release a 'Too Hot For TV' DVD one day.
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Blackgang Chine and Sandhard Beach
The visit to Blackgang Chine was part of a launch event in 2023 for their new Extinction ride, which tips you upside down and empties your pockets. The park had just closed so I took the opportunity to whoosh around to show off just how close some of the park is to the cliff edge. My signal went a bit wobbly (as it often does around cliffs) so I didn't make it to Cowboyland, Fairyland or the Underwater Kingdom.
The early morning trip to Sandhard Beach is recounted in this tell-all blog post. I left the house without any trousers and had to improvise to avoid shocking the civilised people of Yarmouth.
The early morning trip to Sandhard Beach is recounted in this tell-all blog post. I left the house without any trousers and had to improvise to avoid shocking the civilised people of Yarmouth.
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The Colwell to Totland Landslide and Shepherd's Chine
The coastal path between Totland Bay and Colwell is a spectacular sight from the air. There was a whopping landslide in 2012, prompting local homeowners to wake up and say things like: "Derek, did we have a sea view yesterday? Because we do now...".
After much discussion, the decision was made to build a rough path over the top of the landslide. Naysayers might suggest that this was the cheap option but it has created a remarkable feature. The original sea wall can be seen at the bottom of the clip - it previously ran close to where the replacement path is.
Meanwhile, Shepherd's Chine and Atherfield both feature in our guide to beaches where you can be confident of avoiding a crowd of people. It's a long stretch of coastline, which is slowly crumbling away.
After much discussion, the decision was made to build a rough path over the top of the landslide. Naysayers might suggest that this was the cheap option but it has created a remarkable feature. The original sea wall can be seen at the bottom of the clip - it previously ran close to where the replacement path is.
Meanwhile, Shepherd's Chine and Atherfield both feature in our guide to beaches where you can be confident of avoiding a crowd of people. It's a long stretch of coastline, which is slowly crumbling away.
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Totland Bay and The Pepperpot
We visited Totland Bay three times over 12 months to see how the rebuild of Totland Pier was coming along. Two new buildings have appeared on Totland Pier in recent years.
The visit to St Catherine's Oratory and The Pepperpot was another early morning walk. It was a beautiful day but early enough that I only saw one other human being. We exchanged a look which said "I can't believe everyone else is in bed whilst we are enjoying this glorious location".
Well, that's what my look said. His look might have been less verbose.
The visit to St Catherine's Oratory and The Pepperpot was another early morning walk. It was a beautiful day but early enough that I only saw one other human being. We exchanged a look which said "I can't believe everyone else is in bed whilst we are enjoying this glorious location".
Well, that's what my look said. His look might have been less verbose.
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Cowes and Shanklin
Shanklin is very much a summertime town. If you visit on a wet day in January then it doesn't have quite the same appeal as it does on a busy morning in July. I visited exceedingly early in summer and saw it looking rather lovely. The trip to Cowes was another early one, but this time was accompanied by my mother. She bought me a coffee in Comicoffee and we strolled up and down the seafront as the day warmed up.
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The Needles Lighthouse and Catherine's Lighthouse
My double bill of lighthouse outings was moderately successful.
The first inconvenience at The Needles was the sight of other human beings, who had parked up outside the Needles Old Battery. I didn't particularly mind them being there, but I was concerned that they might be woken by the buzzing drone and fear that a swarm of bees was attacking. The second challenge was the drone signal, which wouldn't stretch as far as I wanted. I made several attempts to whoosh out past the Needles Lighthouse so it could be viewed from the West. I got a couple of reasonable shots but it frequently lost signal, which is a little terrifying when you are hovering over the sea.
The St Catherine's Lighthouse trip was perilous thanks to strong winds. Drones can cope with a breeze but if you try and achieve any height it soon gets gusty by the coast. Still, I managed to avoid crashing into the lighthouse, which I would imagine is the kind of thing that would get you thrown into the sea under maritime law. I also visited Watershoot Bay, where I found a chap and his boys burning driftwood. He told me it was because the beach was a mess but I suspect he just loved burning stuff.
The first inconvenience at The Needles was the sight of other human beings, who had parked up outside the Needles Old Battery. I didn't particularly mind them being there, but I was concerned that they might be woken by the buzzing drone and fear that a swarm of bees was attacking. The second challenge was the drone signal, which wouldn't stretch as far as I wanted. I made several attempts to whoosh out past the Needles Lighthouse so it could be viewed from the West. I got a couple of reasonable shots but it frequently lost signal, which is a little terrifying when you are hovering over the sea.
The St Catherine's Lighthouse trip was perilous thanks to strong winds. Drones can cope with a breeze but if you try and achieve any height it soon gets gusty by the coast. Still, I managed to avoid crashing into the lighthouse, which I would imagine is the kind of thing that would get you thrown into the sea under maritime law. I also visited Watershoot Bay, where I found a chap and his boys burning driftwood. He told me it was because the beach was a mess but I suspect he just loved burning stuff.
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